These fermented onions make a great tangy, crunchy accompaniment to anything from a curry, to a burger or sandwich. They go a lovely shade of bright pink which makes them look as cool as they are good for you. This is a great way of preserving ingredients for future use when you have a glut of onions. This is a good way to use up any spare onions, or even to cut off a green shoot and give them a new lease of life.

These aren’t just carrot sticks, but supercharged, probiotic ones, and a great way to use leftover carrots and preserve them for the future.

This traditional Korean side dish makes a delicious vegetarian addition to meals. It is made with with a variety of seasonings, including garlic, ginger and chilli. It is a great way to use leftover cabbage and other veg.

Make a chutney in the autumn and it will see you through the winter and into the spring. Good as a gift for your grandma or to serve with your cheese and crackers.

Make a chutney in the autumn and it will see you through the winter and into the spring. Good as a gift for your grandma or to serve with your cheese and crackers.

Ginger pickle is a simple but delicious pickle that goes well with dosas. It is popular in the Andhra Pradesh in the South-East of India.

Delicious pickled red cabbage, a great accompaniment to a ploughman’s or a Sunday roast. Also a great way to preserve leftover veg, to stop it going to waste.

A quick and easy pickle that is ready to eat almost immediately. Three lemons will make enough for a small jam jar. Buy lemons that look like they have a thin skin.

Harissa is an ultimate cupboard staple. Just a little goes a long way. Swirl it through yoghurt, dollop it on top of a hearty salad or use it as a marinade—the options are endless.

Soda bread is a variety of quick bread traditionally made in a variety of cuisines in which sodium bicarbonate is used as a leavening agent instead of the traditional yeast.

Glamorgan sausage is a traditional Welsh vegetarian sausage for which the main ingredients are cheese, leeks and breadcrumbs. This is a great use for leftover bread.

Buttermilk makes tender cakes, quick breads and biscuits, and works with both sweet and savory flavors. It is a common ingredient in baking, though not always easy to get your hands on. But no need to down tools and race to the shop. Buttermilk is simply an acidic liquid in your baking, and it’s easy to knock up a sour sub.

Home-made butter is incredibly easy to make, delicious and easily customised with leftover herbs such as parsley, tarragon or chives.

Kefir is a drink made from milk which has been fermented with kefir grains. Kefir grains are a Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeasts (or SCOBY) and are used as a ‘starter’ to kick off the fermentation process, available in health food shops.

Kefir is packed with good bacteria, which helps fight off the bad bacteria in your gut and is good for digestion. You can try a vegan version, using a plant-based milk instead, but keep an eye on your grains as they will not stay active as long.

The drink originated around 2,000 years ago, and is thought to have hailed from the Caucasus. It is said to have been invented by shepherds roaming the Caucasus Mountains, who would carry milk around in their goat skin pouches in the sun all day. After a while, the milk had fermented slightly.

A zingy and aromatic basil and lemon sorbet which is great to serve with fresh strawberries.

Pistou is a Provençal cold sauce made from cloves of garlic, basil and olive oil. It is similar to pesto, although it doesn’t include nuts, so it is smoother. It is classically added to soups of summer vegetables. 

A delicious and fragrant vegan Thai curry, amazing served with jasmine rice or noodles. This is an aromatic and flexible dish that is perfectly suited to being tuned to the time you have available and the ingredients you have available.

This simple midweek supper is a riff on a classic Italian dish for autumn, and perfect for giving your Halloween pumpkin another lease of life.

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Crispy and chewy, these biscuits are a great way to use up any bits of pumpkin that might go to waste. And they make a perfect Halloween baking activity too!