A woman has told how a cost-cutting tactic for a Christmas spread tested her when all her guests suffered food poisoning.
The unnamed women, who shared her cautionary tale anonymously, explained how she usually took charge of all the festive celebrations in her family network.
As such, she had amassed an arsenal of “penny-pinching” party planning tactics to help limit the costs of organizing festivities.
This includes shamelessly boxing up leftovers from events like company parties.
While this would normally prove successful without anyone knowing about it, it all went wrong during one fateful Christmas in 2017.
To enrol Women’s Weekly she told how she convinced a caterer at a friend’s work event to give her the entire festive leftover spread and luxury “party favors.”
“He was concerned about the hygiene and quality of the food, but I convinced him by saying it was only for my extended family and that I would not keep it for more than a day,” she wrote.
But this was a lie, as the woman was saving the food for her extended family’s Christmas party, which would take place a few nights later.
One woman’s attempts to throw a budget festive feast had consequences for her family, when most of the attendees ended up with food poisoning.
Experts have said that leftovers should be stored in the top part of the refrigerator, away from the fresh meat. Food safety authorities also warn against leaving leftovers in the refrigerator for more than two days before eating
On the day itself there were only compliments from the guests.
‘The honey-baked ribs and turkey tasted delicious, and everyone loved the chic table setting. I was so happy to receive so many compliments from my loved ones,” she wrote.
But it all came crashing down when the many attendees fell ill with food poisoning the next day.
Her own daughter became so seriously ill that she had to go to the hospital.
‘My husband, youngest daughter, in-laws and some of my cousins and family friends got food poisoning. “I even had to send my daughter to the emergency room that night because she was vomiting and had a high fever, while the rest of the family rested at home,” she said.
Compounding her guilt over the incident was the fact that she was one of the few family members to escape food poisoning.
Food poisoning, including infections such as salmonella and campylobacter, is a common condition with an estimated almost 2.5 million cases each year in Britain.
The vast majority of these are mild cases, but for some people, such as the elderly, it can be much more serious, with an estimated 200 fatalities each year.
Although there are no figures on what proportion of cases are caused by holiday dishes, experts consider the glut of leftovers after Christmas to be a prime time for bouts of food poisoning.
Food poisoning has numerous possible causes.
Undercooking meat, contamination in the processing or storage of food such as cheese, poor hygiene practices such as unwashed hands by those preparing it, and inadequate reheating are just a few possible causes.
Brits have previously shared nightmarish Christmas food poisoning stories, including one woman who became violently ill after eating leftover turkey and vegetables on Boxing Day.
Bacteria that cause the dreaded symptoms of food poisoning can multiply quickly on cooked, warm food that has been stored out of the refrigerator.
Experts recommend cooling food as quickly as possible – and making sure reheated meat is piping hot – when eating leftovers.