DON'T GIVE UP ON YOUR GARLIC

​We've all found that forgotten bulb of garlic at the back of the cupboard, perhaps a little dry or with green shoots beginning to appear. Before you throw it away, take another look. There may still be plenty you can do with it.

​Sprouting garlic is still usable. If the cloves are firm and free from mould or decay, they can still be added to soups, stews, sauces and other cooked dishes. The green shoot is edible too, although it can have a slightly stronger or more bitter flavour.

If you have more garlic than you can use, peel and freeze the cloves. They can be chopped or grated straight from frozen whenever you need them.

A whole bulb that's starting to get past its best can also be roasted. Roasting transforms the cloves into a soft, mellow paste that's delicious stirred through mashed potatoes, soups, vegetables or spread onto toast.

Even the papery skins don't necessarily have to go to waste. Clean garlic skins can be added to homemade vegetable stock for extra flavour, then composted afterwards.

And if your garlic has started sprouting, why not plant a clove or two? Pop them into a pot or the garden and you can enjoy the green shoots as they grow.

One small bulb, plenty of possibilities. Sometimes reducing food waste is simply about looking twice before something goes in the bin.

Geraldine Fitzpatrick