History and recipes for black eyed peas stew, fried plantain and Caribbean fruit cake to celebrate Black History Month.3 DELICIOUS BLACK BRITISH ZERO WASTE RECIPES

Black eyed peas stew

A one-pot wonder to use up those back-of-the-fridge veggies, what more could you want? Black eyed peas are the luckiest of legumes. Even just carrying them is thought to bring enough protection against your enemy's evil eye.

Ingredients

• 250g black eyed peas
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp minced ginger
• 1 tsp black mustard seeds
• ½ scotch bonnet pepper
• 1 diced onion
• 2 potatoes
• 2 carrots

Method

1. Saute the onion and garlic with your spices until softened.
2. Add your veggies and stir to mix.
3. Add your black-eyed peas and enough water to make a stew
4. Bring to boil, then simmer for 20 mins.
5. Serve with rice or bread.

Fried Plantain

A fruit that tastes better the more ripe it becomes? That's surely every Waste Warriors dream. It's quick and easy to prepare and can be enjoyed either sweet or savoury. It fruits all year round so has been a reliable all-season staple food for decades. Across Africa, plantains provide more than 25% of the carbohydrate requirements for over 70% people.

Ingredients

• 1 ripe plantain
• Sea salt (optional)

Method

1. Remove the plantain peel and cut into ¼ inch-thick slices.
2. Fry the slices on each side for about 2 minutes until brown.
3. Serve them lightly sprinkled with sea salt or plain.

Black cake

Typically made with raisins, there are many recipes for this cake. Try throwing in squashed or bruised berries to give it an extra boost of flavour. The fruits are most commonly soaked in spiced rum with hints of ginger to bring a balance the perfect balance of sweet and spicy flavours to the cake.

Ingredients

• 450g raisins
• 4 tbsp rum
• Any bruised back-of-the-fridge berries you have
• 250g butter
• 250g brown sugar
• 250g self-raising flour
• 3 eggs
• 1 tbsp mixed spice
• 1 tbsp cinnamon

Method

1. Soak your raisins and fruit in the rum for one day, stirring occasionally.
2. Combine your butter and sugar, then slowly beat in the eggs.
3. Stir in your flour and fruits.
4. Bake for 30 minutes at 160c, then reduce the oven temperature to 130c and bake for a further hour until cooked through.
5. Allow to cool and enjoy.