Shopping and storage

Make the most of your breakfast

They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

For many of us however, it can also be a stressful part of the morning routine which can sometimes lead to breakfast food waste. In fact, 69% of people surveyed in our research said that breakfast cereal is the top item they end up throwing out.

Whether you’re trying to get yourself up and out to work, or you’re herding the whole family to get ready for school in the morning, we understand that you don’t have a lot of time to think about avoiding food waste.

So we’re here to help with useful tips to reduce food waste and also help you feel more organised and less stressed around breakfast!

There are lots of small steps you can take to reduce food waste at the breakfast table, like how you store breakfast items –

Stop cereal going stale – only open one or two boxes at a time and use them up before opening more. And remember to seal the packaging once opened so it lasts longer!
Keep bread fresher for longer – store it in the bread bin or in a paper bag that allows air circulation but prevents it from drying out too fast.

And how to make the most of ingredients –

Day old pastries can be brought back to life! – refresh with a splash of water and a few minutes in the air fryer at 180 degrees Celsius.
Fresh berries that need using up? – Use in a smoothie or freeze for future breakfast smoothies!

Let’s make breakfast the best way to start a no food waste day!

Tip for busy weekday breakfasts

Do you find you’re throwing out a lot of breakfast cereal in the mornings? Try starting with smaller portions – you can always add more to the bowl if need be.
And don’t pour the milk in until the kids are at the table ready to eat – this should help reduce the amount of soggy cereal!!
If you prefer toast for breakfast, remember you can toast bread straight from the freezer, so no risk of slices going stale!
Partial to pastries for breakfast? Consider buying par-baked pastries that can be kept in the freezer and baked as needed in the mornings rather than having fresh pastries going stale.
Adding berries to your breakfast? Try buying frozen instead of fresh – they’ll last longer and you can use only as much as you need at a time.
Eating breakfast on the go? Grab what you have in the fruit bowl at home for a handy, healthy start to the day!
Could you start a breakfast club at work? Not only is this a great way to share breakfast ingredients and reduce food waste – it’s also a great way to catch up with colleagues before you start the day!

Tips for relaxing weekend breakfasts

Shopping ahead for a fry-up this weekend? Check packaging for the longest use-by dates to give you the most flexibility over when to use them – and remember, you can always freeze any bacon, sausages or pudding you don’t use for next weekend!
If you’re making a cooked breakfast, check what veggies you might have to use up. Tomatoes and mushrooms can be a healthy, delicious addition to a fry-up or omelette or even on toast!
Could you turn leftovers from dinner into a delicious weekend brunch? MyRecipes.com have lots of inspiration on how to turn leftover stew into Shakshuka, or leftover Chinese takeaway into frittatas!
Wondering what to do with slightly stale bread? You’ve got the perfect ingredient for French toast!
Tired of looking at uneaten fruit in the bowl all week? Use it up in delicious breakfast smoothies on the weekend!

Hopefully a few of these tips can help you to feel more organised in the mornings and reduce food waste at the breakfast table. One less thing to worry about when there are shoes, coats and schoolbags to be located!

Tell us how you stop food waste at breakfast!

We love hearing about the top tips you put into action! Tell us yours by using #StopFoodWaste on social media.

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