Latest news with #WasteNot
The Guardian
6 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
How to turn fruit and veg scraps into a delicious cake – recipe
To celebrate 10 years of writing for the Guardian and seven years of this column, I thought it would be fitting to bake a cake inspired by where Waste Not began: my food compost bin. I looked through the fridge and raw compost bin, and found some squash, carrots, apples, cucumber ends, a knob of ginger and a woody stick of lemongrass; I even considered a red cabbage leaf, but decided that brassicas are best kept out of the baking tin. The compost bin is more than a place for leftovers, it's a source of inspiration, as well as a way to reflect on what we waste; it can even guide us towards cooking more resourcefully and creatively. This is a fun riff on the classic carrot or courgette cake, designed to use up scraps of sweet fruit and veg. Be inventive but discerning with what you include, so think beetroot, squash, apple or citrus zest, and leave the garlic and red onion for another day. If you keep a raw-ingredient compost bin (we use a council-issued one), you can even pick through it for potential ingredients; if not, next time you cook, identify the scraps you could incorporate into this cake, so turning them into something delicious. I normally make this cake with extra-virgin olive oil or sunflower oil, but on this occasion I used leftover plant-based spreads from testing supermarket 'butters' for the food filter column. This recipe makes a large, moist cake that needs a good-sized pan and takes longer to cook than you might think. For the cake300g fruit and vegetable scraps (eg, beetroot peelings, apple cores, squash ends)300g oil, or plant-based spread3 eggs 300g wholemeal plain flour, fine milled ideally200g unrefined sugar 3 tsp baking powder For the coconut icing (optional)1 can full-fat coconut milk, chilled for at least 10 hours1 tsp vanilla extract 65g icing sugar, sifted Finely grated zest of ½ orange, lemon or lime, plus a little extra to finish (optional)1–2 tbsp cornflour, or arrowroot powder (optional; this will make a firmer icing)Mixed seeds and chopped nuts, to top (optional)Rose petals, to top (optional) Start by making the icing. Open the can of chilled coconut milk and scoop just the solidified thick cream into a bowl, leaving the coconut water behind. Add the vanilla extract, icing sugar and, if using, the citrus zest and cornflour, whip until light and fluffy, then cover and put in the fridge. Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Put your chosen fruit and veg scraps in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the oil, eggs, flour, sugar and baking powder, and blend again until just combined. Scrape the batter into a greased and lined cake tin, then bake for 55–65 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for five minutes, then turn out on to a rack. Once the cake is completely cool, spread the icing over the top, then scatter with seeds, chopped nuts, rose petals or/and extra grated citrus zest, if you like.
Scottish Sun
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
The 9 little-known discount apps to save YOU £100s this summer – slash cost of petrol, parking & food… & get free stuff
You can also bag a free weekly snack at Greggs, plus huge theme park, zoo and clothing discounts I-SAVED! The 9 little-known discount apps to save YOU £100s this summer – slash cost of petrol, parking & food… & get free stuff Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SUMMER is when you want to splash out on fun in the sun – so make your money go further. There are loads of apps to help you get the best bang for your buck, including cheap food and takeaways, free trips to the cinema, thrifty days out, and even low-cost petrol. 13 Grab your phone and download these need-to-know apps to save a fortune this summer Credit: Getty 13 Check out Three+ for discounted coffee and cinema trips 13 Sky's official app has loads of rewards including free cinema tickets Credit: Sky #1 – YOUR REWARDS APPS Chances are, you're paying for a phone bill – and maybe a telly subscription, too. Well the rewards apps linked to those services should be your first port of call. The Three+ app gets you £1 coffees, £3 Cineworld tickets, and 15% off at River Island right now. Vodafone customers can use VeryMe Rewards to get Adventure Days (with 50% off zoos, theme parks, and attractions via Kids Pass). O2 Priority gives you a load of rewards, such as a free weekly snack from Greggs, discounted Disney+, and two Vue cinema tickets for £9. If you're signed up to Sky TV, you can claim a free movie from the Sky Store by going into the MySky app and looking for your VIP rewards. And if you're paying for Sky Cinema too, you'll be able to get a pair of free Vue cinema tickets