Food waste goes up significantly around Christmas time, with 2 million turkeys and 5 million Christmas puddings getting binned in the UK alone!
But with bit of planning and preparation, it is possible to not throw away any food – here are our top tips…
Don’t break the bank
It’s easy to overbuy for the Christmas period, meaning that food can end up going to waste. To help you buy and prepare the right amount of food, check out these off-the-shelf Christmas dinner shopping lists and meal plans, complete with recipes for three course meals for 2, 4 and 6 people – including a vegetarian alternative.
Christmas dinner doesn’t have to cost the earth – see here for chef Jack Monroe’s three course Christmas dinner at £2.50 per head and here for her other thrifty Christmas recipes.
Use up Christmas dinner leftovers
Boxing day hash is a quick way to use up leftover meat, stuffing and gravy, as is turkey and cranberry pie. You can also throw in any leftover vegetables for extra flavour, or remove the meat for a vegetarian alternative.
Another great way to use up any savoury leftovers is to mash them up and turn them into pasties (these can also be frozen for later use).
Get fridge and freezer savvy
In the lead up to Christmas try to use up food in the fridge and freezer so you have space to store leftovers come Christmas day.
Leftovers will last longest if stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Cooked meat stored this way will be safe to eat for 3-4 days (if reheating, make sure that it gets piping hot) and veg for up to 7 days.
If your fridge is too warm, food will go off more quickly. It’s best to keep your fridge between 0°C and 4°C.
Almost any food can be frozen, including cooked meat and veg, stuffing, bread, gravy (in ice cube trays), cakes and puddings. It’s a good idea to divide them into manageable portions first.
Recipe: Banana and Cocoa Marble Cake
Thanks to Sabine for sharing this recipe with us! We all have those overripe bananas lying around in our fruit bowl, and it is a shame when they get tossed out. Bananas are great for cake, as they work like eggs, binding everything together very well. Also they give cake a lovely, rich flavour. This recipe isContinue reading “Recipe: Banana and Cocoa Marble Cake”
Food Waste Action Week: 10 food saving tips
Almost 70% of UK food waste happens at home. As well as costing the average household £720 a year on average, this wastage also contributes to climate change – eliminating food waste in UK households would reduce greenhouse gas emissions as much as taking 1 in 4 cars off of the road! Luckily, there are plenty of simple ways toContinue reading “Food Waste Action Week: 10 food saving tips”
Recipe: Veggie Bolognese with Pangrattato
Thanks to Sabine for sharing this recipe with us. It’s a great dish for using up all the tiny bits of root veg that lurk in the fridge, as well as for some old pieces of bread, and that tiny bit of parmesan that would otherwise get tossed. Pangrattato means ‘grated bread’ (i.e. breadcrumbs) inContinue reading “Recipe: Veggie Bolognese with Pangrattato”
