Faulty Christmas Cooking Costs Brits GBP30m a Year

Tue, 29 Nov 2011
 
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UK shoppers waste more than £30 million worth of food each year in Christmas cooking disasters, it has been revealed.

New research by supermarket chain Asda found that around 71 per cent of Brits will attempt to make at least part of their Christmas dinner from scratch this year, but for over a fifth (22 per cent) their festive cooking will end up in the bin due to a mistake, causing them to either start again or turn to ready-made options.

The study revealed that only a third of shoppers intend to make a full turkey dinner from scratch this year, as most are scared of making mistakes and serving raw turkey, soggy roast potatoes, burnt mince pies or cracked Christmas cake to friends and family.

Of those who don’t intend to create their own festive meal, 26 per cent said they avoid cooking as they don’t want to waste money if it goes wrong; 19 per cent said they prefer the taste of ready-made alternatives; and 16 per cent said they will head out to a restaurant or eat at someone else’s for Christmas.

Commenting on the findings, Gail Paddy, product development director at Asda, said: "We’re delighted to be working with Leith’s to provide our customers with all the hints and tips that they need to make their Christmas dinner truly show-stopping rather than being thrown in the bin!"

"We know how stressful it can be cooking the Christmas dinner for a houseful of hungry and excited people, and thanks to Leith’s hints and tips, not only can our customers be more confident in what they are preparing, but hopefully they can enjoy themselves a bit more too and save a bit of money!"