every single month. That could save you and a pal £240 a year alone. #2 – CHEAP FOOD (AND THAT'S NOT ALL) The average weekly food shop - without any booze - is around £103, up around 18% from two years ago. One way Brits are dodging the price hikes is with Too Good to Go. It's a food waste app where shops, cafes, bakeries and restaurants can flog their surplus food at discounted prices instead of binning them. How to save on your supermarket shop THERE are plenty of ways to save on your grocery shop. You can look out for yellow or red stickers on products, which show when they've been reduced. If the food is fresh, you'll have to eat it quickly or freeze it for another time. Making a list should also save you money, as you'll be less likely to make any rash purchases when you get to the supermarket. Going own brand can be one easy way to save hundreds of pounds a year on your food bills too. This means ditching "finest" or "luxury" products and instead going for "own" or value" type of lines. Plenty of supermarkets run wonky veg and fruit schemes where you can get cheap prices if they're misshapen or imperfect. For example, Lidl runs its Waste Not scheme, offering boxes of 5kg of fruit and vegetables for just £1.50. If you're on a low income and a parent, you may be able to get up to £442 a year in Healthy Start vouchers to use at the supermarket too. Plus, many councils offer supermarket vouchers as part of the Household Support Fund. You're throwing away money on Netflix – I found three common mistakes sending your bill soaring but the fixes are easy You'll usually pay less than half price for the grub – and you're doing a good thing, because it would've just ended up in the bin. Just download the app and you'll be able to "rescue" food near you. Simply pick a location, confirm the choice, reserve the food, pay in the app, then go collect it at the specified time. Another similar app is called Olio, which is a free giveaway app. 13 Too Good To Go can get you extremely cheap food Credit: Too Good To Go 13 Olio is a great way to get your hands on freebies locally – including fresh food Credit: Olio Maybe someone bought too many biscuits for a birthday party, and has loads of packs spare – so they're giving them away. You might bag yourself free bread, tins of beans, or bits and bobs for baking. It's not just food either. There's a whole non-food section that could see you scooping up, car seats, lamps, pots and pans, or unwanted books. The app is meant for local community giveaways so you shouldn't need to travel far. And you won't pay a penny, which makes the deal even sweeter. #3 – NATURE NEAR YOU There's nothing cheaper than Mother Nature, but it's hard to know where to start. That's what AllTrails is for. It's basically a giant guide to great walks near you, and it previously won Apple's App of the Year award. You just look for where you are (or where you're going) on the map, and you'll be able to see brilliant walks that people have planned. 13 AllTrails is a cheap and easy way to find amazing nature near you Credit: AllTrails It'll show pictures of the walk, how difficult it is, and how long it'll take you – plus it helps you navigate once you get started. And a reviews section will reveal if it's actually any good. Plus people will often post about conditions ("it's muddy, so bring boots!") to save you from making a clothing error. It's a great way to explore an area you don't know, or find a hidden gem of a walk near you. It also warns you if you've taken a wrong turn, which is obviously very handy. And if you want to make your stroll a bit more exciting, consider downloading the Merlin app. This listens out for bird noises as you walk along, and it'll pick out the species in real-time. It's shockingly accurate, and even flags when you've picked out something rare. It's fun for kids to try to spot the birds – and the family can compete to see who can clock up the most rare species on a stroll. It's just like Pokémon, but in real life. 13 Merlin can turn almost any walk into a fun game for the family Credit: Merlin #4 – FAIRER HOLIDAY BILLS You know when you go on holiday with pals or family members, and it feels like you end up paying for everything? Sometimes it's nice to be generous, but you don't want the difficulty of splitting bills over a whole holiday to leave you out of pocket – while your mates get a free ride. Think about using Splitwise, which is a simple free tool that lets a group track bills and shared expenses. You all add bills, who paid what, and then at the end of the holiday, you hit Settle Up and it'll work out who owes what to whom. 13 Splitwise makes it easier to share bills, especially on holiday – and it'll help you dodge arguments too Credit: Splitwise It's a free app, and could keep you out of the red on a big group