50% of food bought by households for the holiday season often goes uneaten, a new survey has found.

A new survey by 'Too Good to Go' revealed that a quarter of consumers waste bread over the festive season.

It also found 23% of consumers waste seasonal sauces like cranberry sauce and brandy butter.

Too Good To Go's Machaela O’Leary said there are creative ways to reuse food this Christmas.

“Take your turkey and ham, for example - instead of having your turkey ham again on the 26th you could think about turning it into a turkey curry or something,” she said.

“What I always like to do is take the turkey and ham and have a leek in the fridge and make a turkey and ham leek pie.”

It’s important to think about how you can “take the traditional Christmas food but reuse it in fun ways” Ms O’Leary said.

A traditional turkey Christmas dinner, 25-12-18. Image: Clynt Garnham Food & Drink / Alamy