An unopened Christmas pudding, spare mince pies, half-eaten Christmas cake, unused jars of mince and half bags of raisins and currants.
No matter how carefully you try to shop for Christmas, there will inevitably be an abundance of uneaten treats. How long can you keep everything safe? And does it remain tasty?
This amounts to the difference between the expiration date and the expiration date on the label.
As Sylvia Anderson, a food safety expert based in London, explains: 'If you look at the labelling, these types of foods usually have a best before date rather than a best before date.
'Use dates are applied to foods that are typically high in protein and moisture, which promotes the growth of bacteria and can cause food poisoning. This includes foods such as fresh meat, poultry, fish, eggs, cheeses, pates and ready-made salads.
'Based on laboratory tests that monitor the build-up of potentially harmful pathogens in food, best before dates indicate when a food becomes unsafe to eat and therefore must be strictly adhered to for food safety reasons,' she says.
No matter how carefully you try to shop for Christmas, there will inevitably be an abundance of uneaten treats
However, 'keep-to-dates' are used for sweet foods that do not require refrigeration, such as Christmas puddings and mince pies. They are intended for guidance only and relate to food quality and not to any health risks.'
She adds: 'If the best before date stated on a product has passed, the food is still safe to eat, but manufacturers warn you that it may no longer have the best taste and texture.'
Most manufacturers are careful when it comes to the expiration date. But sugar, dried fruit and alcohol in many sweet Christmas products help preserve them and may make them tastier for longer.
When a 48-year-old homemade Christmas pudding, discovered during a house clearance, was tested by the University of Nottingham's microbiology department for Channel 4's Food Unwrapped program in 2017, it was found to contain no harmful bacteria, yeast or mold. safe to eat. (The ingredients include fruit, breadcrumbs and brandy.)
Cooked in a pressure cooker for 15 minutes, it even tasted good, albeit a bit dry.
The pudding was originally steamed for hours to cook it (which would have killed bacteria), then it was tightly sealed and stored in a cool, dry, dark environment.
In fact, these are the storage tips that are essential to keeping Christmas pudding safe and edible at home for a year or more.
Traditional puddings high in dried fruit, some alcohol and sugar should all be stored properly as these ingredients have natural preservative properties.
But if you make your own pudding, avoid adding fresh fruit (some recipes recommend adding fresh apple) if you want maximum longevity, because the moister your pudding, the greater the chance of mold developing and the shorter the shelf life.
This means that homemade puds may not last as long if not stored properly. When it comes to commercially prepared puds, a quick scan of supermarket shelves shows that they have an impressive lifespan.
Many currently have expiration dates that extend beyond next Christmas if left unopened. So don't be shy about buying bargain versions during the post-Christmas sales.
'Keeping unopened items in their original packaging and storing them in a cool, dark and dry place gives you the best chance of retaining their quality, even after the best-before date,' says Sylvia Anderson.
'Just check the color and quality before using them. If the fruit looks dull or faded, or if there are mold spots or an unpleasant odor coming from the bag or jar, throw it away.”
Mince pies and Christmas cakes are less robust because of the pastry cases and marzipan and icing toppings. These ingredients can break down at different rates over time, creating an unappetizing, sticky mess.
Sugar, dried fruit and alcohol in many sweet Christmas dishes give them a longer shelf life, potentially making them tastier for longer
Protein-rich ingredients such as nuts, eggs and butter have a greater tendency to feed mold, oxidize and go rancid in a warm, humid atmosphere.
Store-bought mince pies usually have a shelf life that ends just a few weeks after purchase. To get around this and extend their life, seal your mince pies (store-bought or homemade) in an airtight container and freeze them.
The same goes for Christmas cake – which in some cases, frozen, has a shelf life of up to a year; You must first cut the marzipan and icing with a clean knife.
Then wrap the 'naked' cake tightly in several layers of foil or cling film before putting it in the freezer. Thaw thoroughly before redecorating.
Half-eaten Christmas pudding and mince are also best stored in an airtight bag in the freezer, but don't leave these items out for too long before storing them, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) advises.
“Leftovers should be cooled, covered and refrigerated within four hours and frozen within two days,” a spokesperson said. 'Freeze food in smaller portions to reduce waste and always thaw everything thoroughly before serving.'
