A climate-friendly Christmas meal 

As we approach Christmas Day and start to plan and shop for the celebrations, the community food team at Greener Kirkcaldy are coming up with ways to reduce our carbon footprint.

This means reducing our food miles by buying local and seasonal vegetables and reducing our meat consumption by cooking more plant-based foods. It also means reducing our food waste and packaging. You can find out more about the carbon footprint of what you eat and drink on the BBC carbon calculator.

Here are some ways we can all do this:

• Make homemade soup and puddings, like mince pies or chocolate mousse which can be plant-based. The more ready-made, processed and packaged food we can avoid the better.

• Use seasonal vegetables for your roast veg, soup, stuffing and even a veggie wellington. The Royal Highland Education Trust has a helpful calendar you can download to see what veggies are in season (pdf). December is a great month for root vegetables like carrots, parsnips and swede, which are perfect for roasting.

• Make your own bread sauce (a good way to use up old bread) and make a vegetarian gravy.

What could you swap for a more climate-friendly Christmas dinner?

Food waste is a growing problem

The problem of food waste around Christmas time is growing as people usually buy too much food that isn’t eaten. Some easy ways to reduce food waste is to work out portions per person and only buy what you need. Learning how to store food properly can make everything last longer too. If you do make too much food then try making some meals with the leftovers. And don’t forget to make space in your freezer before Christmas Day!

And lastly, homemade food can make some lovely presents for friends and family. Here at Greener Kirkcaldy we have been making chutney, jam, ginger biscuits and mince pies in our cooking classes.

Jackie Arreaza, Senior Development Worker (Community Food), Greener Kirkcaldy

Find out about Greener Kirkcaldy’s cooking workshops coming up in 2026