The V Word
CUTTING CHRISTMAS WASTE
by Heather Mills
Christmas is a very special time of year for me and my family. We are not religious but we cherish the fact that, unlike in our childhood, we now have an abundance of delicious food.
However, the amount of waste I see at this time of year is incredible, and saddening. There is something in all of us that makes us buy double the amount of food we need at Christmas. A good tip is to never shop hungry, as my eyes are definitely bigger than my belly if I shop when I’m hungry.
Admittedly, we always need a little bit extra in the cupboards for the surprise guests, but even then we seem to have a lot of waste. In years gone by I would pile my plate high and not be able to finish it. I think this stems back to the days when I was homeless as a teenager – psychologically, I think I subconsciously believed that every meal was my last meal, so why not make it a large one? Now I try and control my plate piling, by going back for seconds instead. My main motivator for this is so I have some leftovers for bubble and squeak the next morning, or to put in the garden, to feed the birds, or my local fox.