Recipes you can make with food waste to attract birds for Big Garden Birdwatch

Ahead of this weekend’s Big Garden Birdwatch, Ocado Retail has partnered with the RSPB to design miniature meals for birds, using food scraps you're not going to use up. The recipes have been launched to help families keep the nation’s birds well fed this winter, whilst tackling food waste at home.

The recipes for birds include Blackbird Berry Cheesecake - a dessert made with leftover shreds of grated cheese, and Wagtail’s Winter Stew - a dish made using vegetable scraps and seeds. These are launched alongside Robin Raisin Ice Cream, Seedy Sushi and Fruity Finch Tart.

Each bird recipe contains one or more of the foods the nation is most likely to end up throwing away at home according to climate action NGO WRAP, such as cheese, vegetables and fruit. The launch comes as data from WRAP highlights that the average family with children throws away more than £700 worth of food each year.

These miniature meals are also rich in ingredients that birds need to help them through the winter, such as suet and lard, which provide valuable energy to see them through the frosty nights. There are also more traditional bird feed ingredients like nyjer seeds and dried mealworms for an extra boost of nutrition.

Each meal has been crafted to appeal to different species of garden birds. The grated cheese and dried fruit in the Blackbird Berry Cheesecake aims to catch the eye of passing thrushes and songbirds, whilst blue tits and pied wagtails will enjoy crunching on the mealworm-rich Wagtail’s Winter Stew.

The no-cook recipes can be prepared easily and placed on bird tables, around the garden or even on small window feeders to create a dining experience - in time to encourage biodiversity that will maximise Big Garden Birdwatch findings.

Rachel Cox-Reynolds, Director of Sustainability at Ocado Retail said: “Ocado has low levels of food waste at just 0.6% and we’re committed to helping our customers reduce waste at home too. Sometimes people might be stuck with what to do with food scraps they’re not going to use up, but this doesn’t mean they should be thrown away. So many food items such as bruised fruits, extra roast vegetables and grated cheese are perfect to pass on to our feathered friends, and by working with RSPB, we’re encouraging the nation to get creative with food waste this year, just in time for Big Garden Birdwatch.”

A spokesperson for RSPB said: “Hundreds of thousands of people give an hour of their time every year to take part in Big Garden Birdwatch, letting us know what they see in their gardens, from balconies or in their local parks. Each year the results provide valuable information on how different species are faring. Our birds are facing many different challenges and providing extra food is one way we can give them a helping hand. Making Ocado’s fun bird-friendly recipes at home is a fantastic family activity and a great way to tempt a wide range of feathered visitors to your garden ahead of this month’s Birdwatch.”

Estelle Herszenhorn MBA, Strategic Technical Manager Food and Drink, WRAP said “Avoiding food waste is the best way to help the environment and in the current financial climate, getting the most out of the food we buy is imperative. But where we cannot use up leftovers ourselves, the recipes for birds from Ocado and the RSPB are an excellent way to pass on nutritious food to help our garden birds, particularly during the bitter winter months.”

Big Garden Birdwatch takes place from January 27 to 29. It is the largest garden wildlife survey in the world and provides a snapshot of how garden birds are faring in the UK. Last year, nearly 700,000 people across the UK took part counting 11 million birds. You can sign-up to take part here.

BLACKBIRD-BERRY CHEESECAKE

Hands-on 10 minutes Total time 10 minutes, plus 30 minutes chilling

This delectable dessert uses up a variety of sweet and savoury household scraps to provide a nutritious treat for garden birds. Mild grated cheese and dried fruit are a particular favourite amongst blackbirds, song thrushes and robins.

• 4 tbsp stale biscuit or cake crumbs
• 1 tbsp lard
• 1 tbsp mild cheese, grated
• 1 tsp of chopped dried cranberries (or other dried fruit such as raisins, currants)
• 1 tbsp of apple, diced

• 1 tbsp bird seeds (mixed seeds or sunflower seeds also work well)

1. Place the crumbs into a bowl.
2. Melt the lard in a small pan over a low heat.
3. Pour the melted lard over the crumbs and combine.
4. Push a square of baking parchment into a cookie cutter (approx. 5cm) and press in the crumb mixture firmly with a spoon.
5. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
6. Once firm, remove from the fridge and place the crumb base onto a small plate, sprinkling over the cheese, followed by the fruit and seed toppings.

