Ways to Enjoy an Eco-Friendly Easter Feast
Easter is a wonderful time of year for family and friends to get together, enjoy delicious treats and celebrate the holiday. But did you know that each year the UK at Easter creates almost 8,500 tonnes of food waste and more than 9,600 tonnes of cardboard waste?
With a few small changes, you can enjoy an eco-friendly Easter feast while also minimising excess waste. In this blog, we’ll be sharing some of our favourite sustainable Easter ideas that adults and kids will love.
Choosing palm-oil free and ethical chocolate options
Approximately 80 million chocolate eggs are sold each year in the UK, which means a lot of chocolate and excess packaging. However, there are ways to enjoy a traditional chocolate egg while also minimising the environmental impact:
- Keep an eye out for vegan and palm-oil free Easter eggs, available from many online and independent retailers.
- Alternatively, seek out Easter eggs with organic and Fairtrade ingredients.
- Choose Easter eggs with minimal packaging to reduce the amount of excess waste.
Decorating ideas for easter eggs that are kinder to the planet
Get crafty and host an eco-friendly Easter egg hunt! Why not use real eggs bought from a local farmer or farm shop and paint them using natural dyes? Afterwards, you can compost the shells or simply pop them in your food waste bin.
Creating your own dyes is easier than you might think. There are lots of websites with step-by-step instructions on how to make dyes from cabbage heads, onion skins and even beetroot peelings.
Try decorating your Easter eggs before the hunt and challenge everyone to find certain colours first.
Opting for alternatives to plastic eggs
If your Easter egg hunt usually involves plastic, treat-filled eggs – why not try swapping them for reusable fabric or wooden options? You could fill hollow wooden eggs with small treats or spring seeds to plant later. Plus, painting the wooden eggs is an Easter activity that children can enjoy year after year.
Finding healthy alternative Easter treats for children
Celebrate Easter with these alternatives for popular Easter treats that kids young and old can enjoy, including:
Each recipe offers a healthy option as a fun and tasty treat that doesn’t compromise on flavour.
Following leftover Easter egg recipes
For people with a sweet tooth the idea of having leftover chocolate may seem far-fetched, but each year roughly 8 million Easter eggs are uneaten and discarded as food waste.
However, there are plenty of delicious recipes available so you can make the most of your extra chocolate, including Rocky Road cake or a Chilled Marbled Chocolate Cheesecake. Perfect for sharing or as belated Easter gifts.
Using up your leftover hot cross buns
If your hot cross buns have gone stale before you can enjoy them all, don’t throw them away. A hot cross bun bread and butter pudding is a hearty and indulgent dish that adds a scrumptious twist to a British classic.
Cooking up vegetable-based main dishes for Easter dinner
When many think of an Easter feast a traditional lamb joint is usually the centrepiece. But there are also many meat-free alternatives that can rival traditional options in terms of flavour and also as an attractive addition to a table setting.
Discover an entire vegetarian Easter menu from the BBC or take a look at these mouthwatering options for your bespoke meat-free Easter menu:
Enjoy sustainable Easter celebrations with Beyond the Grid
By making small changes to your celebrations, you can enjoy an eco-friendly Easter holiday without compromising on any of the fun or flavour.
Looking for ways to become more sustainable around the home? Visit our Beyond the Grid hub where you’ll find other helpful tips and recipes that will help you live a little better every day.
