Feel your pulse

From the chocolates on the tree to the turkey on the table, Christmas for many people in Norfolk involves tucking into tasty food and enjoying treats we forgo the rest of year. But with the extra food we prepare and serve, there often comes a lot of wastage.

We buy too much, we cook too much and, as we clear up afterwards, we throw too much away. But Adam Jarvis, head chef at Pulse vegetarian restaurant, in Norwich, said steps could be taken to minimise waste in the preparation of Christmas food.

It's simply a question of planning well and preparing carefully.

"Whether you eat meat or are a vegetarian, there are lots of ways you can reduce waste as you are cooking," he said.

"First of all, consider buying locally. Here at the restaurant all our ingredients come from local suppliers. This minimises packaging immediately.

"I also believe you get a much higher quality of product from local shops rather than from supermarkets. Cuts of meat from the butcher are better - vegetables bought from the market or a local shop or producer are fresher."

Adam said it was then a case of not buying more than you need and of planning a meal that would use as much as possible of the food product.

"When you work in a professional kitchen you learn not to waste anything," he said. "Many of the things people throw away don't have to be wasted."

YRYC asked Adam to come up with a "waste minimising menu" for Christmas dinner.

In shopping for his vegetarian spread, he spent just £5.62 on ingredients and all were bought on Norwich Market.

"I started with a lightly curried parsnip soup," he explained. "Here the trimmings of the parsnip were used to make parsnip crisps to serve with the soup.

"For the main course, I came up with stuffed savoy cabbage with a mushroom, chestnut and Jerusalem artichoke duxelle (stuffing). This was served with a potato rosti with a chestnut confit and a white onion sauce."

Instead of throwing away the outer leaves of his cabbage, Adam blanched them and then stuffed them with a mixture made from the rest of the vegetables, together with garlic, thyme, mushrooms and Jerusalem artichokes.

"For the dessert, I made stuffed apple in filo pastry," he said. "Core your apple and stuff it with any dried fruit. Bake it for 45 minutes then wrap it in filo pastry.

"Bake for another 15 minutes and serve with vanilla ice-cream. Although the core will have to go in the compost bin, this recipe does use the apple peel and any old dried fruit you have left over from your Christmas cakes or puddings."

He added: "By the end of my preparations, there was almost no packaging to throw away and very little food wastage.

Recipe

Lightly Curried Parsnip Soup with Parsnip Crisps
(Serves four)

Ingredients:
10 medium-sized parsnips
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp chilli powder
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Method:
Soup
Pour a little oil into your baking tray and bake. Meanwhile peel your parsnips, cut into dice and mix in a bowl with your spices. Save any off cuts. When your oil is hot, add them to the baking tray. Roast for 50 minutes to an hour (checking every 10 or 15 minutes). When the parsnips are soft, they are ready. Put them into a bowl with a little water and blitz with the blender. Add more water as required to get your soup to the consistency you enjoy. Season with salt and pepper.

Crisps
Use a vegetable peeler to thinly slice any off cuts of parsnips plus extra vegetables if required. If possible slice into longish lengths. Deep fry in hot oil until crisp. Add to the top of the soup.

Look out for the Christmas specials at Pulse. The restaurant is at Labour In Vain Yard, Guildhall Hill, Norwich. It is open from 10am to 11pm, from Monday to Saturday and from 11am to 4pm on Sundays. For more information call (01603) 765562

Veg Box

Save on packaging and have your fresh fruit and veg delivered.
Producers right across Norfolk offer this service. Here are just a few of them:

Salle Organics
Salle, Reepham
Veg boxes at £9, £11 and £15
Small mixed veg and fruit, £12
01603 879046
douglas@salleorganics.com
www.salleorganics.co.uk
Distribution: 25 mile radius

Abbey Farm Organics
Abbey Farm, Flitcham, King's Lynn
Veg boxes at £5.70, £8.95, £13.25
Fruit boxes at £3.10, £5.15, £8.25
and £12.35
01485 609094
organics@abbeyfarm.co.uk
Distribution: 25 mile radius

David Wenn, Organic Box Scheme
Brooke, South Norfolk
Mixed boxes at £7, £9, £12
01508 558646
organics@davidwenn.co.uk
Distribution: All of South Norfolk and Norwich

Barker Organics
Walled Garden, Wolterton Park
North Norfolk
£5 upwards for customised fruit and veg boxes
01263 768966
Distribution: 10 mile radius including Cromer and Aylsham

Castle Acre Organic
Manor Farm, Castle Acre, West Norfolk
Mixed boxes from £7 to £35
01760 755380
organicfarming@farmersweekly.net
www.castleacreorganic.co.uk
Distribution: 25 mile radius

Eden Organics and Whole Foods
Southview, Broome
Veg boxes from £7.50 to £12
Fruit boxes from £3.50 to £8.50
07789 965904
Distribution: Norfolk including Yarmouth