Food waste is expensive at any time of year – but particularly at Christmas.
Research shows that in a normal week, a family of four throws away an average of £12 worth of food in the bin.
Given the size of the typical Christmas shopping trolley the amount of money we waste during over the festive period is likely to be much more.
Pembrokeshire County Council has teamed up with Waste Awareness Wales to show people how to save money with the ‘Love Food Hate Waste’ Christmas tips.
Waste Awareness Wales’ Georgina Taubman said: “Simple measures like writing, and sticking to, food shopping lists, adopting better portion control, and storing food correctly will all help avoid food waste helping to cut the cost of Christmas.
“And remember, there’s no need to panic buy huge stocks of food, most of the supermarkets will be open again on Boxing Day!”
Festive five top tips
- Use your separate food waste collection – The biggest problem for many of us is that we just don’t know that we’re wasting too much food. By disposing of kitchen waste separately, you’ll see exactly how much you throw away, which will encourage you to cut it down.
- Plan before you shop – It’s no wonder many of us buy too much if we hit the shops without a plan. Making sure you know who you’re catering for and what you’ll need for each recipe and writing a list before you go will help you avoid overspending. And don’t overestimate the size of turkey you’ll need: even the biggest turkey fan will be sick of it if faced with it for a week.
- Portion control – Take the guesswork out of food portions. When cooking for the family – take a few minutes to measure food out so you get the right portion per person thus avoiding excess food and waste. http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/everyday_perfect_portions
- You’ll be able to shop again soon – Gone are the days when shops were shut for days and days on end during the week of Christmas and New Year; now most shops re-open the day after Boxing Day if not Boxing Day itself, and some are open New Year’s Day. Consequently there’s no need to bulk buy food that may end up going off, and if you are tempted to stock up remember to choose products with the latest best-before dates.
- Make the most of your fridge and freezer – Give them a clear-out beforehand, make sure they’re at the right temperature and stock up on storage tubs. Then all you need to do is remember to label everything with the date you put it in the fridge/freezer, and…
- * Love your leftovers – There’s no point sticking food in the freezer or fridge if it will go from there straight into the bin. No-one expects a three course lunch on Boxing Day or on the evening of Christmas Day come to that, so be creative with your leftovers rather than starting creating more meals from scratch. Visit http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/ for recipe ideas
Plus
- Buy Christmas vegetables loose rather than packaged to avoid any unnecessary packaging
- Struggling with portion sizes? Use the portion size calculator at www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/perfect_portions
- Keeping fruit and vegetables in the salad compartment in the fridge will help them last longer
- If you don’t have a food waste collection compost fruit and veg peelings instead
- Use your turkey bones to make a hearty stock or soup to save money and add extra flavour – See: http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/recipes/show/61-basic-chicken-or-turkey-stock.
- Christmas pudding needn’t go to waste as it makes the perfect ice-cream, while panettone is great in bread and butter pudding or toasted
- Keep an eye on use-by dates, particularly on food in the fridge. Keep foods with the closest use-by dates at the front, so that you don’t end up throwing away perishable – and expensive – Christmas food such as salmon.
