Leftovers can be a great way to make a new meal. It is important to know the best way to store and utilise leftovers to reduce food waste.

During Ramadan it can be easy to cook too much but once it is time to break your fast, you suddenly realise you have too much food leftover! Do not throw away your delicious food, instead to keep those leftovers lasting longer you need to store them correctly.

Here are 3 of our top tips:

1. Do NOT put hot food in the fridge.

Always let your cooked food come to room temperature and then place in the fridge.

 2.  Store food in an air tight container where possible.

This allows your food to stay fresh for longer.

3. Place your leftovers in the upper shelves of your fridge.

This is where the temperature is most consistent and can keep your leftovers fresh.

What to do with your leftovers?

You can easily get bored of your leftovers but it can very easy to spruce it back up and create a new delicious meal. It can be as easy as adding fresh herbs or lemon/lime juice, or using leftovers as fillings for new meals. Below are some easy steps to make your own samosas. Samosas are a traditional South Asian snack, the best thing is you can use a filling of your choice. You can shred up leftover cooked meat/fish/veg to be used as a filling. You will need:

• Filo pastry sheets (cut into strips)

•A flour paste (mix of flour and water) to act as the glue

After you have made your samosa, ensuring all the corners are sealed, fry until crispy and enjoy!

There are a bank of easy recipes to create new meals using leftovers in the LoveFoodHateWaste website. Utilise your leftovers and never let them get wasted!