HOW TO DECLUTTER YOUR FRIDGE AND NOT WASTE ANYTHING, FROM MAYO TO JAM

The inner workings of my fridge can sometimes get pretty hectic, especially when it comes to the top shelf. Picture your kitchen junk drawer but in chilled form, with mountains of jars and bottles all jostling for attention. As a recipe tester, I tend to have a lot of ingredients in rotation at any one time but often won’t use anything up in its entirety. I really hate food waste, so over time, I’ve become adept at stretching the remit of any given ingredient. If the label says ‘ideal in sauces and stews’, I’ll mentally add ‘…and in marinades, toasties and cocktails,’ too. So, next time you’re having a fridge declutter and go to ditch half a jar of something, have a little read below and see whether you can create a culinary sitch before you ditch (disclaimer: it obviously still needs to be in date, we’re talking to you, jar of lime pickle at the back of the fridge…)

Mayonnaise

Obviously, a sandwich and slaw staple, I also rate mayo over butter for brushing on the outside of a toastie before grilling to give that perfect insta-worthy golden crust. Sandwiches aside, mayo is a great ingredient to dollop in your meat marinades; the oil, egg and vinegar working together to tenderise the meat while also adding flavour. Perfect with chicken and pork. Mayo can also add moistness to cakes when you use it in place of eggs and butter, which is less odd than you think, considering mayo is mainly just eggs and fat. I’ve had good success using it in chocolate cakes and banana bread. There’s also a Mayo Martini doing the rounds on the internet, but I’m not sure how I feel about that, if I’m honest.

Jarred olives

If you find yourself left with a few olives swimming around in a jar of brine, there are plenty of clever ways to put that liquid to good use. Whenever I’m making a tomato sauce for pasta, I slosh in a little olive brine for a nice salty depth of flavour. In fact, any occasion where salt is your friend, olive brine truly is your best mate. I always add a drizzle to my salad dressings and a little nip to my scrambled eggs. Obviously, it’s a key component in a Dirty Martini, but also works wonders splashed in a Bloody Mary for an extra savoury hit.

Peanut butter

Peanut butter is a real workhorse of an ingredient, as at home in sweet dishes as it is in savoury. This is true of most nut butters, in fact. Muffins, pancakes and brownies will all benefit from a dollop of peanut butter in the batter, but it’s also a great way to enrich savoury sauces. It’s a natural ingredient in Asian dishes, like these Dan Dan noodles, but also works really well in less traditional sauces and stews. I always add a big dollop to a beef chilli, its slightly sweet richness balancing really nicely with that chipotle heat.

Jam

Just to be clear, not every ingredient in my fridge ends up in a cocktail, but those last scrapings of jam in the jar are just shouting out to be drunk. Add the spirit of your choice to the jar, return the lid and shake well to mix with the leftover jam. Decant into an ice filled glass and then top with something sparkly, be that soda water, tonic or fizz. My go-to is leftover cherry jam, some dry gin, a squeeze of lemon and a splash of sparkling wine. Cocktail hour sorted.

Chutney

Everyone knows chutney and cheese are natural bedfellows, so any time I’m making a sandwich or toastie, a dollop of chutney isn’t far away. But chutney also has a life outside of the cheeseboard/sandwich. I love it stuffed inside chicken breasts with some creamy goat’s cheese, but it also makes a great glaze for roast or grilled meat. Simply blitz leftover chutney in a mini food processor and then brush it over pork chops or chicken thighs as they finish cooking for a sticky sweet, tangy finish. It also works as an instant glaze for a big gammon joint.

2025-03-14T12:57:36Z