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Waste not, want not

Celebrity chef Dougie McMaster for Grow

Dougie McMaster is introducing a fresh dining concept to the world, with his Wasted pop-up concept.

Wasted is a modern dining experience designed to shift your perceptions of how and what you eat using ingredients usually considered waste to inspire a more sustainable approach to eating. Dougie explores new ways of cooking that enable a reduction in food waste and prevent precious resources from becoming landfill.

“With this concept, I’m attempting to demonstrate how to sustainable eat and cook. We use as much wasted produce as possible – not necessarily waste itself, but maybe sustainable ingredients or things that aren’t overly used,” says Dougie.

Utilising ingredients that are often discarded, the menu aims to introduce the public to things such as, foraging, nose-to-tail cooking, using fruit and vegetables in unconventional ways, eating with the seasons, and eating local produce.

“I think transport is one of the things that determines how expensive an ingredient is. Supermarkets can charge a lot more, just from delivering a product across the world, like a dragonfruit. Transporting something all the way from Asia to England can really bump up the price,” says Dougie.

“Fairtrade is a good way to ensure that farmers get a good price for their produce. When people choose to buy fairtrade, it encourages small producers and helps their business.”

Soon there will be nine billion of us on the planet. Our societies, and the way we eat must change to meet our needs so we can put enough food on the table for everyone. Concepts like Wasted are helping this change come about.

Dougie McMaster is a GROW ambassador