Eating out

It’s always such a treat not to cook or make sandwiches. Sitting looking at the dinner portion that’s just arrived knowing you’re not going to eat it all or trying to work out what it is you ordered, it can be quite easy to see why more than 900,000 tonnes of food, the equivalent of 1.3 billion meals, is thrown away from restaurants, pubs, hotels and cafes each year.

Even though you can’t or don’t eat it you will have to pay for it. There are a few things you could do to make sure everything gets eaten though.

Check ingredients

If you want to know what ingredients are in something or if the chef can leave something out then ask. They could say no but if they say yes you’ll get the meal you really wanted to eat not your second choice. Leaving something because it tastes awful shouldn’t even be an option for dinner out.

Ask for substitutions

If you want mash instead of chips ask if the restaurant would do that for you. See if they’re willing to change vegetables or ask what options they could give you if you don’t want exactly what’s on the menu.

Ask for a smaller portion

It’s so frustrating that the children’s menus are only available if you’re under 12. Adults sometimes want to eat small portions too, if you’re not really hungry see if the restaurant will give you less or order a starter and a side for your main meal instead.

Take your leftovers home

So you’re not going to have Tupperware in your handbag or wallet but most restaurants will package up what you’ve not been able to finish. You’ve paid for it so you may as well get another meal for your money. You could even have a snack of cool pizza slice on the bus on your way home or as a midnight snack