We really hope you are enjoying all your Christmas treats. Christmas is a day to enjoy, but, in the coming days, we’d like to encourage our readers to be a little mindful of food waste.

Data released in December found that one quarter of Irish residents anticipate their households will generate 50% more food waste this Christmas compared with the rest of the year.

This could mean as much as 1.5kg of food waste per household this Christmas, up to 1.8million kilogrammes of food waste across Ireland going to landfill in December.

The research, commissioned by Too Good To Go, the world’s number one anti-food waste app, found that bread is the most wasted food over the holidays, followed closely by vegetable dishes (28%) and fruit (25%).

So in the coming days, try to be mindful of what's in the fridge.

Use leftovers veg for soups, blitz breadcrumbs to make stuffing and be mindful that we could all use of bit of fresh fruit and vitamin C before we make an attack on the tin of chocolates.

Find out more about the movement at www.toogoodtogo.ie and follow @toogoodtogo.ie on social media to stay updated.

M&S party range

One of our favourite Christmas food treats is party food. It's such a novelty, especially the ones that just hit the shops during the festive season.

Over the years in Irish Country Living, we have put party food to the taste test and Marks & Spencer consistently comes up trumps. In fact, the retailer sells an amazing 83 million piece of party food during the festive season.

This year, its party food range has doubled, with an additional 22 products added to the range, meaning that you can choose from 41 delicious picky bits.

This year, M&S is taking spring rolls to another level by making them crispy beef burger spring rolls (€8). These crisp spring rolls are filled with beef, gherkins and caramelised onions with a burger sauce for dunking.

You can also serve up a little taste of India with chicken tikka naan (€10.50), mini coriander naan breads with slow-cooked pulled chicken tikka with spiced mango, onions and coriander.

And you can't beat a bit of melty cheese at Christmas. The molten cheddar cheese profiteroles (€7.50) are made from savoury buns

filled with a rich and creamy cheddar cheese sauce topped with pecorino cheese.

All the range cooks in the oven at the same temperature and there is a four-for-three offer taking place right throughout Christmas. Just remember to invite us to the party.

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