trip. For summer stags and hens, it's an absolute must. #5 – FREE DELIVERY ON TAKEAWAYS Here's one for Amazon Prime members: you can get cheap takeaways. A lot of you have Amazon Prime. The member count for Britain is about 13 million, so chances are that someone in your home has it. 13 Millions of Brits are owed a free year of Deliveroo Silver Plus Credit: Amazon / Deliveroo Other hidden Amazon Prime perks Here's some advice from The Sun's Tech Editor Sean Keach... If you're forking out £8.99 a month for Amazon Prime, you better get your money's worth. Yes, you can get a free year of Deliveroo Silver Plus worth just shy of £42 – but that's not all. Gamers can bag free titles every month through Prime Gaming – the May 2025 lot was worth nearly £400! Another little-known Prime perk cuts 15% off new clothes, toiletries, and food. You just have to buy at least four items from the secret Buy More & Save store. Prime members can also claim a pair of cinema tickets at Odeon for just £10. Or you can pay £15 to upgrade to posh Luxe seats. And you can also get a shipping discount for HelloFresh. That's the meal kit service that sees fresh ingredients and recipe cards sent to your doorstep. That'll save you about £60 if you ordered one box each month for a year. Picture Credit: Sean Keach And with Prime, you're entitled to a full year of Deliveroo Silver Plus free of charge. That'll nab you free delivery on takeaways if you spend more than £15 at loads of restaurants. Normally this would cost you £3.49 a month, so you're getting a £42 membership free of charge. #6 – BARGAIN PARKING Just weeks ago, I wrote a rave review for JustPark. I still stand by it. 13 JustPark unlocks discounted parking – and can even help you to earn some money Credit: JustPark The app lets people rent their driveways out for quick cash – or even long-term, which is great for commuters. So you could certainly use it for that as a side-hustle. You can earn up to £1,000 tax-free this way. But it's also a great way to dodge paying for pricey car parks. I recently revealed how I used it to find £6 full-day parking in London on a weekday. If you're off to a big sports event at a stadium, or a gig at an arena, have a look at JustPark first and see if you could plonk your car on someone's driveway for way less than a commercial lot would charge you. #7 – CHEAPEST PETROL Of course you won't be able to get to a car park if you don't have any fuel – and that's hardly cheap either. One way to shrink your fuel bills is with PetrolPrices. It's a fairly simple concept, so you'll kick yourself for not installing earlier. As the name suggests, it shows you all of the prices for petrol in your local area. 13 Slash your petrol prices by shopping around – without having to actually drive all over the place Credit: PetrolPrices So you can sort by the cheapest to find out where has the best bargains. It'll show you when the price was updated, and lets you sort by fuel type and brand. #8 – SUPERMARKET SAVINGS Just like PetrolPrices lets you compare the cost of petrol across different locations, Trolley does much the same for your groceries. It compares prices for groceries across all of the major UK supermarkets. 13 Trolley is an easy way to compare grocery prices without having to visit 16 different shops (or websites) yourself Credit: Trolley The list includes: Asda Sainsburys Aldi Home Bargains Morrisons Tesco Boots Wilko Coop Waitrose Superdrug B&M Ocado Iceland Savers Poundland The app promises savings of up to 30% on your weekly shop, but your own bill reduction will depend on what you're buying, the size of your shop, and where you're going. You can quickly make shopping lists for multiple stores, and then plan your weekly shop for maximum savings. And there's also a barcode scanning feature to see if another supermarket is flogging at item for less, right there on the spot. #9 – DISCOUNTED PHONE BILLS AirTime is a cashback-style app that lets you trim your phone bills. You link your card, and then the app tracks your spending. And if you spend at certain locations, you'll get cashback that is then knocked off your monthly mobile phone bill. 13 If you're planning to do some shopping, see if it can trim your phone bill Credit: Airtime It works with major phone networks including O2, EE, Three, Vodafone, and giffgaff. The app boasts that it has paid out over £40 million across four million members. Cashback will range between 1% and 15% (though most are between 3% and 5%), and more than 200 retailers are on board. That includes Deliveroo, Asos, Aldi, Tesco, Argos, New Look, and Selfridges. It's not a bad way to save some money on your phone bill if you're already making those purchase. Just be careful not to fall into the trap of spending more to earn extra cashback – you'll just be undoing your own hard work.
