An underrated phrase which needs no embellishing and would ideally make a meaningful impact on the minds of all who claim to be on the side of helping the planet, the poor, or ideally both.

Yet in our day-to-day housekeeping habits, perhaps more of us including myself, are less disciplined in this moral code than we would care to admit. An obvious example which I would like to briefly reflect upon is our habits in relation to food.

For about as long as I have been living away from home, and even during lockdown when I had temporarily lived with my parents, the whole subject of food in the home constantly came across my mind. And naturally it would after having spent a significant part of my life wrestling with poor eating habits and recurrent insecurities about my weight.

So, while undergoing more mindful practices to improve my physical and emotional wellbeing, the concept of portion control became a fascination to me, almost an obsession to the point where I was giving other people in my family a hard time about cooking more than everyone’s fair share around dinnertime. And as you might guess while reading this, I had developed just a small disliking for leftover pasta.

It is something of a miracle when our own families can withstand all the petulant drama we throw at them when we are gripped by a maniacal need for control. And even greater of a miracle it is when we are clearly acting in a somewhat disgraceful and ungrateful manner. I am not admitting that I was completely wrong, but this seems as good a place as any to serve some extra food for thought.

Another phenomena I have noticed over the years of being a guest in other people’s homes in at least a handful of places home and abroad, is the distinctive link between hospitality and generosity, and portion sizes. An abundance and a variety which I know extremely well from home around Christmas time, and have also been blessed to be a part of in other people’s homes and other people’s cultures.

Once again, we are feeding the five thousand with lots to spare!

And if these habits around food have been such an integral part of many of our lives, why then, is it still so difficult for many of us to uphold good practices for portion control and minimising waste in the kitchen?

One might argue that our humanity and susceptibility to human error is itself reason enough.

But do not mistake this for reductionism – anyone who has ever been alive long enough to become self-aware is also aware of, though maybe not entirely, the incredible complexity of our human nature. We have early childhood experiences which for better or worse have established lifelong habits, behaviours, and values that affect our relationship with food. Furthermore, our continued exposure to a variety of social circles and cultures including those among our relatives, friends and neighbours also shape us in that regard.

So, already we are off to a very tricky start and that is without even mention of our historical, economic or spiritual and religious associations with food.

If someone out there has undertaken the hefty process of writing a thesis on exactly this topic, I wonder at how helpful an observation it is to make – that to take on the Western problem of food waste is in a way to take on all the complex threads of our human nature which had woven such a problem in the first place? I would sincerely love to hear your thoughts!

Now that I have finished that rant, I have something more practical to say about leftovers.

On my recent stay in a small village west of Hamburg, Germany, I have been made to feel very welcome in an old mill. Situated in Wendland, it is a surreal part of the country to anyone who may not be used to a slower humbler lifestyle, filled with interesting communities of people who have interesting views about the world. More on my experience later if time and circumstance allow, but a small part of my experience has indeed included precisely this issue of having an abundance of leftovers, and not knowing exactly what to do with them.

On this occasion it was an overwhelming amount of leftover porridge which motivated me to hunt the internet for quick porridge-based recipes. At the top of my search results was a recipe from 2021 by food blogger Georgina Hartley on her site “From the Larder” titled “Leftover Porridge Cake” (https://fromthelarder.co.uk/porridge-cake/#recipe).

And since I am always keen to try out quick dessert recipes that include ingredients already at hand, I thought “Perfect!”

If you have porridge and time to spare, you will find Georgina’s article and recipe fuss free and to the point. She delivers what is promised in a concise and relatable manner and although her article is from quite a while ago, and I am a little slow to catch on to the latest and greatest, I would highly recommend you to give it a go!

Preparation is ridiculously simple and even in my case where I was working with an old and unfamiliar oven, the cake itself was moist, comforting and absolutely a must with blueberries or forest fruit! There are options to vary the flavours but for me, the berries gave this cake an extra lift.

Guten Appetit!