How many times have you gone shopping and forgotten an ingredient and had to go back to the markets to buy it? If you are cooking for a dinner party that small oversight turns into stress and often arguments. Cooking for friends should be a joy not a stress.

Everyone has a basic larder – salt, pepper, sugar, flour, rice – ingredients that enhance fresh produce. A meal is comprised of vegetables, sauces, meat – but these are all perishables. This is where waste occurs. This is what you throw away. This is the number one problem in restaurants because it burns through any profit margin. And it’s a problem at home. From time to time I will give you some great tips on how to minimise your wastage – tips that have enabled me to build profitable restaurants.