By Sally Churchward ON average, a third of all the food we buy ends up being thrown away, accounting for up to a fifth of bin rubbish, and costing the equivalent of £250-£400 every year. And with Christmas being the time for eating, drinking and making merry, the chances of even more food than usual being bagged up and binned increase. But it doesn t have to be that way - there are plenty of ways to make something tasty from food that might otherwise be consigned to the dustbin. Why not take a look at the recipe ideas from Hampshire County Council s Small Changes Big Difference participants - a group of people who took part in an 18-month challenge to reduce the amount of rubbish they threw away. Take a look at their mouth-watering ideas at www3.hants.gov.uk/ leftover recipe book-2.pdf.