WAGTAILS’ WINTER STEW

Hands-on 10 minutes Total time 10 minutes, plus 30 minutes chilling

A hearty winter-warming dish, this avine stew is just the trick for those scraps of veg that might otherwise be thrown away. The addition of nutritious mealworms are just the trick to entice the likes of blue tits, pied wagtails and robins.

• 2 tbsp lard
• 1 tbsp cornmeal
• 1 tbsp dried fruit, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp bird seed (mixed seeds or sunflower seeds work well)

• 4 tbsp cooked scraps of veg, chopped (i.e. carrots, sprouts, cabbage, parsnips)
• 4 tbsp mealworms

1. Melt the lard in a small pan over a low heat.
2. Place the cornmeal, dried fruit and seeds into a bowl and add the melted lard. Mix well and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
3. Once firm, remove from the fridge and divide and roll the mix into 4 small balls (approx. walnut size).
4. Layer a small dish with cooked veg and mealworms and top with the ‘dumpling’ balls.

FRUITY FINCH TART

Hands-on 10 minutes Total time 30 minutes

With potatoes one of the most commonly wasted household foods according to WRAP, it’s time to put any scraps to good use. This fruit and veg-laden mini tart also contains small seeds to attract the likes of house sparrows, dunnocks, finches and collared doves.

• 20g ball of uncooked scrap pastry or cooked pastry shell
• ½ roast potato, chopped (or 1 tbsp mashed potato)
• ½ tbsp cranberry, finely chopped (or other dried fruit such as raisins, currants)
• 1 tbsp carrot, cooked and chopped (or other cooked veg)
• 1 tbsp apple, diced

• 1 grape, chopped
• 1 tbsp small seeds

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees.
2. Roll out the pastry and press into a small pie tin or lie flat on a baking sheet and bake for approx. 20 minutes.
3. Allow to cool, and when cold, top with potato, chopped fruit and veg
4. Sprinkle over the seeds for the finishing touch.

SEEDY SUSHI

Hands-on 15 minutes Total time 15 minutes, plus 30 minutes chilling

Offer your feathered friends the trendiest al fresco dining experience by combining salt-free rice with scraps of green veg and carrot for a nutritious sushi snack. Use nyjer seeds if you’re on a mission to entice finches and woodpeckers to your garden’s Big Birdwatch

• 4 tbsp salt-free rice, cooked
• 1 tbsp lard
• ½ carrot, cooked and sliced
• 2 tbsp scraps of green veg, cooked and sliced (i.e. cabbage leaves or sprouts)
• 4 tbsp bird seed (mixed seeds or sunflower seeds work well)

1. Place the rice into a bowl.
2. Melt the lard in a small pan over a low heat until just melted and mix into the rice.
3. Lay a piece of greaseproof paper on a board and press the rice mix firmly onto it in a rectangle.
4. Lay the carrot and cabbage strips along the long edge of the rice rectangle, about 2cm from the edge.
5. Holding on to the greaseproof paper, roll up the rice into a long cylindrical shape and press tightly to make sure it’s firm. Twist both ends of the greaseproof paper like a cracker to encase the sushi roll tightly.
6. Place into the fridge for about 30 minutes to firm up.
7. After 30 minutes, scatter the seeds onto a plate then remove the rice cylinder from the paper and roll in the seeds to coat.
8. Cut the cylinder into 4 equal pieces to serve.

ROBIN RAISIN ICE CREAM

Hands-on 10 minutes Total time 10 minutes, plus 30 minutes chilling

This tutti fruity nutty sundae is a great way to use up fruit that’s past its best and nuts, with bruised apples in particular being much better for your bird table than your bin!

• 2 tbsp lard
• 1 tbsp dried fruit (i.e. raisins, sultanas, apricots and cranberries)
• ¼ apple, partly grated and partly chopped
• 1 grape, chopped
• 1 satsuma segment, chopped
• 1 tsp shelled nuts (must not be salted or roasted), crushed

1. Melt the lard in a small pan over a low heat.
2. Place the dried fruit and grated apple in a bowl. Mix in the lard.
3. Refrigerate the mixture for 30 minutes.
4. Once firm, remove from the fridge and roll into 3 equal balls, sprinkling with the fresh fruit and nuts.