Mancunians are being urged to use their loaf - after new research found one in four of is binning bread uneccesarily.
A survey by lobby group Love Food Hate Waste found that in Manchester nearly half of people eat bread every day, with almost all of those buying two loaves a week.
Yet over a quarter were binning some of it, the top reason being that it had gone stale.
The group has now launched a campaign reminding food-lovers how to get every crumb out of the kitchen staple.
Research shows around 24 million slices of bread are thrown away from UK households every single day.
Emma Marsh, head of the Love Food Hate Waste campaign, said: “Bread is a favourite, on our plates and in our lunch boxes, but sometimes we don’t finish a loaf, it goes stale and ends up in the bin.
“This doesn’t have to be the case. Bread is really versatile, that’s why we’re excited to launch our Use Your Loaf campaign as there are lots of simple things we can do to use it up or store it differently to reduce food waste and save money.”
To help spread the word, Love Food Hate Waste has joined forces with reigning Great British Bake Off champion Nancy Birtwhistle.
Nancy, who impressed the judges of last year’s contest with her no nonsense approach to baking, has spoken frequently on the importance of being thrifty with food.
She said, “I’m thrilled to be taking part in the Use Your Loaf campaign to remind people that our beloved bread can be used in so many ways.
“Leftover crusts can be blitzed into breadcrumbs and stale bread is fantastic for making bread and butter pudding, croutons or garlic bread.”
Campaigners are also on the hunt for Britain’s best leftover bread recipes.
Here are their top tips to get the most out of a loaf
Most bakery products have a “best before date”, which refers to quality. Your bakery products can still be eaten after this date, but may no longer be at their best.
Sliced loaves and other bread products are all great for freezing and can be toasted from frozen as and when needed.
Make slightly stale bread and leftover crusts into breadcrumbs by whizzing up in a food processor – these can be stored in the freezer to use later. Storing bread in the fridge can make it go stale faster. The best place to store a loaf is in a cool, dry cupboard or your bread bin.
Freshen up a day old loaf by running it briefly under cold water and popping it in a hot oven for 10 minutes.
