Making a Meal of It

Project summary: 

The overall aim of the Reducing Food Waste project was to raise awareness of the impacts of surplus food in the home and teach people how to use their surplus food through cookery sessions, a schools’ resource pack, demonstrations at community events and other activities. 
 
Outcomes and lessons learned: 

Delivering cookery classes for an existing group for parents and toddlers (Little Acorns) proved to be a successful approach. The skill level was known in advance and it removed the need to promote and process bookings, as for the open cookery course.  It became apparent that the attraction for people who attended the open cookery course was for social and other reasons beyond learning basic cookery skills. 

Creating a strong framework and training volunteers to deliver cookery sessions led to project legacy and sustainability. This was effective use of the project officer’s time that increased capacity and reach. 

TBG also worked in partnership with Point Young Persons Trust to deliver an ASDAN food qualification to a group of young people aged 10-15. Three TBG volunteers supported the delivery of this learning and developed their skills and confidence so that they can now run further sessions, with Point, or elsewhere. 

An unexpected opportunity that arose during the project was an invitation to meet with managers from a local tourist attraction to explore how they could make better use of food that is currently wasted but could be eaten.  

This led to TBG producing a report with recommendations for updating food waste audits and potential uses of surplus food, both within the attraction’s food outlets and with food brought in and left behind in accommodation by guests. This pilot has potential for future work with the county’s hospitality and tourism industry, raising 
awareness of food waste reduction among the county’s four million or so annual staying visitors. 
 
A key legacy of the project was the development of Fishguard Community Fridge which, although funded separately, couldn’t have happened without the support of the Reducing Food Waste project officer.  This unexpected turn during the project lifespan came about when TBG’s existing surplus food café (Transition Café) had to close since the building it was situated in was being demolished. The community fridge proposal was in keeping with the overall project aim of reducing food waste. 

Surprisingly, the fridge is used by more people than the surplus food café had been, and has less stigma attached to it. Unlike with food banks, people using the fridge can choose what food they want to take, ‘swap’ any surplus items for things they need, and also make secure donations on a ‘pay as you feel’ basis. This addresses food poverty while reducing food waste, and without any stigma attached, since people use it for a range of reasons. 

The process of setting up and running the community fridge and the learning from this has led to TBG providing mentoring support to the LEADER funded Narberth Community Fridge.
 
Quote from a volunteer participant:   

“From a playworkers point of view it was really great seeing the tots and the parents getting really stuck in. Even one of the youngest of the group, still a baby really, enjoyed playing with the dough. Some of the tots and parents tried food they hadn’t tried before and liked it. It was a first for all of them as they had never made bread before.”