As food prices continue to impact household budgets, Too Good To Go, the world’s largest marketplace for surplus food, is calling on Irish households to rethink portion sizes for the traditional Easter Sunday roast. Research from the surplus food app has revealed that half of the country (49.5%) effectively cooks an entire extra meal that goes to waste. The research also shows that 18.5% of people said no-show guests are a primary driver for having food waste after an Easter Sunday Roast.
Despite the expensive price of meat, 84% of respondents admit they consistently have leftover meat after the Sunday roast, leading to significant financial loss and a high feeling of guilt among Irish households, with 42% of people admitting they feel bad about the waste produced.
Machaela O’Leary, Key Accounts Manager at Too Good To Go, said: “Easter Sunday should be about family and celebration, not the guilt of clearing full plates of food into the bin. Our research shows that many of us are effectively cooking for a guest who isn't there. By making small adjustments to how we portion our roast dinners, we can protect our pockets and the planet at the same time”.
Too Good To Go: Top 3 Tips for a Waste-Free Easter Sunday Roast
The "Hand" Rule for Portions: To avoid cooking for a "ghost guest," use simple hand measurements per person: one palm-sized portion of meat (approx. 150g–200g), one or two cupped handful of seasonal vegetables, one fist-sized scoop of mash, and one handful of roast potatoes.
The Second Day Roast: If you are among the 84% with leftover meat, don't let it sit in the fridge until Tuesday. Strip the lamb, chicken or ham from the bone immediately after dinner. Leftover Easter lamb makes an incredible spicy stir-fry, while roast chicken or ham is perfect for a second day sandwich on Easter Monday.
Confirm Your Final Count: With nearly 20% of waste caused by guests not showing up, send a quick check-in text on Easter Saturday. Knowing exactly how many people will be there allows you to peel fewer potatoes, buy less meat, waste less food and save a significant amount of prep time.
Across Ireland, Too Good To Go has already partnered with national favourites like Aldi, Applegreen, Supervalu, Centra, and Circle K to help people save surplus food this bank holiday weekend.