Scottish Sun
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
I was so excited when I nabbed a £2.49 Morrisons Too Good To Go bag – but what I found inside made me feel sick
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A BARGAIN hunter thought she'd scored a cheap dinner win with her Too Good To Go bag – but what she found inside left her feeling queasy. Becky Chorlton was hoping for a surprise feast when she eagerly collected a 'hot food' £2.49 bag from her local Morrisons Café. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 One thrifty foodie felt sick after she received her Too Good To Go bag from Morrisons Credit: Jam Press 3 Becky paid less than £3 for the bag which reduces food waste Credit: Jam Press 3 The boxes contained a vacuum-sealed chicken tikka masala alongside boil-in-the-bag rice Credit: Jam Press But when she opened up the two mysterious boxes, what she found inside left her feeling 'sick'. The boxes contained a vacuum-sealed chicken tikka masala alongside boil-in-the-bag rice. In a video posted to her TikTok account, Becky, who has 415,000 followers, gasped: 'Oh my God, what is that? That's so weird, what the hell? 'I'm not sure about that. That kind of gives me the heebie-jeebies.' Too Good To Go bags are a popular way to grab a mix of tasty, often freezer-safe meals at a bargain price while doing your bit to reduce food waste. The video, which racked up 788,000 views, showed an undeterred Becky, who is from Cheshire and runs a vintage clothing business, peeking into box number two. Her mood instantly changed when she spotted seven hash browns, three slabs of black pudding and a mountain of sausages. Viewers were split in the comments, with some impressed by the value and others were put off by the contents of the first box. One commenter said: 'I'd be the exact same with meat in a bag, even chicken in microwave meals can make me feel a bit dodgy sometimes.' Another added: 'It's £2.49 be grateful.' The simple chocolate cake recipe using only TWO ingredients - it's sweet and you won't even need to put it in the oven Another person said: 'That's not bad at all – sure, the plastic pouches aren't appetising, but any food would look like that in a plastic pouch.' Jam Press has approached Morrisons, who declined to comment. How to save on your supermarket shop THERE are plenty of ways to save on your grocery shop. You can look out for yellow or red stickers on products, which show when they've been reduced. If the food is fresh, you'll have to eat it quickly or freeze it for another time. Making a list should also save you money, as you'll be less likely to make any rash purchases when you get to the supermarket. Going own brand can be one easy way to save hundreds of pounds a year on your food bills too. This means ditching "finest" or "luxury" products and instead going for "own" or value" type of lines. Plenty of supermarkets run wonky veg and fruit schemes where you can get cheap prices if they're misshapen or imperfect. For example, Lidl runs its Waste Not scheme, offering boxes of 5kg of fruit and vegetables for just £1.50. If you're on a low income and a parent, you may be able to get up to £442 a year in Healthy Start vouchers to use at the supermarket too. Plus, many councils offer supermarket vouchers as part of the Household Support Fund. How does Too Good To Go work? To use Too Good To Go, download its app on your smartphone and create an account. You can then select your area by entering your location and drop the pin on where you'll be picking up your surplus food bags. On the app, you can select the distance you'd be willing to travel, based on whether you'll be walking, using public transport or driving. The app will then show you the Too Good To Go locations available in your area. These are grouped in categories including supermarkets, groceries and baked goods. There are also options to collect food straight away, or later for dinner. You can then scroll through the app to see what's available and click "see all" to check all the options within a category. Too Good To Go will then tell you how much you can save with each surprise bag. Prices usually range between £2 and £6, with shoppers saving at least 30% on every order. When clicking on a listing, you will get information on the exact location of the cafe, restaurant or supermarket, as well as collection times available, and the price of the bag. The listing also shows the average rating other users have given that particular business. Once you've decided what you want to pick up, simply click the "reserve" button to ensure it is assigned to you. You'll be asked to add your bank details to confirm the reservation and you'll then receive an email including an invoice and a time window for your collection. Then go to the shop at the assigned time, show your collection on the app to a staff member and enjoy your discounted surplus food.
