Did you know, bread is one of Britain’s most wasted foods? During Real Bread Week, we put together some of our favourite recipes and tips for stale bread to help you make the most of your loaf!

Stale bread recipes and tips

• Revive your stale bread with water; If you have bakery bread, just sprinkle the stale bread with water, then pop briefly in a warm oven (do not wrap).
• Pizza toast; Grill your bread with olive oil and then cover leftover bread with chopped tomatoes, herbs and goats cheese, and pop under the grill. There are infinite variations to this. Use as an upsell to your mains counter or salad bar.
• Summer pudding; A great British classic, summer pudding is a wonderful combination of stale bread and fresh seasonal fruit. Try wholemeal bread for a healthier alternative with a more robust flavour.

• Soufflé; Stale bread and eggs were somehow made for each other. If you love soufflé but aren't in the mood to worry about it rising or collapsing, cheese, onion and bread soufflé  is an easy recipe to make with stale bread.

Making breadcrumbs and other ideas

• Fresh breadcrumbs; to make fresh breadcrumbs, remove the crusts from slices of day-old white or brown bread, place in a food processor or blender and pulse until finely chopped. Then freeze or store your breadcrumbs in an air-tight container.
• Delicious porridge or yoghurt toppers – don’t laugh its actually very good; this might not sound like an obvious recipe to use old bread, but trust us, it makes for an amazing addition to pudding. Just add some brown sugar, flax ground, cinnamon, cocoa powder or coconut flakes to dried breadcrumbs, and sprinkle.
• Treacle tart; Treacle tart  uses store cupboard staples including old bread, and is delicious served with a generous dollop of ice-cream or custard.
• Bread omelette or pasta; a great way to use soft breadcrumbs, this Bread Omelette is an interesting variation on the basic recipe. This is a twist on spaghetti aglio e olio, a traditional Italian pasta dish featuring garlic, olive oil, and chili. The fresh breadcrumbs soak up the spicy oil and garlic in a most delicious way. Be sure to brown the breadcrumbs well, or they’ll be soggy in the finished dish. Ciabatta breadcrumbs are best for this dish, but you can use any mild-flavoured bread.

Sweet things to do with bread

• Eggy bread; Dip a slice of bread into beaten egg, turn it over a few times to make sure it's well coated. Quickly fry then serve with your favourite topping — try honey or fresh fruit.
• Eggy bread pudding; Fora pudding worthy of a Michelin star, try Jamie Oliver’s charred eggy bread with strawberries and honey .
• Bread and butter pudding; There are many versions of this recipe — but essentially it's buttered slices of old bread, layered and baked with a mixture of eggs and milk. Try spreading the bread with marmalade or lemon curd for a simple fruity twist. Or for something spicey, try this Chai spiced bread and butter pudding .

Savoury things to do with bread

• Savoury bread and butter pudding; Use your stale bread for bread and butter pudding with a twist and adapt the usual sweet recipe for a savoury main course. Make it with cheese (and pickle) sandwiches, cheese and tomato sandwiches, or with spinach or roast veg. Pour seasoned milk and egg mixture over the sandwiches in a deep oven proof dish, top with a little more grated cheese and bake.
• Savoury eggy bread; Has your old bread gone hard? Dip a slice of bread into beaten egg, turn it over a few times to make sure it's well coated. Quickly fry it, then add your topping of choice — try baked beans, tomatoes or mushrooms.
• Try some panzanella; Panzanella is an Italian bread salad recipe with fresh tomatoes, herbs and olive oil. A fantastic way to use stale Italian or French bread.

And finally...

• How to freeze bread; If you take a while to finish a loaf, freeze half — remember to slice it first. Defrost a few hours before for toast.
• Bake your own bread; You're less likely to waste it if you bake your own bread — come to one of our sourdough workshops held by Nikki Low our sourdough trainer