First step = breathe!
Relax, you got this! Just think of your Christmas dinner as a normal Sunday roast but with a few more trimmings. You smash it every other time, so this won’t be any different.
Plan ahead
Remember to only buy what you need. Write a list before shopping and try your best to stick to it. Think about how many people you are serving (which may be a lot less than normal due to coronavirus restrictions) and only buy what you are going to need. Love Food Hate Waste have a really handy portion planner on their website to help you along .
Table settings
You don’t need fancy place settings just for Christmas. The cutlery and crockery you use the rest of the year is just fine! If you want to make it a bit fancier, add napkins, candles and other spare Christmas decorations to your table.
Give the crackers a miss this year as they just create a lot of waste as many contain single use plastic items.
Family style
Serve your dinner family style. This makes serving easier for you and lets people just take what they want on their plates. That way there is less waste too.
Turkey
Lets face it, the turkey is just a big chicken! 20 minutes per pound, plus an extra 20 minutes at 180°C / 350ºF / Gas Mark 4 should do it. Get a thermometer and check that the thickest part is registering at 75-80 degrees C, then it's cooked.
Other trimmings
If you don’t like something, or they always get left, then don’t cook them this year!
Try buying loose vegetables instead of the big packs this year if you are having a smaller than normal dinner. Even though they cost more per item, less will go to waste therefore save you money overall. After all, if you're the only person that likes sprouts and it isn't Christmas dinner without a few you still don't want a kilo of them.
Gravy
Fancy 12-hour beef broth homemade gravy is nice, but for an easy alternative just use your normal powdered gravy. You can always jazz it up by stirring in the cooking juices of your turkey.
Cleaning and packing away leftovers
The rule in my house is that the ones who do the cooking don't have to clear away so, while you relax on the sofa watching Christmas TV, get all those who are able to wash up!
Make sure any leftovers are stored correctly to keep them fresh for up to 3-4 days after Christmas.
Check out Love Food Hate Waste's handy food storage guide for more tips.
Unsure on what to do with your leftovers? Check out our festive leftovers hacks here. (if not, a turkey sandwich and chips will do just fine!)
Want to know more tips about wasting less this Christmas? Check out our ultimate guide here
All of December we will be posting our top tips on our social medias, so follow to keep up to date!