Julie's CAN-teen: Julie Lin to tour Scotland in pop-up restaurant where dishes are made from tinned food
- Celebrity chef, Julie Lin, is taking to the road in a pop-up restaurant with a twist, inspired by the cost of living crisis and the fight against food waste.
- With over half the population concerned about tinned food, Julie's Can-teen will invite diners to take a fresh look at tins for their budget-friendly and environmental benefits.
- Julie's Can-teen will tour Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee and Aberdeen, serving up dishes like Spam bao buns, Thai fish cakes and saag curry along the way.
TV chef, Julie Lin, is taking to the road in a quirky pop-up restaurant with a twist - where everything on the menu is made from tinned food.
Inspired by new research which shows that the majority (55%) of people in Scotland have concerns about tinned food, Julie has teamed up with Zero Waste Scotland to create a radical new restaurant concept called 'Julie's Can-teen'.
Touring the length and breadth of Scotland between 28th and 31st March, Julie's Can-teen will serve up delicious dishes that champion the affordability, versatility and choice that canned cuisine offers.
Shelf-stable - meaning households have much longer to use them up - and with options that are packed full of nutrients, tins are a hidden hero in the fight against waste and quickly becoming one of the safest bets for consumers' cash.
Inspired by the Southeast Asian cooking she's renowned for, Julie's Can-teen features must-try dishes that include:
- Honey & soy glazed bao buns with pineapple & pickled cucumber
- Thai-inspired fishcakes with a charred apricot sriracha dip
- Saag curry with chickpeas, spinach and paratha
What's more, at Julie's Can-teen there is such a thing as a free lunch, with diners invited to head along and pick up lunch on the house; running first come, first served from 12pm to 2pm in Glasgow, Dundee and Aberdeen and 12pm to 4pm in Edinburgh.
An exclusive dining experience will be available for up to four diners within the Can-teen itself, with lunch personally served by Julie; who will be spilling the beans on the joys of cooking with tinned food.
Speaking more about the pop-up Can-teen tour, Julie said:
"Tins are an unsung 'double whammy' of a hero in any kitchen - helping us to keep our rising food bills lower and reducing the amount of food we buy that goes off and gets thrown away, which is a major driver of climate change.
"Zero Waste Scotland's research shows that nearly a quarter (21%) of people in Scotland think of tinned food as a 'last resort'. That's why my trusty Can-teen and I are taking to the road to encourage people to give tins a chance and taste for themselves how easy it is to make delicious meals that needn't cost the earth or the planet.
"What's even more amazing is that tins are infinitely recyclable, meaning they can be made into other tins again and again, just by recycling them from the kerbside; which is a win-win (or rather tin-tin) for us and our environment."
You can visit Julie's Can-teen in the following cities:
- Tuesday 28th March: Edinburgh - St James' Quarter from 12pm-4pm
- Wednesday 29th March: Glasgow - Glasgow Science Centre from 12pm-2pm
- Thursday 20th March: Dundee - Discovery Point from 12pm-2pm
- Friday 31st March: Aberdeen - Union Square from 12pm-2pm
Notes For Editors
Zero Waste Scotland is calling on everyone in Scotland to share their own 'tin'-spiration using the hashtag #CANpaign
More information about the CAN-paign can be found on the How to Waste Less website while a host of free resources - from recipes and social media assets and advice on how to recycle tins - are available on our Zero Waste Partners website.
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1,000 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 16th and 20th February 2023. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all adults aged 18+.
Those surveyed were asked:
Which, if any, of the following prevent you from eating more tinned food?
- It feels like a last resort (21%)
- It's less healthy than other food (20%)
- It's difficult to make meals from it (16%)
- It's more expensive than other foods (6%)
- It's bad for the environment (4%)
- Other (5%)
- Don't know (5%)
- Not applicable (45%)
Which ONE, if any, of the following types of shoppers do you MOST commonly associate with buying and eating tinned food regularly?
- Students (19%)
- Elderly people (14%)
- Those with an unhealthy diet (10%)
- People who are money savvy (15%)
- People who have a young family (6%)
- Foodies and/or home cooks (2%)
- People who follow a healthy diet (2%)
- Those who are environmentally conscious (1%)
- Other (7%)
- Don't know (23%)
Why is food waste so bad for the environment?
Wasting food is one of the worst things we can do in terms of climate change. Food waste contributes more to Scotland's waste carbon impacts than almost any other waste type, accounting for more than a quarter (30%) of Scotland's household waste carbon footprint. What's more, 70% of Scotland's food waste comes from households. (Source: Zero Waste carbon metric, 2021)
Tins are a key tool to help us tackle food waste at home as they have a long shelf-life and there's no need to refrigerate unopened tinned food.
Additional information: recycling tins
Zero Waste Scotland's Recycling Sorter tool can help everyone in Scotland recycle effectively at home, with searchable information on what can be recycled in which colour of bin for every council area in Scotland.
Food tins are usually made from steel, which is 100% recyclable and can be reprocessed again and again. It's therefore really important we recycle them rather than throw them away.
Food tins, including pet food tins and larger food tins such as those containing sweets and biscuits, are accepted in household (kerbside) recycling in all 32 local authority areas in Scotland. They are also accepted at household waste recycling centres.
To recycle food tins effectively: remove the lid completely, empty the contents and then give it a quick rinse. The edges can be sharp so carefully place the lid into the bottom of the tin, then squash it so the lid does not fall out (this will also save space in your recycling bin). Leave the labels on unless your council has advised otherwise.
For more information about recycling food tins visit the How to Waste Less website.