Over-indulged stocking up for the barbie and now your fridge is chock-a-block with the remnants? Here's what to do with them

If you overdid it on the barbecue front recently and were left with a glut of buns, sausages, bags of salad and plasticky cheese slices, you're not alone.

According to recent research by Sainsbury's, during August a shocking £428m worth of barbecue food will be thrown away uneaten in Britain.

Here are a few tips to help you avoid food waste next time you fire up the grill:

Sausages

Darlington and Stockton Times:

Oh, the options are endless. Sausage sandwiches with lashings of ketchup; a pasta bake with fennel shavings and loads of cheese; a hearty sausage casserole; fried up and plonked upon a bed of lentils; cooked with cream and thyme for a quick tagliatelle sauce. Or, if you get a tad peckish, eat them as they are; cold, straight from the fridge.

Salad leaves

Stacks of salad wilting in their bags? Treat the leaves like spinach and add them to stir fries and curries. If they really are unsalvageable, though, pop them straight on the compost heap.

Bread rolls

Darlington and Stockton Times:

An abundance of bread that's quickly going stale means one thing: bread and butter pudding. Rip all the bread into a bowl, butter side up, then top with cinnamon, raisons and a mix of milk and egg, sprinkle with sugar, then bake. Delicious. You could also leave the crustier rolls out to dry before blitzing into bread crumbs, or to add bulk to a panzanella (Tuscan bread and tomato salad). Alternatively, just go feed the ducks.

Roasted veg skewers

How any of these can survive a barbecue is a mystery to us, but if you're laden with grilled veg, consider it veggie lasagne time. Stir your assorted chunks of courgette, pepper, onion and shrivelled mushroom into a tomato sauce before layering up with aubergine slices, pasta sheets and a cheesy bechamel topping. Ta dah!

Corn on the cob

If you've got a few corn on the cobs left over, still in their twisted tin foil parcels, whip them out of the fridge, slice off the kernels with a sharp knife, then mix with fresh chilli, coriander and feta for a quick and tasty side dish for roast chicken. Alternatively, make cornbread, which you can freeze for the next time you have beef chilli. The barbecued kernels will add a subtle smoky flavour.