The Irish Sun
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
I was so excited when I nabbed a £2.49 Morrisons Too Good To Go bag – but what I found inside made me feel sick
A BARGAIN hunter thought she'd scored a cheap dinner win with her Too Good To Go bag – but what she found inside left her feeling queasy. Becky Chorlton was hoping for a surprise feast when she eagerly collected a 'hot food' £2.49 bag from her local Morrisons Café. Advertisement 3 One thrifty foodie felt sick after she received her Too Good To Go bag from Morrisons Credit: Jam Press 3 Becky paid less than £3 for the bag which reduces food waste Credit: Jam Press 3 The boxes contained a vacuum-sealed chicken tikka masala alongside boil-in-the-bag rice Credit: Jam Press But when she opened up the two mysterious boxes, what she found inside left her feeling 'sick'. The boxes contained a vacuum-sealed chicken tikka masala alongside boil-in-the-bag rice. In a video posted to her TikTok account, Becky, who has 415,000 followers, gasped: 'Oh my God, what is that? That's so weird, what the hell? 'I'm not sure about that. That kind of gives me the heebie-jeebies.' Advertisement Too Good To Go bags are a popular way to grab a mix of tasty, often freezer-safe meals at a bargain price while doing your bit to reduce food waste. The video, which racked up 788,000 views, showed an undeterred Becky, who is from Cheshire and runs a Her mood instantly changed when she spotted seven Viewers were split in the comments, with some impressed by the value and others were put off by the contents of the first box. Advertisement Most read in Fabulous One commenter said: 'I'd be the exact same with meat in a bag, even chicken in microwave meals can make me feel a bit dodgy sometimes.' Another added: 'It's £2.49 be grateful.' The simple chocolate cake recipe using only TWO ingredients - it's sweet and you won't even need to put it in the oven Another person said: 'That's not bad at all – sure, the plastic pouches aren't appetising, but any food would look like that in a plastic pouch.' Jam Press has approached Morrisons, who declined to comment. Advertisement How to save on your supermarket shop THERE are plenty of ways to save on your grocery shop. You can look out for yellow or red stickers on products, which show when they've been reduced. If the food is fresh, you'll have to eat it quickly or freeze it for another time. Making a list should also save you money, as you'll be less likely to make any rash purchases when you get to the supermarket. Going own brand can be one easy way to save hundreds of pounds a year on your food bills too. This means ditching "finest" or "luxury" products and instead going for "own" or value" type of lines. Plenty of supermarkets run wonky veg and fruit schemes where you can get cheap prices if they're misshapen or imperfect. For example, Lidl runs its Waste Not scheme, offering boxes of 5kg of fruit and vegetables for just £1.50. If you're on a low income and a parent, you may be able to get up to £442 a year in Healthy Start vouchers to use at the supermarket too. Plus, many councils offer supermarket vouchers as part of the Household Support Fund. How does Too Good To Go work? To use Too Good To Go, download its app on your smartphone and create an account. You can then select your area by entering your location and drop the pin on where you'll be picking up your surplus On the app, you can select the distance you'd be willing to travel, based on whether you'll be walking, using public transport or driving. The app will then show you the Too Good To Go locations available in your area. Advertisement These are grouped in categories including There are also options to collect food straight away, or later for dinner. You can then scroll through the app to see what's available and click "see all" to check all the options within a category. Too Good To Go will then tell you how much you can save with each surprise bag. Advertisement Prices usually range between £2 and £6, with When clicking on a listing, you will get information on the exact location of the The listing also shows the average rating other users have given that particular Once you've decided what you want to pick up, simply click the "reserve" button to ensure it is assigned to you. Advertisement Read more on the Irish Sun You'll be asked to add your bank details to confirm the reservation and you'll then receive an email including an invoice and a time window for your collection. Then go to the shop at the assigned time, show your collection on the app to a staff member and enjoy your discounted surplus food.
