Practical recipes, cooking inspiration and resources to help you make the most of surplus food.
Welcome to the Croeso Kitchen – FareShare Cymru’s culinary hub for Community Food Members and supporters.
Whether you’re preparing meals for your community, running a pantry, managing a community café or delivering cooking sessions, you’ll find practical resources to help you reduce food waste, maximise your deliveries and inspire confidence in the kitchen.
Explore our latest videos, seasonal recipes, food storage advice and downloadable resources designed to help you make every ingredient count.
🎥 This Month in the Croeso Kitchen
We’re seeing plenty of pumpkins coming through our warehouses, so now’s the perfect time to get inspired in the kitchen.
In this video, Liam, our Culinary Lead, shares three simple, delicious ways to make the most of surplus pumpkins. Whether you’re cooking for your community or at home, these easy recipes are designed to help you reduce food waste and get more from every ingredient.
Looking for more inspiration? Visit the FareShare Cymru YouTube channel for more cooking tips, recipes and practical advice on making the most of surplus fruit and vegetables.
Produce of the Month
Each month we spotlight a seasonal ingredient commonly found in FareShare Cymru deliveries.
Store
- Keep whole pumpkins somewhere cool, dry and well-ventilated.
- Once cut, wrap or cover the pumpkin and refrigerate.
- Use cut pumpkin within 3–4 days.
- Cooked pumpkin can be kept refrigerated and used in soups, curries or baking.
- If you have a large pumpkin, cut and freeze the excess before it spoils.
Freeze
- Remove the seeds and cut the flesh into chunks.
- You can roast or steam it first, then mash or purée.
- Freeze in portions or ice-cube trays for smaller amounts.
- Frozen pumpkin works brilliantly in soups, curries, sauces, pies and smoothies.
- Pumpkin purée can be frozen for several months.
Try these delicious recipes straight from The Croeso Kitchen
Kitchen Tip of the Month
Harvest the seeds
Use pumpkin seeds to create a feeder for birds or make a nutritious, healthy snack. You can also roast the seeds and use the flesh to make pumpkin pie or gnocchi.
❓ Surplus Food FAQs
About Surplus Food
Why does FareShare supply surplus food?
Good quality food can become surplus for many reasons, including overproduction, packaging changes, forecasting errors or seasonal demand. Rather than going to waste, it’s redistributed to charities and community groups across Wales.
Why is every delivery different?
Surplus food changes every day depending on what is donated. This means no two deliveries are ever exactly the same.
Can I plan menus around surplus food?
Yes! Build flexible menus using core ingredients and adapt recipes depending on what’s available each week.
Food Safety
What’s the difference between Best Before and Use By?
- Best Before relates to quality. Food is often safe to eat after this date if stored correctly.
- Use By relates to safety. Food should not be eaten after this date.
Can I freeze food?
Many foods can be frozen before their Use By date. Always check packaging for guidance.
Can I refreeze food?
Only if it has been cooked after defrosting.
Fresh Produce
What can I do with soft fruit?
Blend into smoothies, make compotes, bake into cakes or freeze for later.
Can bruised vegetables still be used?
Yes. Simply remove any damaged areas before cooking.
How do I revive wilted salad?
Place leaves in iced water for 15–30 minutes.
🍽️ Product Guide & Recipe Library
We’re just getting started!
Our recipe collection is growing, so please bear with us while we add more recipes. We’ll be uploading new recipes every week, helping you make the most of the surplus food you receive.
Looking for more inspiration? Visit our YouTube channel for the latest cooking videos, practical tips and seasonal recipe ideas from the Croeso Kitchen.
📥 Resource Library
We’re building our Resource Library! 📚
We’re adding practical resources to support Community Food Members, with new downloads being added regularly. Check back soon as our library continues to grow.
If there’s a guide, template or resource that would help you and your organisation, we’d love to hear from you. Let us know using the Ask the Croeso Kitchen form, and we’ll do our best to include it in future updates.
Coming soon:
- Batch Cooking Guides
- Food Safety Information
- Portion Guides
- Kitchen Posters
- Nutrition Resources
- Cooking Session Plans
- Knife Skills
- Presentation Skills
Ask the Croeso Kitchen
Got a question about surplus food or cooking?
Fill in the form below and we’ll answer popular questions in future videos, recipes and FAQs.
Culinary
Form for users to ask Culinary Lead questions and things they would like to see
🌍 Helping Good Food Go Further
Every recipe shared, every ingredient saved and every meal prepared helps reduce food waste while supporting communities across Wales.
Together, we can make every ingredient count. 💚