Food

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.

Basic Life Community are in the Felixstowe and Woodbridge areas, redistributing excess supermarket foods via their community pop up shops. Customers can fill a bag for £2.

Anglican churches in Ipswich are partnering with organisations and local food wholesalers/producers to offer good quality food to local people at discounted prices through Ipswich Top Up Shops. £2 p/bag. No referrals or qualifying criteria needed.

Waveney Food Bank has sites in Halesworth, Framlingham, Beccles, Bungay, Long Stratton, Fressingfield, Harleston and North Suffolk.

Stowmarket Area Foodbank provides people from Stowmarket (and the surrounding areas) who are in crisis with emergency food parcels. It is run in conjunction with other churches in the area, through Stowmarket Churches Together.

Newmarket Open Door charity has Food Bank and Community Pop Up shop facilities at the Catholic Church in Exeter Road, Newmarket. Customers at the Pop Up Shop can fill a bag for £2.

Follow the links for more info on each facility.

Scan your family favourite foods to find healthier options, so you can swap them next time you shop. Free to download from the Apple Store or Google Play.  More about how the app works on the NHS website including instruction video.

Confused by Best Before and Use By dates on food items? ‘Use By’ is about food safety and ‘Best Before’ date is about food quality. Food Savvy offers guidance as well as recipe ideas on what to do with the some of the most common ‘Best Before’ foods.  To help reduce waste, Food Savvy has some tasty ideas on how best to use up the most wasted food items, such as fresh fruits, veg, bread, salad and left over meals.

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.

If you are looking for low budget, simple and tasty recipes for the whole family check out Jack Monroe’s ‘Cooking On A Bootstrap’ recipes. Quick cook meals, treats, breakfasts and more, for a ‘pence per portion’ budget.

If your fridge/larder has some odds and ends and you are not sure what do with them, why not use the leftover recipe search guide from food saving specialists Love Food Hate Waste and turn them into a delicious meal? Type in your ingredients and it will generate a recipe for you to make and eat the same day or store in the freezer for another time. Love Food Hate Waste have also created a 2 minute quiz which results in tailored tips and advice on buying, preparing and storing foods as well as how to get the most from the food you buy. Another site to find some tasty recipe ideas using leftovers is: Delicious.com .

Footballer Marcus Rashford and chef Tom Kerridge teamed up to launch the ‘Full Time’ campaign to call an end to child food poverty, 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. Follow @fulltimemeals on Instagram to access cook-along videos featuring Tom, Marcus and famous friends.