Its July. JULY! The second half of the year has begun. I can hardly believe it. They say time flies even faster the older you get and this year has definitely been the fastest I have ever experienced.

The combination of that and my eldest son turning eight yesterday is making me feel a tad old. But I am going to ignore that, the same way I ignored the comment from one of my children on Saturday that I look old enough to be a granny.

That said, I am going to do a bit of a granny-esque thing now and tell you to use up your leftovers. Waste not, want not and all that. Don’t dump food, use it. Clear out your fridge and cupboards and eat what you have before you go shopping again.

That’s right, I’ve decided to give my #ClearOutAndEat project another go. The original linky was a Winter thing, all about using up veg, tinned or dried pulses, pasta and whatever the kitchen contained to make hearty pies, stews, soups and casseroles.

This time round I am creating a photo challenge using the hashtag #ClearOutAndEat. The idea behind this challenge is a simple one – use what you have at hand to create a dish, drink, condiment, preserve or whatever you like. I’ve been using this hashtag for a while now and would love you to join me.

The reason is simple. I want to promote food waste reduction. I want to encourage people to look in their fridges and cupboards and use what’s there before it goes off.

Be creative. Look to recipe books and blogs for inspiration. Add extra flavour with spices from your spice rack or herbs from the garden. But whatever you do, clear out and eat what you have before going shopping.

Upload your photos to Instagram, Twitter or Facebook, use the hashtag #ClearOutAndEat and tag me. I’d love to see what you’re creating. Feel free to tag your friends too.