Leftover Legends
A dinner party game that helps you reduce food waste by cooking creatively with leftover ingredients. Use the tips & tricks for yourself or play (and cook!) with your friends!
1 – 6 players | 45 min + cooking | Dutch & English
Why we made this game
One of the most important things we can do when it comes to climate-friendly eating is to waste less food. It’s the second most important action in our compass. But it can also be pretty tricky: that’s why we created this game to help you! It’s a kind of “Ready, Steady, Cook” or “Master Chef Mystery Box.” You can play it with friends, but some people also use it for themselves as an inspiration or tool.
The game…
– includes practical inspiration cards that will make you a better leftover cook
– Transforms your attitude toward food waste
– Gives you (and your friends) a lot of fun in the kitchen
– lots of new tips and tricks on how to use ingredients
– and let’s not forget… Already reduces food waste immediately!
What's in the box?
– game rules on how the game works
– 100 score cards (enough to play 25+ times)
– 12 inspiration cards to help you make a delicious meal
– access to our League of Leftover Legends to upload your photos and see those of others
How to play Leftover Legends in different ways 👇
So, how do you become a Leftover Legend?
There are many different ways to become a Leftover Legend: this game is most fun with 3 or more players from different householders, but you can also play it as individuals or with 1-2 players from the same household.
As the host, you are the one who provides your kitchen, but it is not necessary to be the best cook in the company. And remember, you don’t bear full responsibility for the outcome. But of course, this can be a bit exciting. If you just share our video invitation (available soon!) with your friends, they’ll come with the right attitude, so don’t worry. But if it gives you some peace of mind, just throw 2 pizzas in the freezer as a backup.
How you "play it" as an individual
The main thing is to come up with a recipe idea from your leftover ingredients. For example, you can just use the inspiration cards Place them on the inside of your kitchen cabinets! That way you can always use them, not just when you’ve decided to play Leftover Legends. You can also reserve some space in your fridge for leftover ingredients with the eat-this-first tape. Even without actual “leftover” ingredients, the blue inspiration cards can help you cook different types of meals without a recipe. This can also come in handy if you have a vegetable subscription or surprise ingredients in a Too good to go box.
This makes the game an inspiration/tool for your cooking. And of course you can apply the game rules and score your points, but don’t let this get in the way of using the game principles in your daily cooking.
How to play the simple version
If having a good time with your friends is more important to you and you wouldn’t describe yourselves as game lovers: just play the simple version. Invite your friends to bring leftover ingredients, come up with recipe ideas with the inspiration cards of the game and cook a delicious meal together! But don’t worry about the points system and pitching.
How to play the whole game
This is for people who like games! If you want to familiarize yourself with the game in advance, play it as an individual before inviting others.
Wondering who you will invite…. Maybe your friend who you think is a great cook? Or international friends who know combinations from a completely different cuisine? Or have friends with whom you share a passion for living more sustainably?
Step 1: Invite your friends to bring leftover ingredients.
We have clear instructions for the kind of leftovers everyone brings, so you have all the ingredients needed for a delicious meal.
An ingredient can be an open item from your fridge, like hummus, or something that is past its date but still smells good. The 5 specifically named types of ingredients make preparation super simple!
Are you inviting everyone over? Then offer some basic ingredients like pasta, rice and spices. But don’t worry, you probably won’t need to buy anything extra.
Step 2: create a recipe with a combination of the ingredients included
To help you do this, we researched the aspects that make a meal delicious. Using these principles, we created 12 beautiful inspiration cards to help you come up with ideas:
- Flavour bingo: how to combine flavours well
- Texture bingo: which textures make your meal even better
- what types of meals you can make
- when it’s best to add which ingredients
- How you can still optimize flavor during cooking
- what surprising parts of vegetables you can also eat
… and lots more!
Step 3: score your recipe
You get points for different aspects, such as using 10+ ingredients or using ingredients that are past their expiration date.
Step 4: Time to pitch.
Determine the winners of different categories and vote for the recipe you will cook.
And now, of course, it’s time to get into the kitchen, cook and enjoy a creative and delicious meal.
You did it, you are a Leftover Legend!
And don’t forget: take a picture of your meal and upload it to the League of Leftover Legends.
How to play in an educational setting
For the Dutch game you can the additional flyer ‘Tips for teachers‘ at the game order. This flyer gives tips for the play from the game with students at the continued education (VO), vocational education (MBO) or higher vocational education (HBO). The tips its to state come at collaboration with education professionals from AERES.
The idea for Leftover Legends came from the heroes of Fork Ranger: discover how to eat for the climate. With their app, cookbook, seasonal calendar and now Leftover Legends, they form a growing community of climate-positive eaters.
We collaborated with Fork Ranger to design a game that is really fun to play 😎
