Waste-free dinner party – Give a Fork!

As previously blogged about here, I hosted a waste-free dinner party two weekends ago. This is all part of the Give a Fork campaign, raising money for Sustainable Table to help create awareness and education of more sustainable and ethical food practices.

Firstly, let’s talk about how ever since signing up I’ve been way more conscious. At the very least, I’m still producing waste in smaller amounts but I’m conscious about it and I’m way more cautious about food scraps. I find myself second guessing everything before I put it in the bin.

Sustainable eating isn’t overly hard. There’s many ways to be an ethical eater. Educate yourself. Know where your food comes from or at least be aware of what has gone into the process of creating the food you’re eating. Being mindful of waste. Try to eat local food. Support local businesses.

On top of trying to be waste-free, this was actually my first dinner party! I had signed up for cooking for people that weren’t my parents or my boyfriend’s parents. I was cooking a dinner for friends for the first time. How hard can it be? Shocking, considering I love the idea of cooking for people. I’m always turning up to friend’s parties with a dish of some sort.

Asian cuisine is really great for being waste-free. They love to use the bones, and things like fish head to make curries. They’re really into their nose-to-tail dining, pig trotters anyone?? They’re all about using leftovers. Plus, I’ve never actually cooked Chinese food for anyone other than family and my boyfriend! It was a bit of a no-brainer to go with an Asian-inspired menu.

Here’s was my final menu:

Give a Fork! campaign

Every now and then, you come across an idea and you think “what a flippin’ fantastic idea!” and it makes sense and is something that you like to do.

Two hours ago, I literally saw a tweet from Peppermint Magazine linking to a promotional article about the Give a Fork! campaign by Sustainable Table.

Immediately I knew this was my kinda thing. It combines food, friends, parties and a great charitable cause.

I don’t pretend I’m a saint when it comes to food. I sometimes buy things from Coles. Increasing my ranking on the list of those going to hell. It’s 200m away from my house and I can reduce my carbon footprint by walking there instead of driving. I even buy home brand products because they’re cheaper. Double sin. Let the floods wash away my sinful soul.

I like to think that I make small ripples in the pond as opposed to tidal waves overturning and emptying out my cupboards to replace things with organic, sustainable, local food.