UCB recipes to feature in Co-op campaign to reduce food waste

Three UCB students who won a culinary competition to produce a tasty soup from typical kitchen leftovers have been filmed creating a step-by-step guide.

Carla Buckley, Terry Ann Miller-Partoon and Martha Pearce, who all study Culinary Arts Management, were selected by Central England Co-operative to showcase the method they used to create their winning recipes.

A film crew from the Co-op visited UCB to capture the trio cooking in the University’s state-of-the-art kitchens. The guides will be shown on Co-op’s YouTube channel.

The competition was run in conjunction with the Love Food Hate Waste campaign, which aims to change the nation’s kitchen habits. All students on the third year Culinary Arts Management course were invited to compete. After submitting their suggestions, seven battled it out in a cook-off to find the best soups.

Martha, from Hampshire, created a spring green soup with garlic croutons, packed with spinach, spring onion and half a cucumber.

Terry Ann, from Kings Norton, developed a ‘pick and mix’ vegetable soup. She said: “Don’t throw away leftovers in your fridge. Water is all you need to turn them into a delicious soup.”

And Carla, from Stourbridge, the overall competition winner, produced an onion broth with crispy spinach and chilli oil. She said it was inspired by a flavoursome wonton soup she enjoyed at a Chinese restaurant.

Chef lecturer Bernhard Schumacher said: “The commitment and professionalism displayed by our students for this live project was admirable. The filming experience is great for their professional development and confidence building - a priceless addition to our curriculum.”

We throw away seven million tonnes of food and drink from our homes every year, according to Love Food Hate Waste. Viktoria Salisbury, the campaign’s community partnership project manager, said: “By making the most of our leftovers, families with children could save up to £700 per year, and help ensure that more of the food produced is actually used.”