IT’s amazing what you can do with a bit of leftover food.

Staff at Oxfordshire Waste Partnership were last night carrying out preparations for the ‘Feeding the 500’ event today.

Teams chopped, diced, sliced and peeled provisions donated by fruit and vegetable suppliers Fresh Direct to highlight the amount of food wasted globally.

It will be given away today at a free lunch event at the Old Fire Station in George Street, Oxford, from 12-2pm.

Volunteers will join recycling officers from around the county serving up vegetable jalfrezi, parsnip rice, and Indian pickles.

According to spokesman Paul Mocroft, despite the mounds of onion, garlic, spinach and parsnips, there were no tears or blisters as the volunteer chefs prepared the meal.

He said: “It has everything you would want from a curry, and we are hoping that it will inspire people to re-use ingredients, such as bread, they would otherwise bin.”