Scottish Sun
31-05-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Tesco shoppers go wild for never-before-seen Kinder bar on shelves as fans say they are ‘amazingly good'
Scroll down for even more sweet news CHOC FULL Tesco shoppers go wild for never-before-seen Kinder bar on shelves as fans say they are 'amazingly good' TESCO shoppers have gone wild for a never-before-seen Kinder bar after it appeared on shelves. The new bar is made of milk and cocoa cream layered with a crispy cereal shell. 1 New Kinder Krispy Bars spotted at the Meal Deal section in Tesco Credit: Facebook/Newfoodsuk The Kinder Krispy Bars weigh 34g each and come individually wrapped, making them perfect for taking it with you on-the-go. The sought-after treat was posted to the popular New Foods UK Facebook group when it was spotted in Tesco. One savvy shopper spotted the Kinder bar and let other chocolate-lovers know about the product. The post quickly received likes and comments from sweet fans eager to get their hands on the new flavour. Read More in Money NOT FIT TO EAT Major supermarket urgently recalls snack from shelves due to 'health risks' And viewers were quick to weigh in with their opinions in the comment section. One wrote: "These are amazingly good." While another said: "Need these." A third commented: "We will have to be on the lookout for these they look good." Others quickly tagged their friends and family to let them know about the tasty new bar. The sweet treat is described as a "deliciously light yet indulgent snack" combining Kinder's signature creamy milk and cocoa layers with a crunchy cereal coating. Save with secret codes It's a fan favourite as it offers the perfect texture contrast in every bite. Tesco regularly gives shoppers a chance to pick up discounted food through yellow label stickers. These are typically food items that are due to expire and then marked down in price at the end of the day. Recently, the grocery giant has begun giving away some of these discounted products for free at selected stores. It began introducing the freebies across selected Express stores as part of a trial earlier this month. Food marked "CS" is given away for nothing from 9:30pm onwards. Therefore, the free products will only be made available to shoppers who visit these branches after this time. The supermarket giant said it will continue giving some of the end-of-life products to charity as it currently does. Staff will also get priority for the free products reduced earlier in the day. However, any food leftover at this point will be free for shoppers to take home and enjoy. How to save money on your food shop Consumer reporter Sam Walker reveals how you can save hundreds of pounds a year: Odd boxes - plenty of retailers offer slightly misshapen fruit and veg or surplus food at a discounted price. Lidl sells five kilos of fruit and veg for just £1.50 through its Waste Not scheme while Aldi shoppers can get Too Good to Go bags which contain £10 worth of all kinds of products for £3.30. Sainsbury's also sells £2 "Taste Me, Don't Waste Me" fruit and veg boxes to help shoppers reduced food waste and save cash. Food waste apps - food waste apps work by helping shops, cafes, restaurants and other businesses shift stock that is due to go out of date and passing it on to members of the public. Some of the most notable ones include Too Good to Go and Olio. Too Good to Go's app is free to sign up to and is used by millions of people across the UK, letting users buy food at a discount. Olio works similarly, except users can collect both food and other household items for free from neighbours and businesses. Yellow sticker bargains - yellow sticker bargains, sometimes orange and red in certain supermarkets, are a great way of getting food on the cheap. But what time to head out to get the best deals varies depending on the retailer. You can see the best times for each supermarket here. Super cheap bargains - sign up to bargain hunter Facebook groups like Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK where shoppers regularly post hauls they've found on the cheap, including food finds. "Downshift" - you will almost always save money going for a supermarket's own-brand economy lines rather than premium brands. The move to lower-tier ranges, also known as "downshifting" and hailed by consumer expert Martin Lewis, could save you hundreds of pounds a year on your food shop. Tesco is not the only retailer to give away discounted food through yellow sticker bargains. Rather than red or yellow, Lidl puts orange stickers on its reduced products, so make sure you don't miss any in your closest store. One former worker for the supermarket revealed when shoppers can find the stickers and get up to 60% off. And Sainsbury's said when staff add yellow stickers to products varies from store to store. As for Aldi, the chain uses red stickers to mark down items in its shops.
