Newark and Sherwood District Council's advice on a cleaner, safer and greener Christmas

From recycling wrapping paper to roast turkey to bin collections, residents of Newark and Sherwood are urged to ensure they have a cleaner, safer and greener Christmas.

Whether it's at home cooking or dining out, the district council says it is important to maintain standards of food hygiene and safety this festive period.

Avoid the unwanted gift of food poisoning by planning ahead your home-cooked meals and following the Food Standards Agency’s four Cs of food hygiene.

Chilling, cleaning, cooking and avoiding cross-contamination are important throughout the year but especially so at Christmas.

Turkey has become the main event in a traditional British Christmas dinner.

However, improperly cooked or stored poultry such as turkey or chicken can lead to an unpleasant bout of food poisoning, say council experts.

At Christmas, people often find themselves cooking for more people than normal and handle larger amounts of food.

When cooking from frozen, it is important to firstly check the defrost guidance on your meat according to its size.

Always defrost a frozen turkey fully before cooking as a partially defrosted turkey may not cook evenly, meaning harmful bacteria could survive in the cooking process.

Any leftovers should be cooled, covered and put in the fridge or freezer within one to two hours. When using frozen leftovers, ensure they are defrosted thoroughly and reheat until steaming hot.

Whether you are planning a festive meal out with family, friends or work colleagues or just grabbing a quick lunch when out Christmas shopping; don’t only consider the menu of your chosen eatery – make sure you check the food hygiene rating too.

941 cafes, pubs and restaurants in Newark and Sherwood have a food hygiene rating of three or more, so make sure you look out for the green and black food hygiene rating stickers displayed on windows and doors.

If you cannot see a sticker, then ask staff inside or check online at www.food.gov.uk/ratings

The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme rates food businesses on their hygiene standards, based on inspections carried out by the council.

Businesses in the area are rated on a scale ranging from 0 which means ‘urgent improvement necessary’ to a top rating of five, which is ‘very good’.

The festive period is also one of the busiest times of the year for waste.

Householders can help the district have a greener Christmas by not only disposing of waste correctly and responsibly, but also by ensuring they put their recycling and refuse bins out on the right day.

Bright orange stickers reminding residents of the temporary changes to bin collection dates were sent out at the end of November and advice on what to put in which bin is available on its website.