Mighty Fine Things: Wasted Kitchen
Tackling the food waste epidemic is something we all must do, and Mighty Fine Things leader Katy Newton is showing us the way
Food waste is one of the hottest topics of the moment, with an unrelenting mass of stats quoting the tonnage and meterage of edibles being discarded, continuously flung our way.
Many of us shake our heads in disbelief and then carry on with our lives, but there are a few out there fighting the corner. One of them is Katy Newton (AKA Coxy) from Mighty Fine Things.
The creation of the Wasted Kitchen (no, not that kind of wasted) has seen foodie wonders fashioned using un-used delectables that could have otherwise gone into compost. We asked Coxy to tell us more.
What is the Wasted Kitchen and why was it created?
Wasted Kitchen is about using fresh and store-cupboard ingredients to make great tasting food and minimise waste and packaging. It started with the work we have been doing with Macknade to use their excess produce and produce that might have been thrown away otherwise - bruised fruit and veg, herbs that need picking over, cheese that are coming up to date - to make a range of salads, dips and bakes that are sold at the deli and in the cafe.
I was taught to cook by my grandparents, who grew their own fruit and veg and lived through rationing. They would never dream of throwing food away. They’d always find a way to resurrect leftovers and pimp them up to give them a bit more flavour and put them out again. It obviously rubbed off.
What’s the next step?
The next step for us is to develop what we do with Macknade further and potentially get other suppliers on board.
We will offer what we do to other retailers and food outlets; supplying salads, dips and bakes for their delis and cafes.
We will also be offering a meal package delivery service and introducing a range of products with a longer life. Examples of these are Scandi-inspired pink pickled onions (using excess red onions) and cobnut dukkah (with cobnuts when they're in season).
What is the most favourite item you have created so far?
Celeriac Remoulade - our take on French classic using our Mighty Fine Kent Honey & Cider Mustard).
Green Goddess Dip - there's always plenty of spinach, parsley, basil that needs picking over (our tip is to whizz them up with a bit of olive oil and garlic and keep them in the fridge to add to salad dressings).
Pea, Mint & Broad Bean Dip - this was a seasonal dip and one of our first. We get people asking for it all the time and are just waiting for summer when the ingredients to become more readily available.
Why is it so important to bring people's attention to food waste?
There are some big answers to this question, but to us it's really just seems wasteful to throw food away that someone, somewhere, has spent time and resources growing - especially when, in most cases, it can be used. Even if it's as simple as keeping a Tupperware box of vinegar in the fridge and chopping up any bits of veg and throwing it in there to pickle (great with cheese) or thinking about what you're going to eat for the week before you go to the shop.