Saving the world one curry at a time

Did you catch the BBC 2 program aired earlier this year ~ Horizon: Feast to Save the Planet?

It had some great tips to be more mindful about our carbon footprint in terms of food and some of their points were a revelation to us. It was surprising to read the stats table in particular... that UK grown spinach has a higher carbon footprint than UK produced bread, or that Quorn has a higher carbon footprint than a whole chicken (UK produced) or prawns & Shrimps (caught in UK). So eye opening!

The top five tips for working towards a low carbon kitchen included buying local & seasonal produce, reducing meat & dairy consumption, limiting food wastage, buying less packaging where you can and trying out more efficient cooking methods.

Many of our recipes already tick most of these boxes, such as these delicious Beetroot Fritters pictured, with beetroot currently in season in the UK. These are a family favourite and a great option for a meat-free night. There's an alternative on the recipe to make a vegan version as well! And you can also make a massive batch of these and freeze them, meaning you maximise your cooking time for more meals.

Refills Rock!

We might not sell our spices loose in a shop but all of our packaging is eco-friendly and recyclable. We try to promote people to buy our colourful pots for the long haul, to get the spices neatly in your cupboard, airtight and shielded from sunlight. Once you have our tins, our refills are the same weight and cheaper for topping them up when you need your Spice Pots fix. Check out our range of Refills.

Slow Cooker Superhero

Did you know that slow cookers can be incredibly energy efficient? If you have a slow cooker with a great energy rating, it can run all day - working away to cook a delicious meal for you - and will only use the same amount of energy as a standard light bulb! Amazing! If you don't have a slow cooker in the kitchen, why not try doing batch cooking regularly - basically, if you've got the oven on and it's hot, make the most of it to create lots of meals while it's running. Head over to our Slow Cooker recipes for inspiration. A favourite in the office is the Goan Sweet Potato and Chickpea Curry (it's vegan too!).

Leftover Transformations

We're all guilty of it... buying to much produce and forgetting about it in the fridge until it's too late, or making too much for dinner and popping it in the fridge, rather than the freezer. If you've got some daal or curry (that's not too wet in consistency!) tucked away on a shelf in the fridge, grab some puff pastry from the supermarket and follow our Samosa recipe from step 5 onwards. It's a really great way to get another meal out of leftovers and save them from simply going in the compost bin.