Want your Christmas to run smoothly? Then these tips from the Food Standard Agency will definitely help

1. Before you plan your Christmas meals, think about how many people you’ll be cooking for and how big the portion sizes should be. The portion planner at the following link covers all sorts of foods and tells you how much you need to cook, so that you can avoid the temptation of buying too much.

2. When you do your shopping remember to take two or more bags with you so that you can separate out raw and ready-to-eat foods and help to reduce waste from cross-contaminated foods.

3. A good tip for carrying all of your raw meat safely might be to use a ‘bag for life’. You may need to have an extra-large one if your turkey is big.

4. If you're after some additional advice on packing food safely when shopping, you can always get tips here. 

5. If you want to plan ahead, you can get your Christmas cooking done weeks in advance by storing cooked foods in the freezer. It’s best to place food in an air tight container or wrap it well in freezer bags, freezer wrap or cling film before freezing it, to stop the cold air from drying it out. Expel as much air from the freezer bags as possible.

6. It’s a good idea to date and label any foods that goes into the freezer so you know what it is and how long it has been in there.

7. The freezer is like a pause button, so you can freeze pre-packaged Christmas goodies safely right up to the ‘use by’ date.

Tips courtesy of Food Standard Agency