Six in ten Brits admit to overbuying food at Christmas – with almost 13% of festive food destined for the bin, a study has found.
Three in ten adults (31%) say they waste more food than usual during the festive season, as 16% struggle to judge how much they need to last them through Christmas.
Carrots, potatoes, and pigs in blankets are the most popular foods to be found in British households on Christmas Day, as well as the traditional turkey.
And the poll of 2,000 adults found that over a quarter (27%) are aware their household has a problem with food waste – with 35% forcing themselves to eat foods they don't particularly like, in an effort to curb this.
And when it comes to leftovers, 38% will give them to their guests to take away with them, while 41% will try to get creative in the kitchen to use up their leftovers.
Sandwiches are the most popular leftover dish – but 39% like to spice things up on Boxing Day with a curry.
Just over a third (36%) turn to the traditional bubble and squeak, and 31% chuck their leftovers into a hearty soup.
The research was commissioned by Waitrose, as part of its campaign to help halve UK household food waste by 2030.
To help customers to save money and take care in their meal planning, chefs from the supermarket have come up with their top tips to make the most of festive leftovers.
Zoe Simons, senior brand development chef at Waitrose, said: “Getting ready for the big day can be a stressful and exciting time, especially now we’re able to host family and friends once again after the pandemic.
“But both of these factors can cause people to buy much more food at Christmas than they actually need – and inevitably, a proportion of this unfortunately finds its way into the bin.
“It’s encouraging to learn that so many are taking care to reduce what they waste, particularly at Christmas, and we want to help where we can.
“That’s why we’ve come up with some simple and exciting ways to give people the impetus to work up something special with what may typically have been thrown away.”
With such an array of different foods left behind after Christmas Day, half of those polled (49%) would be more likely to cook with their leftovers if they had more inspiration in the kitchen.
And when quizzed more generally about food waste, 48% said their awareness of the issue has increased over the last five years.
But the study, carried out via OnePoll, found that over half (54%) believe food waste is a major issue we need to tackle together as a society.
Zoe Simons added: “As tends to be the case with environmental issues, there are often small changes we can make at home which can make a difference.
“Nobody buys food with the intention of throwing it in the bin, but with UK homes discarding 4.5million tonnes of it every year, there are little steps you can take to reduce this waste.
“From planning your meals carefully over the Christmas period, to ensure you’re buying the right amount for the number of people you’re hosting, to how you store your food.
“We’ve also made it easier for our customers by selling oddly-shaped vegetables as well as forgotten cuts of meat – and we’re continuing to work closely with FareShare to donate surplus food to vulnerable families across the UK.”
THRIFTY TIPS FROM WAITROSE CHEFS:
- Take time to plan, consider how many people you’re cooking for, how many meals you’ll prepare, and factor in that some will be perfect for the leftovers from your Christmas meal.
- Store items in the freezer throughout December that you can use for Christmas – such as bread for bread sauce, or veg peelings to make stock and gravy.
- Buying your fruit and vegetables loose not only helps in reducing packaging waste, you can also buy the exact quantities that you need.
- If struggling to work out quantities per person, estimate as follows – one large handful of green vegetables per person; two root vegetables (carrots/parsnips) per person; one large potato per person.
- Leftovers from the main meal can be blitzed gently in a food processor (think roasted carrots, parsnips, and potatoes, along with some of the turkey) then, combined with an egg, formed into croquette shapes and coated with breadcrumbs. Then air fry until crispy for a tasty boxing day nugget, perfect for dipping into leftover gravy.
