Food for thought this Christmas
Have a positive environmental impact this Christmas by shopping local for the ingredients that go into your festive meal.
‘Sustainable’ is not a word traditionally associated with Christmas — in the way that ‘merry’ or ‘jingle’ might be. For sure, it has a sobering quality. But then, so did Antonio Guterres’s ‘chronicle of climate chaos’ reference, at COP27.
That aside, the word tends to be more hope-inducing than limiting. More Fezziwig than Scrooge, if you like. And when it comes to the Christmas dinner, we wouldn’t have it any other way.
The trick is to plan ahead, piece by piece, as though putting together a feastly jigsaw of sorts. One that’s mindful of Mother Earth and the wellbeing of the animals for whom she is home.
With this in mind, some will remain plant-based on the day, or go that way for the occasion, cold turkey. Others will feast on that bird. And on fish, beef and ham as well.
Whatever we choose, we can strive to make more sustainable choices. Because we want to. Or because we kind of have to. As we and Gutteres know.
We can start by shopping at markets, or wherever we can fill our baskets with what’s natural and packaging free.
Meat eaters might buy from local producers, the ones who farm kinder, prioritising animal wellbeing and the environment.
Fish too, is best thoughtfully purchased. As are honey and eggs. Again, it’s about being mindful of the source and their circumstance and being good with the choices you make. Knowing perhaps that the honey that glazes your ham comes from beekeepers that are part of the natural beekeeping movement, where our honey-making friends are looked after in the kindest, most bee-centric ways.
By planning ahead throughout the year, we could freeze, can, pickle or otherwise preserve what’s surplus, available and seasonal to broaden the dining options on the big day. These might be herbs for stuffing, fruit for puddings, pies and relishes, and anything else you fancy.
Mileage matters. Not just in pacing ourselves so that on December 25th, we don’t fall with exhaustion, face first into the trifle. But also in deciding precisely what’s needed, when and from where, for the festive repast of choice.
Going shopping, you may leg it, scoot or cycle. But when engine power is required for practical reasons, car-pooling saves energy. So too does booking ahead, so the shop arrives in one, big, timely delivery, rather than in several, of the haphazard, more fuel-guzzling kind.
Ask yourself if your table would be better decked in holly, ivy, cones and home grown blossoms, rather than floral arrangements that originated across the globe.
Remind yourself that in the times we’re in, there’s nothing tasteful about showcasing or serving newly acquired trophy tidbits of what’s exotic, threatened or rare. And that nothing tastes better than what’s fresh and locally grown.
Remember that it doesn’t matter if your dinner set is complete, or even matching. Or if your platters, tureens and glassware are comprised largely of oddities that survived the careless, clumsy, or tremorous of hand.
What dresses your dinner table doesn’t have to be fancy or new. In truth, neither guarantee the finest or most sustainable of settings. By choosing instead the cloths, napkins, delph, candelabras and cutlery you’ve bought already, or better again, those that have been carefully handed down through generations, you can go greener and limit needless buying. That and the pollution generated by the industries that support and encourage it.
To produce less waste, you want to buy, use and discard less. Quantity control is crucial. If only cousin Quintin eats sprouts, avoid serving enough to feed seconds to everyone.
If time allows, bake and cook where you can, rather than buying what’s processed or plastic-wrapped. Soups, sauces and gravies are fun to make, as are chutneys and jams.
Making your own is the simplest way of avoiding additives and preservatives of the habitat and wildlife destroying kind.
Eco-friendly Christmas crackers are plastic free and re-usable. You can fill them with treats of your own choice and making.
Candles made with natural and organic waxes, such as soy wax, are greener than the mass-manufactured kinds which often contain paraffin. Take note of the wicks and opt for hemp, cotton or wooden where possible.
Don’t forget drinks and that while buying from local distilleries and breweries is a privilege, inspiration for eco-friendly wine, beer and liquor brands can be found on the Barnivore and BeVeg websites.
Some drink choices aren’t ours to make: Champagne has to be French, in the way that tea has to be Barry’s or Lyons. In this way, choosing green or greener is a balancing act, albeit of the manageable sort.
That’s not to deny that the term ‘sustainable Christmas dinner’ has a hint of the oxymoron about it. It has. But it’s a goal, nevertheless, and a worthwhile one. Something we all can endeavour to achieve.
