Foodbanks across the West of England have teamed up with their local councils to offer anti-poverty charity The Trussell Trust’s Eat Well, Spend Less cookery and budgeting courses to local people.

This is part of a campaign to promote the national Love Food Hate Waste message across the area to tackle the amount of food waste and help householders save money by making their food go further. As a nation we throw away seven million tonnes of food and drink from our homes each year and the average family could save up to £700 a year, simply by throwing away less food.

The cookery classes are being funded by a grant from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) and are part of a campaign run by Bath & North East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire councils (the West of England) in partnership with The Trussell Trust. The trust runs a national network of foodbanks, to tackle food waste, by reducing the amount of food we waste and recycle what is left.

The free classes each run for two and a half hours a week for six weeks. The classes will teach simple recipes and cookery skills to help give people more confidence and ideas when they are cooking at home. At the end of the course, participants should be better equipped to plan and prepare meals so they only buy and cook what they need, know how best to store food so that it lasts longer and gain ideas on how to use leftovers to make another meal. They will also learn about food hygiene and managing budgets.

Cllr Mike Bell said: “Research shows that here in the UK we throw away more food from our homes every year than we do packaging – costing the environment and our pockets. Eat Well Spend Less is a great opportunity for people to learn more about preparing their own meals, portion planning, budgeting, using up leftovers and storing food so that it stays fresh. By taking simple steps to reduce food waste the average household could save around £60 a week, and save taxpayers’ money by not sending it to landfill.”

Everyone who takes part in the course will receive a free recipe book and apron. If you or someone you know is interested in taking part you should contact your local foodbank. Community groups who wish to refer people to the course can do the same.

To find out more about the national Love Food Hate Waste campaign, please go to www.lovefoodhatewaste.com.

To find out more about the Eat Well Spend Less cookery classes, contact your local foodbank.

To find out more about food waste and to order a recycling container in North Somerset, visit www.n-somerset.gov.uk/waste.

Contact details for foodbanks in North Somerset are:

Clevedon District Foodbank
37 Old Street, Clevedon BS21 6DA
Ms Jane Morrison – Project Manager
07722 769 529
info@clevedondistrict.foodbank.org.uk

Weston-super-Mare Foodbank
St.Paul’s Office, Walliscote Road, Weston-super-Mare BS23 1EF
Ms Frederique Wigmore – Project Manager
01934 708 906
info@wsmfoodbank.org.uk.

It is hoped that courses will start in Weston on Thursday mornings, starting on 19 January.