News on Somers Town - Future Neighbourhoods 2030

Reduce the Juice is the University of London’s sustainability engagement programme aimed at promoting sustainable consumption and reducing carbon emissions in halls of residence.

Reduce the Juice is working with Somers Town Community Association to encourage Somers Towns residents to reduce food waste. As part of this initiative, residents entered the Reduce the Juice competition by submitting ideas to reduce food waste. Below is a summary of the winning entries of the Fighting Food Waste in Somers Town competition from September, October and November 2022.

Winner

‘Making yogurt: When you have a lot of milk left and it’s going to expire you can make it into yogurt. Just warm up the milk in a sauce pan, put it in a container and put a table spoon of natural yogurt for every litre of milk. Mix it thoroughly then cover it and put a kitchen towel around it to maintain heat and leave for 4 - 5 hours in a warm place. Afterwards, put it into the fridge and it is ready to eat for the next day.’

Niyan’s entry was selected as the winning submission because of the innovative and accessible approach to reducing milk waste, which is one of the UK's most wasted food products.

Niyan selected the Food Processor as their prize.

Honourable Mention

‘From now on I will observe how much my kids eat for a whole week and after that serve them a small portion at first. Monitor on a chart how much food and what type of food goes to waste.’

Their entry was selected because they came up with an innovative strategy to address food waste within their home and it’s great to know that Shanaz will be getting their children involved and teaching them the importance of reducing food waste for our planet.

Winner

‘Make a shelf in the fridge that is eye level for everyone. Place the food that will expire very soon on that shelf and tuck away other food that has a longer fridge date. So those items do not go out of date and end up in the bin.’

Shanaz’s entry was selected at the winner because of their innovative way to arrange food in a fridge to tackle food waste.

Shanaz selected the Air Fryer as their prize.

Honourable Mentions

‘I pledge to use all the veggies that are going bad into soups’

Farhana’s entry was been selected because of their creative way to turn vegetables that are about to go bad into tasty soups which are perfect for the cold winter weather.

‘When I buy fresh vegetables, such as onions, carrots and leaks, I diced them up and seal them in separate plastic bags and freeze them for when I need them. It keeps the vegetables fresh and nothing goes to waste.’

This submission was selected because it is a practical way to meal prep to prevent food waste.

‘I boil the whole packet of new potatoes use half with a meal the other half a slice and refrigerate for the next day and fry them up with eggs to make a lovely tortilla.’

This submission was selected because it is a practical way to ensure potatoes, which are one of the UK’s most wasted foods, are not wasted.

Winner

‘To ensure that the food we have in our fridge is all consumed before restocking. To also buy only the essentials that we really need and not splurge on items that are not needed. Also to plan meals ahead of time to ensure we don't waste food.’

Sarah’s submission was selected because of the strong focus on using what you already have. Plus sticking to a meal plan to reduce waste is very effective.

Sarah selected the Food Processor as their prize.

“The Blender is so helpful, my partner enjoys using it everyday to make food and blend some shakes with left over fruit and veg”.

Honourable Mentions

‘Apples or blueberries that are soft work perfectly cooked in oatmeal.’

This entry was selected because it highlights how fruit that doesn’t look or feel as ‘good’ can still be used and not wasted.

‘When you have collected enough egg shells soak them in water crunch them up and after a few days pour on to garden or pot plants, the calcium is really good for them to stay healthy.’

This submission was selected because it is a great tip that highlights how items commonly thought of as waste do have a use if you stop and think.

Do you want to enter the Somers Town Fighting Food Waste competition to be in with a chance of winning an Air Fryer or a Food Processor? Find out how to enter here (T&Cs apply).

Have you been selected as an Honourable Mention but not confirmed that we can share your entry? Get in touch with sustainability@london.ac.uk if you would like to see your entry shared.