6 unique ways to reuse leftovers and save money this Christmas

The period between Christmas and New Year can be incredibly tough, due to the costs of Christmas. 

Christmas dinner is one of the most costly aspects of the festive season, however, there are ways you can repurpose any leftovers.

Repurposing leftover food will not only save you some money, but prevent food waste, which will help the environment. 

Sustainability experts, Business Waste, found that Brits fill around seven million bins worth of food waste over the festive season, and have shared their tips on how to reduce food waste, and make those leftovers go a little bit further this Christmas. 

Here are the top 6 unique ways to reuse leftovers this Christmas:

Make soup or stew

Incredibly easy and just as delicious, one of the best ways to reuse Christmas dinner leftovers is to make a soup or strew from them. Any remaining vegetables, meats and more can be thrown together to create a hearty soup or stew.

Make vegetable stock

If there isn’t enough leftovers to make a soup or stew, the leftovers can be used instead to make a stock. Adding ingredients such as onion ends, carrot peels, and herb stems can create a delicious, flavorful stock that can be added to meals.

Make sweet treats

By using excess fruits, you can make sweet treats, such as jams, jellies and other desserts. Curated Kitchenware have shared a tasty recipe for repurposing oranges.

Revive stale bread

Stale bread can be brought back to life by repurposing them into croutons, breadcrumbs or a bread pudding. 

Use food scraps as compost

The final tip is to use the leftover scraps as compost, which will help feed plants. Cut up fruits, vegetables, peelings and turkey can be added to the compost pile.

Donate 

Any leftover food that hasn’t been used, is still in date and in its original packaging, can be donated to food banks. This could include mince pies, biscuits, cakes and more. Food can also be donated to animal shelters. 

Mark Hall, Director at Business Waste, said: “It’s really unfortunate to see tons of Christmas food being wasted every year, with huge amounts ending up in landfill. There are plenty of ways we can still enjoy all the Christmas festivities in more sustainable ways. 

If we all try to implement at least a few of the tips shared above, collectively, we could help reduce this year’s Christmas waste.”