Fact of the day: wonky carrots taste equally as good as straight ones - groundbreaking, right?
 
It seems London’s slowly taking pigeon steps to the root of its food waste problem, thanks to a mindful horde of green urbanites. Could London become the utopian zero waste city we all dream of? From embracing wonky veg, to conscious cooking and using stumps, bumps, skins and all, here’s how you can join the zero waste movement from your own home. Find out how the experts are shaping London's greener future with delicious planet-saving recipes...

Tom Hunt | Owner of Poco | Eco Chef 



Avid forager, Tom Hunt, prioritises people and the environment within his work and believes in a world with a fair global food system where our actions benefit other people and nature. Tom works to protect biodiversity and promote equality by raising awareness about the issues affecting our food system whilst empowering people and businesses to act responsibly through his consultancy, collaborations, food writing, presenting and events.  

Tom Hunt's Zero Waste Recipe: Cauliflower Leaf and Floret Kimchi



Hannah McCollum | Founder of ChicP


 
First it was avo, then it was hummus – London’s heal​thy food trends stir up an unsurprising storm in the food waste matter. But then along came ChicP. Using all surplus vegetables sourced from New Covent Garden Market, ChicP creates plant-saving hummus one delicious tub at a time. Grab yourself a tub of conscious hummus from TooGoodToGo Waste app.

ChicP's Zero Waste Recipe: Fresh Green Dip


 

Adam Handling | Zero Waste Chef | Owner of The Frog Restaurant



To combat the staggering 200,000 tonnes of food waste, contributed by the UK restaurant industry each year, Adam encourages chefs to think about how they use their waste wisely. Adam has created a cycle of sustainability that underpins his renowned East London restaurant and makes sure nothing is unnecessarily wasted. Maintaining their ethos of respecting ingredients - how they’re grown, and where they come from (their own West Sussex farm) - remains at the forefront of every dish they carefully create.

Adam's Zero Waste Recipe: Heritage Carrot Salad, Tarragon and Lemon




Alexandra Dudley | Sustainable Cook + Author



People often feel there is very little they can do to make a difference; with the belief that saving that one carrot peel won’t make a difference, because they’re only one person after all with little impact. False. Alexandra Dudley works hard to encourage people that there is so much one person can do, especially at home.
 
Alexandra hosts zero waste cooking classes and demos to demonstrate simple recipes that avoid food waste. From making a pesto from radish tops, to cutting vegetables in a way that doesn’t slice off the top and the bottom, Alexandra uses her resourceful kitchen skills to make the ‘inedible’ very edible and delicious.

Alexandra's Zero Waste Recipe: New Potato Roasted Radish and Radish Top Pesto Salad




Doug McMaster | Founder Silo Brighton | Executive Chef @ Cub 



Doug and his team successfully eliminate the production of waste by choosing to trade directly with farmers, using reusable crates and other delivery vessels, as well as local ingredients that themselves generate no waste. Any scraps and trimmings from the cooking or leftover food go straight into the restaurant’s on-site compost machine, generating up to 60kg of compost in just 24 hours, in-turn going back to the farmers, helping to produce more food, successfully closing the loop. Check out Doug's TEDTalk on 'Waste is a failure of the imagination'.

Doug's Zero Waste Recipe: Shittake, 3 Cornered Garlic + Brown Butter