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Christmas is a time for sharing, gifts, laughter and of course, copious amounts of yummy food. However, it’s no surprise that things like food waste and over-eating is common this time of year when there is SO MUCH food going around. Especially when you’re hosting Christmas, it’s easy to think you need more than you actually do.
Depending on your budget for food and if you’re saving money for Christmas, it’s definitely worth considering switching from quantity to quality food this time of year – and there are many positive reasons for doing so!
This year, we’re going to be using meat from Swaledale Online Butchers for our Christmas dinner. I was sent one of their boxes which contains a Swaledale Topside of Beef, Pigs in Blankets and a Dry-Cured Ham Rump, which will comfortably feed four people for Christmas.
All Swaledale meat is grass-fed and native-bred, suitable for home-freezing and delivered fresh to your door. This artisan butchery is a strictly whole-carcass, nose-to-tail butchers based in Yorkshire. Their passion, expertise and dedication is in supplying the native, livestock breeds of Britain to homes and businesses throughout the UK.
There are of course plenty of yummy Vegetarian Christmas Roast recipes available but for a large majority, meat is typically on the menu at Christmas. And this is where quality will always conquer over quantity. I’d rather eat two small slices of beautiful high-quality meat than 12 slices of cheap meat!
Here are 4 additional reasons why you should choose quality over quantity this Christmas:
Prevents food waste
The larger quantity of food you cook at Christmas, the more likely there will be excess food waste at the end of it. We often over-cook what we actually need, so this year, give extra thought as to how many people you’ll be cooking for and what you actually need to feed those people.
The UK produces 9.5 million Tonnes of food waste a year, despite the fact that 8.4 million people are living in poverty and can’t afford to eat – so we all need to do our bit to change that. Quality meat, vegetables and food are likely to come in smaller portions, but in the long run, will avoid extra waste.
You’re giving the best to the people you love
It’s Christmas and you want to make it special for your loved ones and give them the best there is to offer and whilst you might not be able to afford to gift them cartier watches – offering them high quality food is a wonderful act of love and kindness.
People often comment that Swaledale meat tastes old-fashioned or like it used to when they were growing up, and they consider this huge compliment. A generation ago in Britain, we farmed traditional livestock perfectly adapted to our climate and terrain. Traditional breeds are slower to mature and favour a grass and hay-based diet.
It’ll stop you over-eating
Now, PSA, I’m NOT one to indulge in diets or diet culture. I absolutely HATE diet culture and the narrative that is shoved upon us year after year about losing Christmas weight in the New Year. Christmas IS a time to indulge. It IS a time to perhaps eat more than usual and that’s absolutely okay.
But we ALL over-eat for the sake of over-eating when we don’t really need nor want to and switching from quantity to quality food is another great way to prevent that. The higher quality food will also be better for your body too!
Better farming conditions
Higher quality products typically mean better conditions – and not just for meat and livestock. Vegetables and fruit as well and not to mention working conditions for those that grow and produce these products as well. You’re paying more for these products for a reason, so consider the benefits not just for you but for the wider circle!
I’m super excited for my Christmas dinner this year. The food we received from Swaledale Butchers looks incredible and this will definitely be some of the best quality meat that we will be cooking ourselves. I’m particularly excited for the pigs in blankets – it’s not Christmas without them!