What is vegan ‘compleating’?
‘Don’t Just Eat, It Compleat It’. Compleating is a campaign by Love Food Hate Waste, encouraging us to eat the whole of a food instead of wasting it ). Think potato skins, banana peels and broccoli stalks. Love Food Hate Waste was launched by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to reduce the amount of food wasted in). I’ve been coming across this phrase of compleating for some time, and no doubt some of you will have too; what was new to me was a vegan guide to compleating, that was until I came across Ellen Tout on Instagram. Ellen and I chatted in IG direct messenger (this is as fruity as my DM’s get!). We arranged a date for her to be a guest of the food waste podcast that I host, Alright Raiders, available on Apple, Google, Spotify and wherever you usually listen to your podcasts (shameless plug alert!). As we bonded over pulled banana peel and banana peel bacon, Ellen enthusiastically told me about her recipes for kiwi skin salsa, apple core cider vinegar and pumpkin treats for her dog Bella, I thought to myself ‘Hang about, how is she not in magazine?!’ Ellen kindly sent me a copy of her book ). In the book’s introduction, Ellen explains that she has been vegetarian since childhood, and then as an adult, chose to become vegan for ethical and environmental reasons. Ellen says that the book came about as her fascination with compleating grew, but she struggled to find a book about reducing food waste for vegans — Ellen had found tonnes of books with tips for cooking with leftover or offcut meat or dairy, but none dedicated to fruits, vegetables and herbs.
