Dreaming of a green Christmas? How to make your Christmas meal more sustainable
If you’ve taken on the mammoth task of making Christmas dinner, you’re a very kind soul. But did you know you can be kind to the environment while being kind to your guests?
We’ve pulled together a list of the top ways to reduce the environmental impact of your festive celebrations - especially when it comes to the meal at your table. So if you’re dreaming of a green Christmas, you’ve come to the right place.
Christmas is a major celebration, with many of us going all out and catering for many more mouths than we’re used to. While Christmas can be an excuse to let a lot of things go, like waking up on time and eating chocolate for breakfast, it’s a great opportunity to flex those eco principles and go green this Christmas.
Here are our top tips for a greener Christmas meal.
Shop Local
With a bigger focus on shopping local this year, Christmas is the best time to step up your efforts. You’ll be helping local farmers and grocers support themselves. Not only will they provide you with the very best produce, but the produce will be sourced locally, which helps to reduce the carbon footprint of your festive feast. And the added bonus, local producers are more likely to throw in a few helpful suggestions on how to prepare, cook and make the most of your ingredients, all to help you dazzle your guests.
Try meat alternatives
As we work towards a greener future, why not think about some meat-free alternatives for your Christmas meal? Did you know that meat accounts for nearly 60% of all greenhouse gases from food production?
Perhaps you’re thinking of cold nut roasts? The meat-free market has in fact increased massively meaning there are now hundreds of options for a meat-free Christmas available. Think of it as a chance to introduce some new and interesting flavours into your festive feast, like seaweed for example.
If you’re looking for some recipe inspiration, why not head to our recipe section and see what you fancy?
Seaweed, of course!
Not only is seaweed delicious, it’s also hugely sustainable. Unlike other veggies - it doesn’t need soil, water or fertiliser and it actually removes carbon from the atmosphere. Seaweed has many different flavour profiles, but it’s famed mostly for adding a deep savoury deliciousness or umami flavour to dishes.
Whether you’re basting your meal with Mara seaweed butter or adding a heap of Shony to your veggies and trimmings - seaweed deserves a place at your table.
Seasonal produce
Why should we eat in season? Reaching for ingredients you wouldn’t normally see in our fields and farms here in the UK at this time of year means the food is likely to have been imported and has had to travel further, creating a far greater carbon footprint. Choosing ingredients in season, from our own hard-working farmers and fishermen, means we can enjoy fresher produce that supports local communities and reduced our environmental impact.
You can track what’s in season here. Christmas favourites like potatoes, sprouts and parsnips are in season and at their best during December. As for our delicious seaweed seasonings, our seaweed is harvested sustainably from the Scottish and Irish coastline and dried to lock in the flavour and goodness to be enjoyed year-round. Especially on your Christmas dinner!
Less food waste
Finally, it wouldn’t be Christmas without a bit of overindulgence - but food waste is sure to earn you a place on the naughty list. Not only is food waste unethical, it also wastes the amount of resource and energy that goes into growing, farming and packaging the food too.
So how can you reduce food waste this Christmas? Firstly, consider how many people you’ll be feeding. It’s easy to go wild when shopping for Christmas, after all, you wouldn’t want anyone going hungry! However, making a conscious effort to only purchase the food you’re sure will be eaten is a huge step towards a more sustainable Christmas meal.
Get creative thinking about the days after Christmas and how you’ll use any leftovers to ensure less goes to waste. You don’t have to host a turkey curry party like Bridget Jones, but here are some fabulous recipes to use your leftovers (with a generous helping of Mara too!)
Find out more
We wish you a very Mara Christmas! To be kept up to date with the latest news, follow us on social media.