BUY HOW MUCH DO YOU NEED TO ? NER DIN AS TM FOR CHRIS
Turkey A 2.5kg crown feeds six, or a 3-4kg turkey feeds six-eight
Waste less
Carrots One medium each will do
Be more mindful of food waste with tips from Alex Head of Social Pantry (socialpantry.co.uk). Just a little planning makes a big impact
Photographs DENIS TEVEKOV, CATHERINE FALLS COMMERICAL, OKSANA TABALYUK/GETTY IMAGES
Green up your table ‘Embrace foliage – use leaves and plants with candles for a beautiful table setting. You could even handwrite place names on winter leaves using gold pen. Anything green can then be composted. Just make sure you don’t use anything too prickly, or unsafe around food.’
Plan, and then plan some more ‘Christmas is a time to embrace your shopping list and enjoy the planning process – this will stop you from buying things you don’t need. Get organised and write a meal plan. Include your leftovers, overlap ingredients where you can and try recipes that use up what you already have in your cupboards and freezer.’
Skip peeling ‘Many foods we’d normally peel don’t actually require it, and those peels equal a lot of food waste. Add plenty of herbs, garlic or seasoning and cook everything through properly and no one will notice.’ Really love your menu ‘Choose items for your festive lunch menu that everyone really loves to eat, and dishes that can easily be transformed into something new if you have any leftovers. That way, everything will be eaten at some point and not just thrown out and wasted after the big day.’ 50 BBC Good Food Middle East December 2020
Gravy 100ml per person is a good amount
Roast potatoes Two small or one large potato each is plenty, or increase if you want leftovers
Parsnips One medium parsnip each
Sprouts Four-six per person – if they’re sprout lovers!
H OW TO H AV E A
green Christmas Food waste, single-use plastic and recycling aren’t particularly festive subjects, but Christmas can be a time of excess and expense, so it’s worth pausing for thought and making a few tiny changes to your kitchen to save yourself some money and be more planet-friendly 8 IDEAS FOR A MORE
sustainable Christmas Beth Noy of zero-waste shop Plastic Freedom (plasticfreedom. co.uk) has plenty of ideas on how to make your Christmas kitchen more sustainable, from repurposing items to replacing single-use plastics. You could also use some of these tips to make your own DIY gifts and stocking fillers.
1
Invest in reusable storage
‘Stainless steel boxes, glass jars and silicone bags are brilliant ways to store food. The bags in particular are good for packing food flat and stacking in the freezer. Food stored properly will stay fresher for longer, too.’
2
Get to grips with wax wraps
‘These can be used for so many things, from packing lunches and storing half-cut veg to making piping bags. Use them as gift wrap if you’re making edible gifts this year – you’ll essentially be giving two gifts in one package.’
3
Make your own basics
‘Cut down on the amount of packaging you bring home by making basics such as bread, pizza dough, hummus, sauces and jams yourself.’ Find out how at bbcgoodfoodme. com
