Jamie Oliver and Tesco are collaborating on a new training program to teach people to cook with donated food.
According to the UK supermarket giant, The Tesco Community Cookery School with Jamie Oliver “will teach over 1,000 community cooks on how best to use surplus food donations to help stop good food going to waste”.
FareShare will also be an important partner in the new venture. FareShare describes itself as “a UK-wide charity that redistributes food that would otherwise go to waste to charities and community groups”. There is also FareShare in Australia.
The challenge of donated food
The school will help community groups by training them how to prepare nutritionally balanced meals out of surplus food donations.
One of the challenges facing community cooks is how to prepare unusual or unexpected ingredients. Large quantities of seasonal produce can add to the challenge, too.
That’s where Jamie Oliver’s special recipes and Tesco’s development chefs come in, says Tesco. They’ll ensure community cooks make the most of surplus food and reduce food waste.
The community cooks will learn everything from knife skills and nutrition to recipes for versatile base sauces. These sauces are important because chefs can adapt them easily to complement a wide variety of donated food.
Training will be free and attendees will receive free cooking equipment and a folder featuring Jamie’s food-surplus recipes.
‘Create something delicious’
Jamie Oliver says he wants not only to cut down on surplus food, but also to ensure it reaches the right people.
“It’s fantastic to join the work that Tesco and FareShare are doing to reduce food waste,” he said.
“I’ve written these recipes to arm all those amazing community cooks with the tools to create something delicious and balanced for people who need it the most.
“It’s all about giving otherwise-wasted ingredients some love, and transforming them into tasty, nutritious meals. For me, every dish we cook that reduces food waste is a winner!”
Tesco and Jamie Oliver launched the Tesco Community Cookery School with Jamie Oliver in London last Thursday. It will now roll out across the UK throughout the year.
