CHRISTMAS isn’t great for our carbon footprint as consumerism is at its height – but we can try to tread more lightly on the planet by trying not to waste food this Christmas.

There are many ways to waste less food – for instance did you know that cheese freezes well? If you look at your cheeseboard and think ‘we’ll never eat all of that’ – why not put half of it in the freezer? If you eat more than you thought you would, you can always take it out again – or it can be a nice treat in February!

Wasting turkey is one of the big ones – meat scores highly towards your individual carbon footprint, as the production of one calorie of animal protein requires more than ten times the fossil fuel input as a calorie of plant protein.

A turkey is a slow-growing bird, so just think how much grain and water it will consume in its lifetime. The most wasted part of the turkey is the leg – such a shame as it’s the tastiest bit in my opinion.

Jamie Oliver’s recipe https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/turkey-recipes/asian-inspired-turkey-salad/ is a little bit faffy – although delicious and uses seasonal chicory – however taking out the basis for the meal is easy.

Dry fry shredded leg turkey meat with Chinese 5 spice until crispy and add honey near the end – it makes a gorgeous snack to have as finger food at a party, to dip in chilli sauce or mayo, or to replace Chinese crispy duck in a wrap with spring onion, hoisin and cucumber.

I love finding new recipes and resurrecting old ones to use left overs, so I hope this has inspired you. Bubble and squeak anyone?