1. Buy seasonal and support local
- Summer is a one of the easiest seasons to incorporate seasonal produce into every meal.
- Buy in bulk when items are cheap and try different preserving methods (eg. freezing, pickling, dehydrating, jams, chutneys, sauces etc).
- Look for specials and bulk deals, as the Market has lots of them
2. Store produce correctly to maximise shelf life.
- For example, wrap delicate herbs (eg. coriander), salad greens, spring onions, celery etc in damp kitchen paper and place inside a reusable zip lock bag. Bunches of herbs also do well in glasses of water with a bag over it, in the fridge, to create a microclimate.
3. Menu plan your meals for the week:
- Only buy what you need, which helps reduce unnecessary food waste.
- Incorporate meat-free days into your weekly menu planning to help reduce costs
- Select dishes that are energy efficient and cut vegetables smaller, so they cook quicker. When using the oven, fill it up and use every shelf.
- Shopping with a list helps you avoid impulse purchases.
4. Butchers at the Market will cut to size and you can even buy ½ or 1/3 ham on the bone.
5. Barbecuing whole joints like butterflied leg of lamb or butterflied chicken is better value than buying individual cuts.
6. Use leftover bones to make homemade stock.
7. Embrace cheap cuts for entertaining. A great snack option for a crowd is to buy seafood offcuts eg. salmon wings, which can be dusted in rice flour and fried like calamari and served with a dipping sauce. Chicken drumsticks and chicken wings are also good options.
8. Make the most of leftovers, overripe fruit and vegetables to reduce food waste.
9. Buy ugly and seconds produce, it still tastes great!