Leftover dried fruit should be stored in an airtight container to keep out moisture and mold. So pour it from the package into a clean, airtight glass jar and store it in a cool, dark cupboard or even in the refrigerator, says Sylvia Anderson. Mold thrives in warm, moist conditions.
If, despite your best efforts, your Christmas treats go moldy, should you just scrape them off or cut them into pieces and eat the rest anyway?
There are thousands of different types of fungus, all of which have different effects on the body.
Most are fairly harmless, but some molds can be toxic and have serious health consequences, the FSA says.
It's not just the hairy white or green spots you see on the surface of food that you need to worry about, either. Mold can spread quickly and is not always visible to the naked eye.
If there is mold on the top and the food is soft, has a porous texture or has a high moisture content, the contamination may have spread far below the surface without you being able to see it, says Sylvia Anderson.
The FSA does not recommend eating foods containing mold, stressing that this is particularly important for vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly, pregnant women and people with mold allergies or a weakened immune system.
So the bottom line: With careful storage, there's no reason not to keep this year's fruity seasonal produce for another year – but any sign of mold shouldn't just be scraped off, it should be thrown away.
Light up your life – The best home lighting for your health.
This week: Your kitchen
If you want to make healthy choices, the brighter the lighting in your kitchen, the better.
A study of diners at four restaurants conducted by Cornell University in the US found that those in brightly lit rooms were up to 24 percent more likely to order healthy foods, such as grilled fish, vegetables and chicken, rather than fried food or dessert. . than those in dark rooms. They also ordered meals with 39 percent fewer calories.
The researchers said light increases alertness, and therefore “(we) tend to make healthier, progressive decisions,” the Journal of Marketing Research reported.
But low light isn't all bad, as it may also make us “eat more slowly, eat less and enjoy the food more,” the researchers said.
Under the microscope: Playwright and novelist Michael Frayn, 90, answers our health quiz
CAN YOU RUN UP THE STAIRS?
I can do that, although I'm not sure I would escape the robbers chasing me. I do some exercises for my bad back and we (his wife, biographer Claire Tomalin) walk one to two kilometers every day.
My back injury occurred about 30 years ago while playing squash with theater producer David Aukin. I realized over the course of the game that something had happened, but I didn't want to say anything.
A few days later at a party I was folded over and leaning on a stick. And across the room was another boy, hunched over, leaning on a stick: it was David Aukin.
Playwright and novelist Michael Frayn, 90, answers our health quiz
DO YOU GET FIVE A DAY?
I didn't actually count it, but we eat a lot of fruit and vegetables.
ANY VICES?
Difficult crossword puzzles. It is a bad vice because it wastes a lot of time.
FAMILY ILLUMINATES?
My mother died of a heart attack when she was 39 or 40, when I was 12, due to rheumatic fever as a child. My father died of brain cancer when he was seventy. My sister died in her 70s from mesothelioma, a form of lung cancer linked to asbestos. My father was an asbestos salesman and brought home samples.
WORST ILLNESS/INJURY?
A few years ago I had heart surgery. I felt weak, so I was given a heart monitor to wear: an astute response to my GP's readings meant I went straight to hospital. I was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (a disturbed heartbeat) and immediately fitted with a pacemaker. The NHS at its brilliant best.
Dealing well with pain?
In addition to my back, I also get cramps, incredibly painful, in my legs and feet – but that can largely be prevented by taking magnesium pills.
POP PILLS?
In addition to magnesium, four pills in the morning and six in the evening (they are for high blood pressure, anti-cholesterol and anticoagulant), and because I have had skin cancer, I am quite reluctant to sit out of the sun, so I take vitamin D.
HAD SOMETHING REMOVED?
My appendix about ten years ago, and cataract in 2021.
WHICH HEALTH BOOK HAS CHANGED YOUR LIFE?
I just read about ultra-processed foods. Even things like granola that you think are healthy are probably extremely processed and have a bad effect. I'm a little embarrassed that we probably only eat ultra-processed foods, which I think include chocolate. I love a few blocks a day.
WHAT KEEPS YOU AWAKE?
Sometimes I sleep very well. But when I'm awake I start to worry about things, like the state of the world, but I don't think it's the worries that keep me awake in the first place.
DO YOU WANT TO LIVE FOREVER?
An essential part of the sweetness of life is knowing that it will pass.
- Among them: Friendships And Encounters (Faber & Faber, £12.99) by Michael Frayn is available now.
