One of the most-loved parts of Christmas day is of course the Christmas dinner, but often people’s eyes become bigger than their stomachs, and so a lot of food can be left on the table.
What do you do with your left-overs?
A new study has shown that a third of Brits use their leftover Christmas Dinner to make Boxing Day sandwiches, while a further 15 per cent have another full Christmas Dinner.
Meanwhile, one in 10 Brits opt to freeze their leftovers to use for a later date while a further 10 per cent feed it to their household pets.
AEG surveyed UK residents on their food storage habits and collaborated with professional head chef Anna Williams, to provide her top storage tips this festive season.
The findings highlighted that one in ten choose to freeze their leftovers to use at a later date, while 12 per cent of Brits opt to use them for a classic post-Christmas bubble and squeak.
However, it also reveals a third of Brits don’t know how to properly store leftover food, with the ages of 16-24 being the worst culprits.
What do Brits do with Christmas dinner leftovers?
Make Christmas sandwiches 32%
Cook another roast dinner 15%
Make bubble and squeak 12%
Freeze for a later date 10%
Feed to household pets 10%
Make a Christmas curry 8%
Make a Christmas stew 5%
Other 8%
More than two-fifths of those aged 16-24 believe hot food can be stored in the fridge compared to just 13 per cent of those aged 55 and over.
Men also are more relaxed in doing this, with only 40 per cent stating they wouldn’t put hot food in the fridge versus 65 per cent of women.
“The important thing to remember, is to make sure food is refrigerated within two hours to prevent bacteria growth” said expert chef Anna Williams.
“Hot food should be brought down to room temperature to prevent your fridge over working and potentially spoiling other food items and any leftovers in an airtight container, but make sure to place the lid on when the item is cold to prevent condensation and bacteria forming.
“Make sure to eat the leftovers within 3-4 days, so a good rule of thumb is before New Year’s. If you don’t think you will eat it in that time, freeze on the day of making to try and lock in as much nutritive content as possible.
“If you’re worried about food waste, many aspects of a Christmas Dinner can be used for other dishes, a popular choice is vegetable stew or a classic bubble and squeak.
“I like to be creative with food, if I don’t have all the ingredients, I just substitute with something I have similar and often end up with an even better twist to a favourite dish.”
