Where do you put your Christmas food?

Reading this thread I was wondering how my mother coped when we were young when we didn't have a fridge or a shed, then remembered we didn't have an excess of food in at any time. Everything was purchased fresh on an almost daily basis. There was little or no waste either. Meat arrived home wrapped in paper, veg and fruit were unwrapped and cakes and bread arrived as ingredients in sacks and paper bags.

I’m a fridge and freezer declutterer in December where I buy very little and we eat what’s in there - makes for some very interesting meals ! However it does mean that I can buy all my Christmas food and store it safely.

A couple of days after Boxing Day when most of it has been eaten, I do a large shop to replenish them both as I get fidgety if they’re less than three quarters full!

DH thinks I went through a famine during a previous life and it’s in my genes to want to feed people!

conservatory and garage both really cold. Deep freeze has not room for a single pea, fridge will soon be the same . The joy of having to cater for vegetarians fussy kids and all the other family members who visit while we have one lot staying .

I have a spare fridge and freezer (the old ones) in the garage - very useful at this time of year!

Unless we have a barbeque or party they are left switched off. It happened by accident, though, when I got a new kitchen and fridge/freezer I just couldn't get rid of them as they were still working.

I store all non perishables in a plastic crate in the corner of the dining room. I've been adding to it weekly since mid November. It's what mum did and I've always done the same.
Freezers are full and fresh veg will be bought at crack of dawn on Christmas Eve

It is a difficult time Christmas.
I have an additional fridge freezer in the garage plus it is not warm here.
On the garage worktop I have vegetables and drinks, keep anything like tins and bottles out of the fridge.
You can buy long life milk.
Any plastic freezer boxes take out of the kitchen cupboards I place in bags and store above my wardrobes which releases space for other things.
Under bed storage, you may find room there for moving things out of the kitchen which you will not be using.
It's a bit of a move around.
Also if your fridges and freezers are full make a list of the contents and update when things are used and add when bought.
It's the only way I can cope doing all this.
Son and family here for 3 weeks and daughter and family for 5 days, nephews here for 3 days so I have to be organized.
Oh and all this with the help of a couple of drinks along the way.
Have a Great Christmas, keep charm we're not miracle workers and ask for help when you need it.

Like Maw I clear jars of beetroot, jam etc out of the fridge.

You can pack things like butter, margarine etc. in wet newspaper and store them in a cool place in a box.

Freezer elements can be packed round food stored in a basin or bag too.

I'm always relieved if the temperatures stay low over the Christmas period, so we can use the out-house as a fridge.
It's looking a bit doubtful that it will stay cool enough for that this year, according to the met office app on my phone.

I keep mine outside on the patio table, covered of course. It’s lovely and cold out there.

We wouldn't dare do that here, Yehbutnobut - too much vermin around, and it's amazing what they both rats and mice can chew their way into if they think it might be worth the effort.

Are you on friendly terms with any neighbour who is going away for the holiday period? Most years, in return for cat feeding, I have the use of a fridge and freezer. Unfortunately she isn't going away this year so I will use my car for storage and hope the weather is cold.

No vermin here.

I buy the part-baked rolls in case I don't get around to making bread or bannock. They're in the top of my wardrobe!

Yehbutnobut Sun 22-Dec-19 17:25:28
No vermin here.

You're lucky - I wish we didn't, but we've had to get pest control out many times since we moved here 20 years ago, and although we've had no obvious problems for the last year ( apart from mouse damage in the car!), it can only be a matter of time till they start causing problems again.

MamaCaz that’s horrid. Let’s hope they stay away.

Oh b****r - now we've just realized that our fridge-freezer isn't working properly - it's not getting cold enough.
That's all we need right now, with the Christmas food shop to do tomorrow.
(That's as well as the washing machine that we're not supposed to use because it's affected by this latest safety recall!)

Invest in a couple of Really Useful 64litre boxes which are vermin proof and fairly waterproof, then put them in a cold garage or shed. Use the fridge for things like meat, but butter, cheese etc are not going to come to any harm if they are a bit warmer. This Christmas our fridge thermostat isn't working perfectly, long story. I'm using a gas/electric coolbox which I bought ages ago for my son to use in his shepherd's hut at steam rallies, and an electric coolbox we bought from Halfords years ago. they are sat on the floor of my larger than average kitchen, but could easily be used in a shed or spare room or garage.

I moved last year and whilst I have a bigger kitchen and oven which is great, I used to have 2 fridges and freezers latterly but don't now and always lived somewhere with a conservatory which was cold in winter so plenty of space for food storage. I don't have a garage or anywhere cold now. I might try the porch as suggested here.

A cold greenhouse, garage or car boot!

Some of it is in the conservatory. I have been playing "fridge tetris" with the rest all day!