We’re getting ready for Christmas here at Yeo and to us, that means making good choices and being organised ahead of the festive season. To help us get prepared, we’ve caught up with Chef Ali and she’s shared her top tips, tricks, and simple switches for a more sustainable Christmas.  

1) Help reduce food waste by planning your menu ahead of time. We love being in the company of our loved ones during the festive season and cooking for the masses shouldn’t have to be stressful. You can easily make family dinners more sustainable by portioning your ingredients to help reduce food waste, and don’t forget to ask your guests what they actually like to eat: it’s a win-win situation – happy guests and no food waste!

 2) Another way to be more sustainable is to store food products in an eco-friendly way. Choose reusable tupperware and eco-friendly food covering alternatives to cling film, such as bee wax covers or foil, to keep your ingredients and leftovers fresher for longer. Keep in mind that you can also use foil more than once and you can source foil made from 100% recycled aluminium.
 

3) There’s no need to search for the biggest turkey in a late-night shopping dash. Save your pennies and if you want your guests to leave with full bellies, make more vegetable side-dishes – they’re filling and packed full of vitamins and minerals.
 

4) Who said leftovers can’t be as delicious as the Christmas meal itself? Freeze what you can’t eat or get creative and turn it into a meal the following day. Leftover lamb with wild garlic yogurt & yogurt flatbreads is an absolute winner. Check our recipe page for more leftover recipe inspiration. 
 

5) Now it’s time to save the star of the show – the turkey! Unless you plan absolutely everything down to the smallest details, it’s likely there will be some meat left after the Big Christmas dinner. You can go with the safe choice and use the leftover turkey to prepare turkey sandwiches, or you can experiment with a new recipe.
 

6) And for the biggest impact of all, remember to shop locally where possible and eat seasonally throughout the year, not just during the holiday season. 

If you’ve enjoyed Chef Ali’s tips for a Sustainable Christmas, you can find more of these on our blog page!