Christmas Eating for The Planet

Keep it small, keep to the plan, love leftovers

When you think of Christmas, what do you think of? Some say getting together with friends and family, Christmas baking, tree decorating, Father Christmas...new socks.

FOOD comes up A LOT! And what’s so special about food at Christmas? We eat all the time. 

Why is Christmas cooking so much more and how do we reconcile the festivities without costing the earth? 

In the UK we waste 5 million Christmas puddings, 2 million turkeys, and 74 million mince pies each year. Not to mention huge amounts of vegetables, fruit and snacks. What can we do about food waste? 

Plan your food if you are able. There are plenty of online tutorials on prepping for a waste-free Christmas. Sure, not everyone loves Brussel sprouts, so just buy enough for those who do. Most importantly, eat your leftovers or freeze them for another time. Labelling things clearly really helps with identifying long-lost deep frozen gravy and bread sauce. We don’t suddenly need to eat more - there is no need to have an abundance of food all the time. The shops are only closed for 1 or 2 days! 

When you do buy your Christmas food, think of neighbouring farms that might be selling fresh, locally grown produce and high welfare meat. Elm Tree Farm in Stapleton, Simm’s Hill Shared Harvest and Grow Wilder in Frenchay, Bridge Farm, St. Werburghs City Farm and Purple Patch are all easy to reach from Lockleaze and are projects worth supporting. In fact, they sell some wonderful giftable handmade things too. 

If you are part of The Vench Food Club, you will be getting your Christmas box on Dec 21st, so plenty of time to plan around that.  

It’s easy to get swept up in it all. But it’s Christmas, be kind to yourself and the planet and support your local farms!

#LNT, #lockleazefood #christmaseating