22 December 2023

Left: Roast Lamb Pita Pockets; Right: Crispy Camembert Bacon Puffs

PAK’nSAVE’s Savey Meal-bot, an online recipe generator that helps people reduce their food waste and save money, has added Christmas leftovers just in time for the festive season to make sure nothing goes to waste this Christmas.  With the help of our savey guru, food blogger and founder of The Daily Menu, Kathrine Lynch, make sure you turn your leftovers into something ham-azing!

PAK’nSAVE’s Savey Meal-bot, an easy-to-use online recipe generator that creates recipes out of ingredients people already have at home and in the fridge. 

With Christmas being a peak time for leftovers, the Meal-bot has recently been updated to feature a range of festive ingredients such as turkey, ham, brandy snaps, and pavlova, so people can turn their Christmas leftovers into all sorts of tasty dishes.

The Meal-bot has proven popular among kiwis who want to take control of their household food waste and grocery spend. Since it launched in June, the Meal-bot has generated a whopping 92,978 recipes for its users.

New Zealand households throw out around $1500* worth of food each year – particularly over the summer holiday period. Kathrine Lynch wants to help change that. Kathrine has come up with some savey Christmas leftover recipes, creating a full menu of delicious festive dishes including: Crispy Camembert Bacon Puffs, Kumara Lentil Salad with Grilled Chicken, Roast Lamb Pita Pockets, Brandy Snap Baskets with Cherry Cream and Chocolate Drizzle, and Chocolate Coin Mess. 

“It’s that time of year when we’re doing lots of cooking and lots of eating,” Kathrine says.

“For many kiwis, Christmas involves a big day of gatherings with family and friends and tucking into a heap of festive food. Come Boxing Day, fridges across the nation are often jam packed with Christmas leftovers that often end up in the bin.

“One way to reduce costs and food waste is to plan your meals and come up with creative ways to use up your leftovers, and the Savey Meal-bot is a great way to provide inspiration to use up all those summer holiday leftovers so that nothing goes to waste.”

The Savey Meal-bot is also a great way to keep the kids entertained for free over the summer holidays.

“It’s a fun way for kids to learn how to cook under the supervision of a grown-up, and we can also help encourage good behaviours for future generations to make the most of the food they already have at home,” Kathrine says.

To get started, head to: https://saveymeal-bot.co.nz/. You can download and share your Savey Meal-bot recipes. If you don’t like what you see, no worries – just hit refresh or start again with new ingredients and the Savey Meal-bot will have another go.

*According to a Kantar New Zealand Food Waste Survey, conducted by Rabbobank and KiwiHarvest in April 2022, New Zealand households throw out around $1500 worth of food each year.