Give food a second chance. Pictured: Turkey salad.

Over the Christmas period, a staggering 230,000 tonnes of festive food is wasted in the UK. KATE SCOTTER takes a look at how householders ican help reduce food waste and save money.

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Families are being urged to give food a second chance this festive season in a bid to reduce food waste and save pennies.

Norfolk County Council has joined forces with some of Norfolk’s best known eateries and food producers to launch the campaign “Give Food a Second Chance”.

The initiative encourages people to “think inside the box” this Christmas by storing ingredients and leftovers properly so they can be used again.

It says “leftovers today will make a ready meal tomorrow” and suggests you could “save a packet” by buying wrapper-free, fresh ingredients in small amounts.

James Dunne, from Norfolk County Council, said that on average about 6kg of food and drink is thrown away every week, equating to up to a third of all food bought.

He said: “Roughly two-thirds of the total 8.3 million tonnes we throw away is avoidable. It is made up of food and drink that was, at some point prior to disposal, edible. Of the avoidable food, 2.2 million tonnes is left over after cooking, preparing or serving and 2.9 million tonnes is not used in time.

“During the festive season we generate even more rubbish including an estimated 80pc more food waste than usual – wasting nearly £50 per household.”

As part of the scheme, which is being supported by companies including Bernard Matthews, The Cromer Crab Company, The Wildebeest Arms in Stoke Holy Cross, Roys of Wroxham and the Greenhouse in Norwich, a website full of recipe ideas has been set up and the council has created a Facebook page so families can share ideas.

Advice on offer includes paying close attention to the use-by date on purchased food and to effectively manage what is found in the kitchen cupboards, fridges and freezers.

Mr Dunne added: “The key messages behind the Give Food a Second Chance campaign are to store food properly and to be creative with your leftovers. If you freeze extra cooked food, you can enjoy it another day.”

Visit www.norfolk.gov.uk/secondchance and www.facebook.com/foodsecondchance