Dear LPG, 

Here is something that has always bothered me a little.

I had a kitchen clear out not so long ago… you know, when you completely clear one of your kitchen store cupboards and realise that you have tinned and packaged stuff that has a sell-by  or best-before mark that dates back, in my case, as far as three years!

I just don’t know how it happens really, and no one else is to blame.  I live alone and do my own cooking and shopping but I still manage to get myself into this sort of mess.  We all have that cupboard clean-out from time to time and I have to say that the amount of stuff that ends up having to find its way to the bin always bothers me.  It makes me feel quite guilty when I think of all the countries in the world where they don’t have enough to eat… but then a thought suddenly came to me and I realised one reason why this happens.  

Especially now that I am getting a bit older and slower, a trip to the shops wears me out somewhat and, there is that feeling of relief when I finally get home and the kettle on.  I think that an after-shop sit down with the telly and a cup of tea is a vital component of my shopping experience these days.  Then it is time to put your shopping away.  If you are like me, you drag yourself back to the push basket and put the tins and packets in the easiest place you can on the shelves which is usually in front of the ones that are already there.  This means that when you grab a tin in the middle of your cooking session, the next time you need it, the new one will be opened and used before you even think about the older ones behind.

One of the best ways to stop this from happening is to take the time to put the new tins at the back when putting away your shopping so that they get used in a proper rotation.   I am taking more time when it comes to putting the groceries away these days so that I don’t feel so guilty, and when I am having my next complete kitchen cupboard clear-out session I live in hope that there will not be so much to throw away.

We are told that too much food is being wasted in the richest countries and we do put stuff into the bin without a second thought to why sometimes. 

 KE, Deptford.