Can we cook and cater more sustainably, asks Holly Hughes…
Single-use plastics, food waste, discarded flowers – the events that define summer socialising make a significant mark on the planet. I spoke to some industry experts to find out how you can make every summer soirée – from entertaining at home to a big venue event – as earth-friendly as possible.
If there is one thing that unifies Irish hosts, it’s the fear of not having enough food – we want to entertain with generosity and abundance but reducing food waste is the fastest means of reducing the carbon footprint of our events. “Most people serve too much food and then don’t know what to do with it, so it just goes to waste,” says climate-conscious chef, Ali Honour. “My advice is, firstly, to simply serve less.” And that also goes for other people bringing food to an event. To avoid a groaning buffet table, set out clear guidelines for your event, she says: “Establish with your guests if it’s a potluck or be very clear about not bringing any extra food. Instead, give them alternative things to bring to avoid even more waste.”
“There is no need for food to be excessive in order to be exquisite,” agrees TV chef and zero-waste wedding and event caterer, Orla McAndrew. In her work, portion size is the biggest culprit in creating unnecessary food waste. Orla guarantees a menu made up of at least 80 per cent surplus or rescued ingredients for an event of over 150 people, with less than two kilos of waste per event. That includes plate scrapings!
“Providing well-balanced dishes that satisfy without overwhelming anyone is the key,” she says. If you’re concerned about not having enough food on the night, have some extra items pre-prepared in the freezer and whip these out if food seems to be running low,” Orla advises. She also recommends thinking about leftovers in advance. “Am I making something that will freeze well? Can it be eaten the next day? Will some guests take a little away with them? These are all questions to consider before hosting.”
“Having a connection with your food is the simplest way to be climate conscious.”
“One thing I really try and focus on as a bespoke caterer is this notion of needing to have choice on a menu,” says Eunice Power, gourmet caterer, entrepreneur, TV chef, Irish Times food writer, and food tourism promoter “Having a choice of dishes for each course means creating a lot of leftover food – the wastage is huge. Instead, I ask my clients not to be too specific about their menu and instead allow room for creativity. “In order to be sustainable, you need to be seasonal and that means not knowing what ingredients are going to be available in advance. When clients give in to creativity, caterers can work with suppliers to ensure we can spin whatever they have a lot of at a given moment into a menu. Naturally, we cater to dietary requirements but it’s so much better to serve just one main course made from what is in season and in abundance at the time.”
“Having a connection with your food is the simplest way to be climate conscious,” Ali tells me. “To understand where the food is coming from and how it’s been produced is the first step in curating an earth-friendly event.”
Once you have this awareness, you will naturally choose local, seasonal ingredients that will actually save you money because you can do more with them. If you are cooking yourself, suggests Orla, “pick a few beautiful dishes that you’re confident about preparing and allow the fresh produce do the talking. Cutting back on air miles is a major factor in creating sustainable menus so if you’re unsure of what’s in season near you, download a checklist or follow seasonally focused chefs on social media for inspiration.”
To get the most from ingredients, Ali encourages us to reevaluate how we cook and apply a “closed loop” cooking method, where you utilise all the different parts of a vegetable. “I do this a lot when cooking for any big number because it means that not only does nothing go to waste but you’re actually reducing the amount of food that you buy and therefore saving money. Take carrots, for example. If you’re serving carrots in your main course, you can make fritters or dukkah from the skins, or pesto from carrot tops.”
Ali believes that seeing how much waste we unconsciously create when preparing food is the secret to reducing it. She makes everyone she works with – from professional chefs to individuals – carry around a clear container when cooking and put all their green waste into it. At the end of the prep, they go through the “waste” and see what could have been done with it. “Generally, there’s always at least another meal in what we consider waste, she says. “And looking at your waste critically can spark an important moment of creativity – those containers of peelings could make a chutney or relish or soup, or even cake!”
Auditing our events for sustainability, regardless of their size, should include the items and an methods we rely on for preparation or decoration. “Clingfilm is the big one,” Eunice says ominously. She avoids this environmental enemy by using sheets of muslin and Tupperware boxes. Dirty plates are wrapped in newspaper for the journey home. Orla, whose catering service is plastic-free, also uses Tupperware and plates in place of film and foil.
When it comes to making a larger occasion like a wedding more sustainable, Orla recommends asking the venue owners where they stand on climate management. “Check with caterers who their suppliers are and ask if they use seasonal ingredients. Check their waste management system and enquire about their plans for segregation. A lot of waste can be saved from landfill if venues correctly separate waste.”
Designing menus that double up as place cards (or doing away with individual menus altogether) and getting a group of your friends to grow flowers for a special occasion rather than buying big bouquets of imported blooms are also practical suggestions. “Once you’re open to change,” Eunice adds, “good, creative things can happen.”
The key takeaway is to embrace change and creativity. “Change is a journey, it takes time,” says Ali. “It’s all about thinking differently, then learning how to make those little swaps.”