With Christmas dinner being many people’s favourite thing about the festive season, you may find yourself wanting to make any leftovers last just that a tiny bit longer.
Even with leftover turkey and stuffing sandwiches proving popular on Boxing Day, the UK still throws out an estimated 710,000 tonnes of potatoes, 100,000 tonnes of poultry and 96,000 tonnes of carrots each Christmas.
Luckily, Vlatka Lake, storage expert at Space Station, has shared three big tips on storing your Christmas leftovers so you can continue to enjoying the feast into the New Year.
She said: “It’s easy to get carried away in the chaos of Christmas celebrations and become careless about our consumption habits.
“Although Christmas is a time known for enjoying food, we don’t have to forget about the environmental care our planet needs.”
She added: “By focusing attention on how to sustainably re-use and dispose of waste food, we can comfortably enjoy a hearty Christmas dinner while being confident in our efforts to contribute to a greener, more eco-friendly planet.”
What to do with your Christmas dinner leftovers
Store leftovers in your fridge or freezer
“Christmas leftovers can be stored both in the fridge and freezer, dependent on how soon you plan on using them, or the nature of the food,” explains Vlatka. “Most vegetables are easily frozen, and some (such as Brussel Sprouts) can even last until next Christmas.”
She recommends investing in some Tupperware rather than storing your leftovers in zip lock bags and clingfilm, as these seal securely, ensuring your food remains fresh for longer.
Tupperware boxes can also stack on top of each other, meaning they’ll take up less space in the fridge or freezer so you’ll be able to store more food.
Make leftovers into a new meal
Vlatka explains: “Look at your leftovers as individual ingredients that you can re-imagine into new meals, and don’t be afraid to get creative.”
She points out that while gravy can only be stored in the fridge for a day if you freeze it into ice cubes it’ll last much longer, and can be used as stock in future recipes. These can then be mixed with some of our frozen veg and made into a delicious soup.
After Christmas Day, potatoes, which the storage pro describes as “one of the most versatile foods”, can be made into mash, potato hash, and pataras bravas. You can also make bubble and squeak from mashed potato and leftover cabbage.
Recycle anything that can’t be stored
Vlatka says: “If you do find that there is leftover food you still can’t use or that is out of date, don’t throw it away.
“A lot of waste food such as vegetables and potatoes can go into a compost bin and restore essential nutrients back into soil. The same goes for any waste and peelings that may be created in the initial cooking process.
“If you don’t have your own compost bin you can donate food waste to local farms, or even a neighbour who creates their own compost. Apps such as Olio are great for finding people in need of leftover food, and NoWaste and Kitchen can help you track your food inventory to minimise leftovers and food waste.”
