Merry Thriftmas, Everyone

Merry Thriftmas, Everyone

23 December 2015

Families can make their Christmas leftovers into delicious meals for up to four days

Christmas is clearly a time for festive thriftiness as over a third of savvy shoppers (37%) consciously buy more food pre-Christmas to ensure they have leftovers for the week ahead, with almost half (47%) saving money by making extra meals out of Christmas leftovers.  New research launched today by Sainsbury’s revealed that 84% of the UK population can use leftovers from their Christmas dinner for up to four days to create new meals during the festive period.

The average weekly UK shop costs £66.79, but at Christmas with more family members around and people spending increased time at home, this rises by more than 50% to £100.57.  It’s no surprise that there are plenty of leftovers at this time of year, as shoppers stock up to cater for unexpected guests (43%) and to ensure enough variety of their favourite Christmas dishes (47%). 

To help customers combat wasting food this Christmas, Sainsbury’s has teamed up with chef Thomasina Miers to create a series of ‘Thriftmas’ recipes, transforming leftovers of the classic Christmas dishes and ingredients which customers could otherwise struggle to use - into ingredients for inspirational new family meals. 

Foods specifically purchased for Christmas reported by UK shoppers to be frequently leftover include turkey (13%), cranberry sauce (20%), Christmas pudding (15%) and those controversial Brussels sprouts (21%). In addition they also report to having ample amounts of gravy (15%), spirits (10%) and root vegetables (10%) to use up post-Christmas.

Creative cooking also rises during the festive period, as people across the UK have more time (37%), seek to use seasonal ingredients (38%) and are more likely to make dishes they wouldn’t usually try (44%). 

Based on these top leftover foods at Christmas, Thomasina has created a range of delicious and exciting recipe ideas including festive turkey & sweet potato samosas, a zesty Brussels sprout salad, and a hearty chicken,  bacon and chestnut winter pie, using up that delicious leftover gravy. The Thriftmas recipes are designed to encourage customers to put a ‘little twist’ on their meals by adding in something an unexpected or adventurous ingredient to create inspirational new recipes. 

Chef Thomasina Miers said “The week between Christmas and New Year is a time when we often have a surplus of typically Christmassy ingredients in the fridge - what is needed is some imagination and help to transform these ingredients into little feasts. I hope these recipes – made from commonly leftover Christmas foods and store cupboard ingredients - will inspire families to get creative, save money and most importantly cut down on food waste.”

Susi Richards, Head of Product Development at Sainsbury’s, comments: “We know our customers worry about wasting food, and that this is particularly on their mind during the Christmas period.  We want the Thriftmas campaign and Thomasina’s recipes to inspire them to create delicious meals for all the family to enjoy with those festive leftovers that could otherwise be wasted.”

To find out more about Sainsbury’s commitment to reducing food waste as part of their ‘Waste Less, Save More’ campaign and if you’re in need of some food-spiration, visit www.homemadebyyou.co.uk