Feast Sustainably

Over 4 million Christmas dinners will be thrown away this year – that’s almost £64 million worth of food. The real cost of this waste is felt by the planet rather than our wallets, as we’re chucking away all the energy, resources and human effort that goes into making those hearty, delicious meals.

And we’re needlessly binning absolutely delicious ingredients. So, this Christmas we’ve teamed up with some of our favourite chefs and foodies to help you tackle the most wonderful, yet wasteful, time of the year. And a blockbuster lineup have shared their favourite recipes so you can plan delicious meals with your leftovers. Perfect dishes to pair with a beer brewed from surplus bread!

Up to 18 December, we’re publishing daily recipes from Thomasina Miers, Melissa Hemsley, Chris Baber, Douglas McMaster, Tom Hunt and Melissa Cole. Check back here and on our Instagram page every day for the latest.

To kick off, we’ve got Thomasina Miers’ Stilton and Pear Toasties. Thomasina is a chef, writer, broadcaster and all round culinary genius. She won Masterchef in 2005, co founded Wahacca in 2006 and has featured on our TV screens ever since. Her decadent Toastie recipe makes the most of any excess from your cheese board, whilst also using up any surplus bread you might have after the big day. The big, bold flavour of the stilton goes amazingly with a lovely Barley wine. We enjoyed it with our Born and Bread American Pale Ale.

The next luscious leftover recipe is from Melissa Hemsley – Brussel Sprouts and Root Veg Fritters. The best selling author and TV personality helped spearhead the wellness movement in the UK, and her approach to clean eating has helped provide the country with a whole host of healthy dinner time favourites. Her sumptuous fritters are perfect, no matter where you stand on brussel sprouts. Love them? Well, they’re even better fried. Hate them? This is certainly the most delicious disposal method. Goes wonderfully well with a nice, dry stout to compliment those roasted veggies, or our own Purebread Pale Ale. 

Next up, Chris Baber takes on the main event in many households with a rich, creamy Turkey Korma – with an estimated 2 million turkeys going to waste this Christmas, there’s sure to plenty of leftovers across the country for this gem of a recipe. Ex athlete and model, Chris, won BBC One’s popular cooking competition, Yes Chef back in 2016. From here, Chris trained with Michelin-starred chef, Atul Kochhar and now brings accessible, wholesome and simple cooking to the masses. This curry is such an absolute treat, especially when served with a Bloomin’ Lovely Session IPA which compliments the mild spice. Get to work on that turkey and make sure none is wasted!

Looking for a meat free alternative to your Christmas leftovers? Today’s recipe is Douglas McMaster’s sumptuous cauliflower creation. Doug is a true anti- food waste pioneer. His Brighton based restaurant, Silo, has taken sustainability and ethical sourcing to new heights, and has successfully closed every loop to become entirely zero waste. This October, Team Toast were lucky enough to experience his magic first hand as he came and cooked for us as a team as part of a team retreat. His Cauliflower Steak and Mushroom Risotto is absolutely blockbuster, and goes perfectly with a “Strong Ale”: a Belgian dubbel or even a tripel will stand up to the rich, meaty mushroom flavours nicely.

Hands up if your favourite part of Christmas dinner is wonderfully crispy roast potatoes? If (somehow) you have any leftovers, Tom Hunt has the perfect recipe – Roast Potato Tortilla. The amazing Tom is an Eco-Chef and food waste activist. His work as an award-winning chef, food writer, climate change champion and author is shifting attitudes towards food waste and creating a more sustainable food system. This hearty tortilla is beautiful, and pairs perfectly with a bottle (or party keg) of our very own Purebread Pale Ale.

To round off our Christmas leftover menu, we have Melissa Cole and a showstopper Orange Beer Ice Cream (made with our Bloomin’ Lovely Session IPA). This fresh, zesty desert is packed with festive flavour. Melissa Cole is an absolute rockstar and influential beer writer and author – recently releasing her new book: The Beer Kitchen: The art and science of cooking and pairing with beer. As Melissa is an absolute authority on beer and food pairings, this recipe will be sure to warm the spirits no matter how cold it is outside.

Which recipe is your favourite? As you put the final touches on your Christmas prep, make sure you stock up on any ingredients that might make your favourite leftover recipe and share your wonderful creations with us on social. Let’s spread the (sustainable) cheer and raise a Toast to a better planet this Christmas!