However, it's important to remember some dos and don'ts when it comes to Christmas food safety, to avoid adding food poisoning to our health issues. With plenty of food and drink to indulge in, it’s important that we don't get carried away in the excitement and forget to store and cook everything properly.
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Unfortunately, one in five people is affected by food poisoning in the UK over the Christmas period, according to the Food Safety Information Council. The temperature in your home is likely to be hot due to the central heating and cooker, the fridge is often overloaded and you're cooking for more people than normal.
You might be tempted to leave food out, thinking it doesn't matter because it's being cooked soon. In addition, guests may bring food to share - and this means it's out of the fridge for longer than recommended. This gives bacteria more time to multiply.
People often prepare food in advance and for non-perishable items including the Christmas cake, this isn’t an issue, but perishable items such as casseroles or desserts should be chilled or frozen soon after preparation.
The FSIC says when basic food hygiene and safety standards aren't adhered to at Christmas, it creates the "perfect conditions" for food poisoning.
Main causes of food poisoning
There are several types of bacteria that can blight your Christmas if you're not careful. The most common cause of food poisoning is campylobacter - a bacteria often found in raw or undercooked meat, especially poultry, and unpasteurised milk.
Take extra care when storing, preparing and cooking the turkey. It's probably the only one you'll cook all year and most people aren't used to cooking a bird of this size. Defrosting a turkey of 7kg can take three days if you're doing it in the fridge, so make sure you leave enough time. If the turkey isn't properly defrosted, the centre may still be icy, even after cooking, which provides a dangerous breeding ground for campylobacter.
Another major threat is salmonella; found in raw eggs, undercooked meat, milk and dairy products. Listeria can live in chilled ready-prepared foods such as pre-packed sandwiches, soft cheeses like Camembert and Brie, cooked sliced meats and pate.
They must be stored continually at the correct temperature. Never leave them in the kitchen, out of the fridge, when you return from the supermarket - and never eat them when they're past their sell-by date. Pregnant women are especially at risk from listeria.
E-coli can make you ill after eating undercooked beef such as burgers, mince and meatballs, or by drinking unpasteurised milk.
Food poisoning is more than just a simple "upset tummy". Unfortunately, some bacteria can even prove fatal. A study by the Food Standards Agency in February 2020 revealed there were around 2.4 million cases of foodborne illnesses in the UK every year, with larger clusters around the Christmas period. This is a massive increase from the one million cases documented in 2009, which means despite having the refrigeration technology to store and cook food properly, people aren't following the important guidelines.
Storing food and drink safely
Refrigeration helps to keep us safe from dangerous bacteria - which can multiply rapidly in food stored at the wrong temperature. All perishable food must be refrigerated promptly, as bacteria can grow within two hours at room temperature - or even within just ONE HOUR if the temperature is 90˚F or above. Think how hot your kitchen is likely to be on Christmas Day, with the oven and all the hobs in action, and you'll start to realise why it's such a high-risk time.
Food safety begins the moment you bring chilled or frozen items home from the shops. The key is to put them in the fridge or freezer as quickly as possible, bearing in mind they have already been out of the fridge on the journey home.
Always store raw meat such as the turkey, bacon, sausages, sausage meat and gammon on the bottom shelf of the fridge. This is important in case any liquids drip from the raw meat, as they can contaminate the food underneath. Put the turkey on a large plate or tray and the rest of the raw meat in a sealed container alongside, so there's no chance of it coming into contact with other chilled food.
If you've bought extra milk, especially the large four- or six-pint plastic containers, don't open them until needed and store them in the door compartment of your fridge. Never have several open bottles on the go at once, as you may forget which were opened first.
Keep other dairy products such as cream, eggs and custard on the top shelf. They can pick up strong flavours from other foods quite quickly, so put them in sealed plastic containers. This will also keep them safe from raw foods that may cause cross-contamination.
Always keep raw and cooked food separate, particularly if you have bought cooked cold meats. While raw meats are on the bottom shelf, cooked meats should go above.
Do you store veg in the fridge?
You can store most uncooked vegetables such as carrots and other root vegetables, cabbages, sprouts and potatoes in a vegetable rack, as normally, they don't need to go in the fridge.
However, leafy vegetables such as salads and spinach don't fare as well at room temperature and will need refrigerating. It's best to keep them in airtight plastic boxes with lids if your fridge is getting full, so they don't come into contact with your meat or dairy products.
Can you store food outside?
If the temperature is 5˚C or lower outdoors, your garden can become an extension of your fridge freezer! If you have run out of room in your fridge, it's better to put your turkey in a container outside, rather than leaving it in your warm kitchen before cooking it. Make sure it’s well-wrapped to stop cats or birds getting to it - keep it in a secure sealed container with a lid.
You can also store drinks outside to keep them cool.
Can you freeze cooked meat?
It is perfectly safe to freeze cooked meat. In fact, you can freeze it for several months, so it's ready to simply get out and defrost in your fridge when you need it. If you freeze a full joint, this will take a relatively long time to defrost.
It may be more convenient to place small portions of the cooked meat in airtight containers that are safe for freezer storage. This means you get out as much or as little as you need, without having to defrost the whole joint.
Always make sure the meat you freeze is in sealed containers, as any uncovered portions will be susceptible to drying out and "freezer burn", which will ruin it.
When can hot food be put in the fridge?
It's a myth that you should never put hot food in the fridge. If you're putting large amounts of hot food in the refrigerator, divide it into small portions and put them in shallow containers to cool quicker. When you have cooked perishable foods, they should be put in a refrigerator within 90 minutes.
If you've left the food out to cool at room temperature and forget about it, bacteria can grow rapidly. After two hours, it may be too risky to eat and it should be thrown away.
Can you refreeze food?
Never refreeze raw meat, including poultry or fish, that has been defrosted. Once defrosted, you need to cook it as soon as possible. If it’s been out of the freezer for more than 24 hours without cooking it, throw it away.
When cooked, allow it to cool and you can then refreeze it safely. However, once the cooked meat or fish has been taken out of the freezer and allowed to defrost, you can't refreeze it a second time. If in doubt about how many times it has been frozen, NHS food safety guidelines recommend you throw it away.
How long can you keep food leftovers?
The Christmas dinner leftovers will find their way back to the fridge, but they should be returned within 90 minutes. If they are left out at room temperature all afternoon, they may not be safe to eat.
The Food Standards Agency says leftovers can be stored safely in the fridge for up to two days. If you don't think you can eat them so quickly, freeze a few small portions in individual containers straight away, rather than leaving them in the fridge for two days and then freezing them.
When it comes to storing Christmas food, whether it's before or after the big day, using airtight storage boxes is an invaluable tip to stop any type of food from going off.