Egg fried rice is one of the nation’s favourite takeaway recipes. What’s more, it’s a perfect home for leftover rice, and odds and ends of lacklustre veg. It's an absolute food waste buster, what’s not to like?

Black bean chilli is a cheap and easy way to feed a crowd, especially if they've got different dietary requirements. It's also a great one for batch cooking at the weekend for delicious lunches that only need reheating. This recipe includes smoked paprika because it is delicious, but don't worry if you don't have any to hand as it's not essential.

Of course you can open a tin, heat it up and pour it over your toast, but this recipe has ten times the flavour and even better you know exactly what’s in it and you can season and spice it up to just how you like it. This is a great way of using up an old loaf.

Looking for a swap for the usual tuna sweetcorn? Try this 5 minute lunch filling, perfect for sandwiches, wraps, or a side salad!

This spicy and comforting chilli is packed with plant-powered goodness, making it suitable for vegans. Throw in any weary or wilted veggies or beans you have to hand for a quick improvised dinner.

These flapjacks are the perfect waste busting, energy giving - sweet thing. They are flexible enough to include a range of ingredients depending on your tastes and what you have available. A delicious treat for a lunch box, long walk and picnic.

These squidgy, moreish brownies have a delicious deep chocolate flavour and a little bite from the addition of walnuts. They are a great way of using leftover milk, which is one of the most wasted foods.

No flour? Or just keen to taste a fresh citrusy cake? Polenta and ground almonds make for a moist and delicate crumb, as well as making it a gluten-free cake. This lemon and rosemary cake uses the whole lemon (juice and zest) to make a zingy cake with a flavour combo that will leave you saying, ‘one more slice’.

A delicious egg free banana bread recipe. This is a great way to use up those brown squidgy bananas and create a tasty treat for the family.

Get ready to tear and share because tonight is pizza night. We’ve got everything you need to make a pizza base and delicious passata using leftover basil stalks. An amazing way to use herbs from the garden (or window box), and leftover veg to create some killer flavour combos.

Pesto pasta is the go-to recipe for a filling meat-free dinner. The pasta and pesto are ready in a flash so if you're short on time just fry up some tomatoes to finish off the dish. If you've got longer, throw whatever vegetables you have to hand into a roasting dish with a bit of oil and a pinch of salt, the perfect way to use up any end of the week veg box leftovers.

Vegetarian Wellington with 3 layers: mushroom and sage, roasted squash and garlic greens. This recipe was made at Food Cycle’s Pie in the Sky Community Cafe as a Christmas dinner centrepiece for our bunch of fantastic volunteers to enjoy. Give it a go and let us know your thoughts!

We have made this recipe with both shop bought puff pastry and homemade shortcrust. Both work well – the puff pastry is best if you want to make one large wellington while the shortcrust works well for individual servings.

Turning sprouts into a spicy scrumptious side dish and everyone will come back for more. Give your sprouts a squash, pair them up with some chorizo and get a satisfying crunch by adding chestnuts.

Thriftmas gingerbread bauble biscuits.

Get thrifty this Christmas and make your own delicious tree decorations. It’s a great opportunity to spend time in the kitchen with your loved ones and build that festive excitement together whilst making your house smell sensational.

Sadly biscuits will go soft after about a week of hanging on the tree. Why not freeze half so that you have replacements to the ready. This means that each member of the family can have a period exhibiting their show in the Christmas tree gallery.

Do your family and friends a favour and greet them with these hearty vegetarian friendly rolls. Make a ton, freeze and whip then out again and again. This is a great recipe for using up stale bread.

Where would Christmas be without a pudding? Currants and raisins, sugar and spice, orange peel, lemon peel, and everything nice. However if you tire of this precious pud, don’t let it sit neglected, freeze it in time, and transform into a delicious ice-cream in the summer months. Continue the Christmas spirit by daring to dash in a splash o' leftover rum or whiskey. A cheat's version of Rum and Raisin using leftover Christmas Pudding.

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Make a delicious turkey noodle soup to enjoy later in the month.

Use the turkey carcass for this soup. If not making straight away, you can freeze your carcass until you are ready. You can also use roasted chicken. This soup freezes perfectly. Make sure to allow the soup to cool completely before freezing in reusable bags or cliplock containers. Thaw bags of frozen soup in the refrigerator overnight when ready to reheat.

This is a simple recipe that uses leftover mince pies and wrapped chocolate, which people usually have large amounts of during the Christmas period.

This shortbread is a great way to use up leftover rosemary and of course lemon zest before using the juice.