A MUM is urging people to eat their Christmas trees to reduce waste.
Imogen Tinkler, 40, says the sap and pine needles can be used in a range of recipes.
Imogen Tinkler says the sap and pine needles from Christmas trees can be used in a range of recipes[/caption]
Most Christmas trees bought in the UK each year are thrown away.
But mother-of-two Imogen said: “Christmas trees give such a lovely citrusy flavour and they’re rich in vitamin C.
“You cook the pine needles in the same way you’d cook rosemary.”
“They’re really versatile – you can enthuse them with honey, use them for pickling beetroots, bake them in bread, they’re even delicious as a sauce for oysters.”
“We also make some Christmassy cocktails by mixing our own sugar syrup and then infusing it with the needles from the tree.
“Clementines and blood oranges are in season at the moment, so we add them to some gin and then stir in the syrup to give it a nice smoky feel.
“It’s no different to infusing spirits with botanicals. We tried it with whisky last year, which was also really tasty.”
She runs a food foraging website with husband Duncan, 40.
And her Christmas tree recipes include using the spruce tips in a rub for vegetables and fish, and to make pesto for pasta.
Imogen, of Whitstable, Kent, says the trunk and branches should be used as firewood.
Her Christmas tree recipes include one to make pesto for pasta[/caption]