The Municipality of Halandri has published “Cook Smart and Save Food,” a practical booklet that turns leftovers into tasty meals and shares simple habits to cut household food waste. The publication was created within EU-funded initiatives including ToNoWaste, and brings together easy, family-friendly recipes, chef contributions, and ten at-home tips to reduce waste across the whole food chain.
Halandri’s new booklet builds on a decade-long city strategy for sustainability and circular economy. As the foreword explains, the municipality has mobilised schools, preschools, HORECA and retailers, and households, and set up a Food Loss and Waste Prevention Unit to monitor waste and promote best practices—because roughly one-third of food produced globally is lost or wasted. (See pp. 2–3 for context and contents.)
What’s inside
- “Easy recipes” (pp. 4–14) that upcycle common leftovers—e.g., Greek burgers using stale bread (p. 4), omelets that rescue fridge odds and ends (p. 5), pizza topped with tomatoes about to go off (p. 9), crispy potato peel chips (p. 11), citrus-peel “spoon” sweets (p. 12), jams for imperfect fruit (p. 13), and sour-cherry liqueur (p. 14).
- Chef recipes with Zero-Waste Tips (pp. 16–33) showing professional tricks—chicken noodle soup that reuses bones for broth (p. 17), quesadillas where every part is used and peels are composted (p. 19), meatballs refreshed in simple red sauce with homemade breadcrumbs (p. 21), nose-to-tail cod (p. 23), pork made from previous-day cuts and homemade stock (p. 25), sourdough enriched with powdered old bread (p. 27), mustard chicken made after filleting a whole bird (p. 29), and banana brownies that even incorporate banana skins into the batter (p. 31).
- Ten tips to save food at home (pp. 34–35): plan meals and buy only what you need; choose “ugly” produce; practice FIFO storage; understand “best before” vs “use by”; and know what not to refrigerate (e.g., unripe tomatoes, chocolate, bread).
The booklet closes with a reminder that the work is funded by the European Union and that the views expressed are those of the authors—alongside the ToNoWaste and FOODRUS project logos (p. 36).
Download & share
The “Cook Smart and Save Food” booklet (36 pp.) is available in PDF for partners and citizens to use in awareness-raising actions across ToNoWaste pilots. Try a recipe, spread the tips with your community, and join the local campaign #ΣώζονταςΤρόφιμαΣτοΧαλάνδρι.