Lisa Higginson
University students are set to show they are capable of cooking up more than beans on toast on a budget when they go head to head in a Masterchef-style competition. As part of the national Love Food Hate Waste campaign, pairs of students will pit their wits against each other to see who can bring leftovers to life and cook up a money-saving storm.
Manchester Metropolitan University has teamed up with Manchester and Salford City Councils to organise the event next Wednesday, November 25. The teams will be given ingredients typically found in student kitchens and will have 45 minutes to transform them into a mouth-watering feast. A panel of the cityâs leading chefs and food writers will then judge the dishes before announcing the winners.
The foodâs nutritional value will then be tested by university scientists to discover whether meals made from leftovers are as good for you as ingredients that have just been bought from the shop.
Manchester City Councilâs executive member for the environment, councillor Richard Cowell, said: âMany students now have a genuine interest in cooking top quality food, so weâre inviting them to come along and show us what they can do.
âReducing the amount of food you throw away doesnât just stop it ending up in landfill sites and creating gases which harm the environment, it is also a brilliant way of saving money â something that is important to everyone at the moment.â?
Students interested in taking part in the competition should call 0161 954 9000 or e-mail [email protected]