Heath shares this fantastic news from Aspire Ryde. Ed
As Aspire Ryde was the starting point for the Isle of Wight Day parade, the team at Aspire looked at what surplus food they had collected from Island supermarkets and in ‘Ready Steady Cook’ style got cracking to create a very tasty menu.
- Ox Lentil Curry
- Pulled Pork BBQ in Cider
- Tofu Sir-fry in Black Bean & Garlic
- Garlic Bread
- Crisped Black Pepper Potato Wedges
- Paprika Rice
What’s more, they were able to feed over 1,500 people entirely for free.
“People were delighted,” said ‘Sammy’ one of Aspire’s regular volunteers.
“They were shocked to know afterwards that it was all food waste, as it was very tasty. After everyone had been served I managed to test-taste a bit of everything myself, but there wasn’t much left.
“It’s just what we do at Aspire. We serve our community and it made a great start to a great day.”
Feeding the 5,000
Aspire Ryde was the official starting point of this year’s Isle of Wight day parade. Volunteers, parade participants and the public were invited to the feast using the same concept of the feeding the 5,000 that began in 2009, with the first event organised by Tristram Stuart at Trafalgar Square in London.
The Isle of Wight event was entirely free, with paper plates and cutlery donated to Aspire by Betapak and the Isle of Wight Day organisers.
Aspire were thrilled that the team was able to highlight that together we can tackle food waste… with a fork and spoon.
In the words of anti-food waste campaigner Tristram Stuart,
“The good news about food waste is that the solution is edible!”
Not just a one-off
Scores of volunteers gave their time, resources, and energy for this event. But it’s not just a one-off – it’s a celebration of all the fantastic work we have done so far to reduce food waste.
Aspire Ryde already have contracts with a number of the Island’s Supermarkets, independent shops and suppliers to make great use of surplus food each day of the week.
Food is collected or delivered to Aspire and sorted through to seek what can be reused – nothing goes to waste! It’s either fit for human consumption, animal feed or goes into the compost or wormery.
We use food in our own kitchen to feed lots of people, even making cakes in our waste food cafe – the Island’s first waste food cafe – we share surplus with other charities and even have a waste food recycling stand available 24/7 in the side porch at Aspire for anyone to use.
Helping to alleviate food poverty
Heath said,
“We loved this idea when we first heard about it. People aren’t getting enough quality food, obesity is a major issue and food waste is a growing concern.
“We are tasked with finding a way of helping alleviate food poverty and making great use of food waste or surplus food as that sounds nicer!
“People are generally shocked when I explain that our cakes and soup at Aspire are rubbish – they argue with me ‘no they’re really nice’ and I have to explain that ‘no, I meant made with rubbish’ – food waste.
“Throwing away mountains of perfectly edible food is crazy at a time when people are feeling the pinch.”
The food waste pyramid asks businesses to avoid buying surplus food, redistribute any unwanted food to charities, and pass food unfit for human consumption to livestock.
To find out more about Aspire Ryde’s work in the community visit their Website or Facebook Page.
