FOOD AND RECIPES
Slow Cooker Appeal Food poverty and fuel poverty go hand in hand and with the increases in our energy bills and changes in eligibility for winter fuel allowances, many more people across the county will be faced with making difficult choices between heating their homes and eating. In December 2020 we began an annual winter appeal to raise money for slow cookers to help provide Suffolk households in need with the means to cook hot, nutritious meals and so far, we have given out more than 1,000 slow cookers and have also helped to provide wearable blankets and other winter warmth items. Slow cookers use very little power but allow cheaper ingredients to be made into delicious nutritious meals to help the recipients stay well through winter and beyond.
We know times are harder for us all but no matter how small the donation, every single £1 helps to make a significant, positive difference to families and individuals throughout Suffolk.! Click here to go to our Local Giving page to donate to our next appeal Thank you for your support.
Top Up Shops & Food Banks in Suffolk Basic Life Community Pop Up Shops Excess supermarket foods redistributed via community pop up shops. Customers can fill a bag for £2. Directory of locations and invitation to bring the service to your town. Ipswich Top Up Shops Anglican churches in Ipswich partnering with organisations and local food wholesalers/producers to offer good quality food to local people at discounted prices. £2 p/bag. No referrals or qualifying criteria needed. There are some food banks may only take referrals but some can be self referred to. Find your nearest Food Bank.
NHS Free Food Scanner App The app gives you an easy way to scan your family favourite foods so you can find a what healthier options are available, so you can swap them next time you shop. The app is available to download for free from the Apple Store or Google Play. Find out more about how the app works on the NHS website where you can view the video.
Understanding Food Labels/Reducing Food Waste – One of the biggest sources of confusion is knowing the difference between the Best Before and Use By dates on our food items. The main difference is the Use By date is about food safety and the Best Before date is about food quality. Food Savvy have lots of advice to guide you as well as some recipe ideas on what you can do with the some of the most common foods with Best Before dates. To help reduce your food waste Food Savvy have advised the most wasted food items are fresh fruits & vegetables, bread, salad and left over meals and they have come up with some tasty recipes to help you reduce food waste and save money.
BBC £1 Dinners The BBC have a large selection of recipes which can be made for £1 a portion to help families on a budget. Click on the image below to view all the recipes on the BBC website.
Family Meals On A Budget If you are looking for simple but tasty recipes for the whole family and are on a tight budget check out Jack Monroe recipes as they are designed with simple inexpensive ingredients in mind. Alternatively allrecipes have a large selection of budget friendly recipes to choose from and video demonstrations are available on their YouTube Channel.
Recipes for Leftovers Reducing food waste by using up every edible bit of the food you buy. If your fridge/larder has some odds and ends and you are not sure what do with them, why not put them to good use by turning them into a delicious meal. Using the leftover recipe search guide from food saving specialists Love Food Hate Waste, you can simply type in your ingredients and it will generate a recipe for you to make and eat the same day or stored in the freezer for another time. Alternatively you can find some tasty ideas that you can make from using up leftovers form Delicious.com .
Full Time Meals Footballer Marcus Rashford and chef Tom Kerridge have teamed up to launch the ‘Full Time’ campaign to call and end to child food poverty as no child should go to bed hungry. By helping children and families to learn new skills to cook good food with confidence using the equipment available to them. Tom has created 52, simple and easy to follow, pocket friendly recipes that the whole family can cook and enjoy. With a new recipe available every Sunday morning and cook-along video on the @fulltimemeals Instagram page.
Kids Baking Ideas – If you are looking for some fun, easy recipes to bake with the kids Food Savvy have 5 simple, no waste recipes which include Chocolate Crispy cakes, Banana Bread, Perfect Pancakes and more. They have also put together some useful tips to help you. Click on the image below to access the recipes.
Choose What You’ll Use Quiz Love Food Hate Waste have created a short quiz which takes under 2 minutes to complete and will provide you with tailored tips and advice on buying, preparing and storing foods as well as how to get the most from the food you buy. To take the quiz, simply click on the image below.
