This week in our Sunday series, Our Farm's head chef, Liam, explains how we turn restaurant food waste into nutrient-rich compost.

As a company, we are incredibly proud of the fact that none of the food waste from Simon's restaurants in the north goes to landfill. Instead, it is returned to Our Farm, where it is turned into the foundations for healthy, living soil. Our approach creates a true closed-loop circle.

The process begins with equal ratios of green waste (food scraps) and brown waste (carbon-rich materials), which we add a bucket full of each to our Ridan composters. The food waste moves progressively through the composter for 10 days; every time a little bit comes in, a little bit goes out.

Essentially, these machines work to increase microbial activity inside the composters, which ultimately boosts the amount of beneficial bacteria in the soil that is produced as a result. The partially processed waste is then stored in maceration bins, where it's left to break down for anywhere between six and twelve months before it's ready to use on the ground. We only use the compost in the winter when we are preparing growing spaces for the following season. We follow this pattern every year, so the previous year's compost goes on the ground at the start of the season.

Watch Liam explain this process on @ourfarm's Instagram.