Twelve young chefs from West Herts College, with the help of Veolia, Watford Council’s recycling and waste partner, have created a plant-based cookbook to address the growing global problem of food waste and its contribution to climate change.
Food waste has a detrimental effect on the environment due to the resources it takes to produce and transport it. If food waste were a country, it would have the third biggest carbon footprint after the US and China. To help combat this, Veolia teamed up with a group of trainee chefs to inspire Watford residents to make the most of their leftovers and avoid throwing away food.
The cookbook contains nutritious, plant-based recipes for any occasion alongside helpful food waste tips to encourage sustainable living. The book will be available to buy online as a hard copy, with money raised from the book benefitting four local charities; Mencap Watford, Dementia Watford, Reveley Lodge, Bushey and the Polio Foundation.
Veolia’s Recycling Fund for Communities sponsored the publication of Love Your Leftovers. The Fund supports grassroots projects that protect the environment and encourage people to do the right thing with their waste. In 2020, the funding criteria was expanded to include projects that help communities to bounce back from the pandemic.
The cookbook also aligns with the launch of WRAP’s inaugural Food Waste Action Week. The week of action hopes to raise awareness of the environmental consequences of wasting food and will run from Monday 1 to Sunday 7 March 2021. Activities will bring together different organisations and remind everyone that food waste is an issue that affects us all - and the planet.
West Herts College, Andy Wakeford, Head of School for Food Academy & Hospitality said:
“I would like to thank Veolia for facilitating this opportunity for West Herts College students to produce this book which they enjoyed completing. They have been engaged and empowered to try to make a difference locally by raising the awareness of the global problem of food waste. Hopefully the long term benefit will be to raise awareness of the need to reduce local food waste to protect the environment but also help to ease some of the burden on the family purse.”
Darren Harding, Senior Contract Manager at Veolia said:
“Food waste is an issue we all need to take action against. It is estimated that 6.5 million tonnes of food is wasted every year by UK households; 4.5 million tonnes of which is edible. Making the most of these leftovers could have a very real impact on climate change, which currently contributes 8-10% of global greenhouse gases.
“We’re proud to be working with the young people of Watford to inspire them to take ownership of their environmental impact and make a difference at home, at work and at college. We will continue to support these young chefs in their studies, and encourage all Watford residents to make sustainable choices.”
To see a sneak preview and to purchase a copy of the Love your Leftovers Cookbook, visit: westherts.ac.uk/whats-on/news/students-create-cookbook/