EDUCATING people through their palates is one way of helping to reduce food waste.

The idea, or at least one of the aims, of opening a 'pay-as-you-feel' cafe - understood to be the first in Bradford - was to show customers how really there is no excuse for letting food go to waste.

While improvements have been made to labelling, in the past it has been criticised for encouraging people to discard produce that would be perfectly edible. 'Use by' are the instructions to adhere to whereas 'best before' can extend the shelf life and doesn't necessarily dictate it should be eaten on the date.

Buying more than we need - particularly at occasions such as Christmas - can also contribute to the food waste culture the team at The Saltaire Canteen - part of a network of 'pay-as-you-feel' cafes and developed from The Real Junk Food Project - are attempting to tackle through the cafe they set up in Victoria Road, Saltaire just before Christmas.

Duncan Milwain, director of the Shipley Food Project which runs the canteen, tells how they managed to 'rescue' eight turkeys post Christmas from which they were able to create a mouth-watering turkey masala.

Working with organisations such as Shipley Market, from where they collect surplus fruit and veg, is helping them keep the canteen stocked with fresh, quality produce which they serve to the customers who are being tempted in.

The lack of pricing boards is something which strikes visitors when they arrive. Usually you can price up your purchases after putting in your food order.

Apart from coffee, which does come at a set price, customers are given an envelope along with their meal order in which they can put however much they feel the meal was worth.

"They put whatever they want to pay in the envelope so we don't know what they are paying," explains Duncan.

Whether it is a few coins in an envelope, Duncan says he is confident those who can will pay and he knows some have been very generous.

The cafe's location in what could be deemed a more affluent area of Bradford could prompt some questions. After all, wouldn't a cafe where people could feasibly dine for free if they were in dire straits and couldn't afford to pay, be better located within the centre of Bradford?

Duncan takes the point. "There were reasons - the location chose us," he says.

He explains how the premises were already recognised as a Christian place having previously operated as a Christian cafe. However, he says setting up a similar initiative in the city centre would be a consideration.

Other initiatives they are involved in is providing two meals each week for Inn Churches, a project providing accommodation within participating churches in the city for the homeless from December to March. They are also working with a local church food bank and are running cook and eat sessions with groups and organisations to pass on some culinary skills.

"It is early days yet but I think once people see the food we are putting out they will begin to think how you can make something out of seemingly anything," says Duncan, who is currently in talks with local supermarkets.

He says it raises awareness that just because food is past its sell by date or best before date doesn't mean it isn't edible.

"I think the way we look at it is there are people in need, in food poverty, for whatever reason that might be, they are going there because they need to, they are not doing it for the fun of it."

He says changes to the benefits system have impacted significantly on some. "Some people do find themselves in short term emergency need and there are reasons why they exist, but we are saying we are not there to sort that out, that is a political issue which needs sorting out but we should serve the community and that is what we should do and we are happy to do it, whatever the reasons.

"It is not nice being hungry and if we can do something to help that is what we will do," adds Duncan.

Factfile:-

The Saltaire Canteen developed from The Real Junk Food Project launched in December 2013 by Adam Smith who set up a pay-as-you-feel cafe in Armley.

Run by volunteers, the cafe uses food from a number of companies and organisations who are supporting the project by passing on surplus food which would otherwise find its way into landfill. Instead it is helping to feed the customers who call in.

There are currently 10 cafes in the UK running under the auspice of The Real Junk Food Project.