Waste No Bread at Christmas

Sustainability and ways to prevent wasting any bread is a frequent topic for us. Christmas is a time of year when we frequently stock up on extra food in anticipation of hosting family and friends during the festive period so perhaps now is a good time to think again about how we can maximise the use of our sliced pans and make sure that not a crumb is wasted.

If you prefer to do a very big shop in the days just before Christmas day itself, to avoid having to head out to the supermarket too soon again, remember that correct storage is important. Bread needs to be stored at room temperature and not in the fridge. Be sure to clean your bread bin from time to time, as crumbs lost in its depths may eventually become mouldy and the mould could spread to loaf. Our sliced pans are wrapped in compostable wax paper, so make sure you tuck in the wrapper in order to keep your bread fresh.

On Christmas Day itself, bread is one of the star ingredients in the form of breadcrumbs for the stuffing. In fact, some would say it one of the very best uses for bread, especially if it’s even a day old. It is a real timesaver to have breadcrumbs in the freezer, so take the slices and heels at the end of the loaf, blitz them up into breadcrumbs and freeze them.

Leftover turkey sandwiches on St. Stephen’s Day are always a favourite, or you could try out a turkey & ham toastie. If you’ve bought too much bread (unlikely as that may be!) you can always freeze a loaf or even a few slices. Bread freezes really well and defrosts very quickly. You can toast frozen bread straight from the freezer too.

Bread that’s a few days old can be used to make croutons or melba toast, which is a good alternative to crackers. It can be served with dips, paté, or soup, or simply buttered for your Christmas get-togethers. You can find lots of ways to use bread on recipe sites – everything from bread & butter pudding, garlic bread, French onion soup, Panzanella salad, French toast…the list goes on! We’ve included a few suggestions below to inspire you!

Some forward planning is probably the best way to reduce food waste, saving you a few euro at the same time.

https://stopfoodwaste.ie/storage-cooking/storage/bread-blog-bread-basics

http://www.epa.ie/waste/nwpp/foodwasteprevention/

https://food.cloud/top-tips/how-to-use-up-your-not-so-fresh-bread/

https://ecothriftyliving.com/2017/02/20-ways-stop-wasting-bread.html

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/leftover-bread-recipes

https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/ways-to-use-day-old-bread/

https://www.jamieoliver.com/features/leftover-heroes-stale-bread/

https://www.bordbia.ie/recipes/