NEWPORT politicians put their food skills to the test when they took part in a cook-off to encourage people to reduce their food waste.

Professional chefs showed Wales’ environment minister John Griffiths and Newport cabinet member Cllr Gail Giles how to make the most of food that usually ends up in the bin. They shared tips about portion sizes, meal planning, using leftovers and storing food properly so it lasts longer.

The event at Mariner’s Green on Friday was part of the national Love Food Hate Waste tour, which has travelled across Wales showing people they can reduce the amount of food they throw away. Around 40,000 tonnes of food and drink are wasted by households in Wales each year.

Mr Griffiths said: “The best thing we can do is to prevent food waste in the first place by planning meals and not cooking more than we need.

“However some food waste – such as eggshells and vegetable peelings – is unavoidable and so all Welsh local authorities provide a kerbside food waste collection service, which covers nine out of ten households.”

●For recipe ideas and tips on how to reduce waste, see lovefoodhatewaste.com