The wonders of stock and how to reduce food waste whilst nourishing your body

Carrot peels, onion skins, those little bits of garlic, bones from dinner, leftover herbs.. Something many people so readily commit to the trash, or perhaps the compost - which is much better at minimising the current 9.5 million tonnes of food waste we humans produce a year. But did you know you can go one step further and save all these throughout the week to create a delicious base for your next meals ? Stock makes use of the nutrients that aren't so easily consumed whilst fighting food waste and protecting the gut and it's so, so easy to make! Dedicate a little container to your food scraps throughout the week and on a lazy day simply put them in a pot and cover with water. - Now you can cover this with as much water as you like honestly, it still works and buffs out so many meals which call for water but this will obviously reduce the intensity. Bring the water to the boil and then put on a low heat for a minimum of 4-5 hours, all day if you can. Note you'll want to add your more green stuff like celery a bit later into the process but if you don't have time, all at once is fine. Below I will list the kinds of things you can put in and what isn't recommended. DO:

BONES; From lamb chop bones to that roast chicken carcass, bones contain a tonne of micronutrients, collagen which provides both a good contribution of gelatin for that perfect gravy and amino acid glycine. As well as phosphorus, magnesium, calcium and sodium - and that's without the benefits of the marrow a b-vitamin, inflammation reducing, gut health immunity powerhouse of a product, that's so frivolously thrown away. - It also happens to be delicious, but we'll get to that in another post. You want as many of these and the next few ingredients as you can save, so don't be shy. ONIONS;

My favourite addition to any meal I always end up with an abundance, now you don't want the root end but you do want every last bit you can, this for me has produced a ''hack'' for quicker cutting, simply cut the ends off, discard the root into the compost bin, chop just into one layer of the side and retain that layer for your stock pot. I always include my onion skin as well but this is mildly controversial in the cooking world. Onions are high in vitamin C, which helps with iron absorption, immunity and collagen production. As well as B vitamins and antioxidants to fight free radicals in the body. The sulfur that makes you cry also makes the flavour so brilliant, so don't let any go to waste! CARROTS:

Me, I rarely peel a carrot - but I know many do. In the same way you do your onions, discard the root end into the compost and save any leftovers or a fraction of every one for the stock. The sacred eye health maintainer, blood sugar balancer and favourite of our friend Peter isn't just a colourful addition. Carrots contain biotin, potassium, vitamin B and beta carrotene which is turned into vitamin A. You may have heard of biotin for hair growth which is a great bonus but this also helps the maintenance of everything from a a healthy nervous system to skin to liver function. MUSHROOMS;

Another thing I personally rarely peel but another thing you can quickly ''stock'' up on for another layer to your flavour profile, that umami flavour. There are so any benefits to this fungi friend that if I started now i'd end in 2062 but the highlights are high vitamin D, selnium, copper, B5, folate, phosphorus and a little bit of protein. Keep all you have from peels to stalk and add just a few to the pot of a general veg or chicken stock. Experiment with more if you intend to use as a base for that winter warmer mushroom soup.

CELERY : I find people have a love or hate relationship with celery, to me it's an easily forgotten favourite, no matter how much I grow in the garden. A refreshing crunch with a mildly bitter aftertaste, a fantastic smoothie ingredient or that little bit of pizaz in a salad or stew. It's high water content is great for hydration and the fibre great for digestion despite popular belief it is ''nothing'' it actually contains a fair few vitamins, A, K , C... Another umami favourite, you'll want much more stem than leaf but be careful not to overdo the amount like mushrooms, unless you like that more bitter taste. GARLIC: Another ingredient that's mildly controversial to add to stock but frequently done.

The closest thing you'll get to a natural antibiotic, garlic is that superfood that just keeps on giving. High in antioxidents, used to control blood pressure, known to help cardiovascular issues - when it's not smothered in dreamy butter and bread of course. No need to peel just cut off the ends and chuck in any leftovers as well as a few individual crushed cloves, the flavour does reduced when cooked for a long period of time so don't worry if you think you're being too heavy handed. Remember, stock is a base, your dishes will contain their own fair share of flavour. HERBS AND SPICES:

Peppercorns, fresh herbs like thyme, experiment until your heart is content. Just be careful not to overdo anything with a woody profile like rosemary. DON'TS: It really is hard to mess up a stock but some things you don't want to add are things like leafy greens and potatoes as these will break down far too easily and cause both an odd texture and discolouration. Likewise cabbages and broccoli may be slightly too much for some.