“This is made from banana skin!” Several participants marvelled at the unexpected ingredients during a recent climate café hosted by Lambert’s Coffee House with the County Carlow Environmental
Network (CCEN).

The delightful, delicious preserves and fermented foods were presented by Derek Oman. A sustainability-focused chef passionate about zero-waste cooking, Derek’s ethos of reducing food waste sounds serious, but produces tasty results.

The aim of the evening was to explore out relationship with food from growers, producers and the consumer, and how we value our food in terms of its sustainability. Food causes 30% of global
carbon emissions, including sprays and transport. By valuing locally grown, seasonal food, we can have a significant positive impact on our environment.

There was great curiosity about how we can produce healthy and flavourful food from ‘food waste’, such as banana chutney, pickled broccoli stems, and lacto fermented tomato ketchup, with a
focus on seasonal produce.

The evening was very interactive, as Derek demonstrated various food preservation techniques while everyone compared notes on their favourite flavours.

Derek is planning an interactive, hands-on workshop that will highlight the importance of reducing food waste, and how we can be creative with our food. This is a great opportunity to learn new
creative food skills. Register your interest by emailing info@ccen.ie.

CCEN welcomes everyone to the next climate café on Earth Day, 22nd April, 7pm, at Waterlilies in Tullow. These climate cafés are supportive spaces to talk about important environmental issues of all kinds, and actions we can take. Check ccen.ie for news, and join the mailing list by emailing info@ccen.ie or completing the form at the bottom of the page to receive regular updates.