I grew up in a rural town in the 90s and early 2000s. We rarely ate out at restaurants or ordered takeaway. If we did, it was usually fried rice and cashew chicken from the local Chinese restaurant. But we didn’t need to spend money on such luxuries, because my mum was arguably the best cook in town.
Not only did she nail all the basics, but my mum was always an adventurous cook and willing to try new recipes. I still maintain that she invented the crunchy noodle and Chinese cabbage salad that did the rounds at many barbecues in my teenage years – or at least introduced it to all of our friends. I’ve since learnt the recipe was actually on the back of the Changs noodle packet, but I still believe she was way ahead of her time.
Her ability to always ‘rustle something up’ – either at short notice or with just a handful of random ingredients – is something that I’ve proudly carried forth into my adult years and my role as mum and Chief Executive of Home Economics (self-appointed title).
I still maintain that she invented the crunchy noodle and Chinese cabbage salad that did the rounds at many barbecues in my teenage years…
The idea of not letting food go to waste, is of course not new – for some, it’s a necessity. Celebrity chefs like Jamie Oliver have been promoting the no-waste revolution for some time. But as more and more people rapidly turn their focus towards environmental sustainability and recent global events that place huge demands on the supply chain, doing our bit to reduce waste and lower our footprint can easily start in our kitchens.
While I’ve always had a love for cooking, my journey into exploring ways to reduce food waste coincided with the birth of our second child, and my second stint of unpaid maternity leave. Out of necessity, I began to pay more attention to our grocery bill and experimented with ways to stretch our food that little bit further.
As more and more people rapidly turn their focus towards environmental sustainability and recent global events that place huge demands on the supply chain, doing our bit to reduce waste and lower our footprint can easily start in our kitchens.
I was tired of popping down to the shops every few days to ‘just grab a few things’ when I already had a pantry and fridge full of perfectly good food at home.
Thanks to Mum, I realised I too had a knack for coming up with meals from seemingly ‘nothing’ and started getting a thrill out of using everything up. If you’ve ever watched MasterChef, I can liken this type of cooking to the ‘Mystery Box Challenge’ – except the tiny food critics in my house are arguably far harder to impress than the judges on the show.
I’ve learnt that leftover sour cream can go into a cake or a casserole or even contribute to wonderfully decadent scrambled eggs. When faced with excess zucchinis, I know that they can be turned into noodles, bulk out a pasta sauce or be hidden in a brownie batter (and the kids will never know about it). If you have a good food processor, you can easily turn raw cashews into an incredibly creamy dairy-free ‘cheese’ sauce.
Like everyone, I have been guilty of letting leftover food sit in containers in the fridge for weeks on end.
Before you know it, a whole new ecosystem has started to form and then you’re faced with the dreaded task of throwing it all away. But by being more mindful and paying more attention to how much my family actually consumes, I’m seeing that occur less and less. I regularly take stock of what we have on hand, freeze things before it’s too late and incorporate leftovers into other meals.
Like everyone, I have been guilty of letting leftover food sit in containers in the fridge for weeks on end. Before you know it, a whole new ecosystem has started to form and then you’re faced with the dreaded task of throwing it all away.
Depending on the level of resourcefulness you wish to take – there are countless ways to use up food ‘scraps’. Whether it be making your own vegetable or meat stocks, keeping citrus peels for DIY cleaning products or putting coffee grinds on your garden – the opportunities are endless.
During my time off work, I started sharing some of our meals on Instagram, and found that other people were looking for ways that they could adopt this way of cooking too. I wanted to show people that changing our approach to food shopping and cooking didn’t have to be difficult or expensive, and that meals could still be interesting and healthy too. While my Instagram community is still small, it fuels my motivation to continue learning and making positive changes to the way we shop, cook and eat.
Besides the financial and environmental factors – going back to basics, shopping seasonally and being conscious of where our food is coming from are all factors that have worked their way into my approach to cooking too.
While we are far from self-sufficient, my family and I have loved getting back to basics and making a lot of our foods from scratch – from yoghurt to bread, nut milks and even butter. This not only eliminates packaging but also allows me to feel confident in knowing exactly what we are eating. While modern appliances certainly make things easier, there’s a real sense of achievement that comes with this way of cooking.
By being more mindful and paying more attention to how much my family actually consumes, I’m seeing that occur less and less.
Throughout this whole process, I realised that saving money didn’t have to mean compromising on quality produce or impacting the environment. Because I have two young kids, convenience also plays a huge part in how I shop.
Fortunately, there’s a number of options for fresh fruit and vegetable delivery in our region. Many local butchers also offer this service – meaning you can still support local businesses without the added stress of a trip to the store. Because the produce I’m buying is grown closer to home, the amount of time it spends in transit is far less, resulting in it staying fresher for longer. By combining this approach with the occasional trip to a local bulk food store for pantry staples, my need to visit the large supermarkets are becoming less and less.
Until recently, buying seasonally was not something I really considered. Having access to whatever we want to eat at any time of the year really is a modern luxury. Previously, if I saw strawberries or avocados at the supermarket – I’d buy them regardless of the time of year. But I’ve learnt that foods that are in season are generally cheaper and always better quality. By shopping this way you are faced with an opportunity to try ingredients that you may not usually buy.
We recently took our kids back to my hometown to visit Mum for the weekend. After a long three-hour drive, we arrived at her house to be greeted with a full spread laid out on the dining table. She’d invited my brother’s family over at short notice too, and despite having worked all day, she’d managed to ‘rustle up’ an incredible feast from foods she already had. It’s a privilege to have picked up these skills from my mum, and by implementing small changes in my own home, I hope my kids will see and experience the value and joy in adopting this approach.
Words: Hannah Mills | Photography: Zoë Lonergan
As seen in Swell Issue 9.
