WaterAid launches Driest Christmas Dinner Ever

Today WaterAid launches The driest Christmas dinner ever - a dehydrated meal created by WaterAid to highlight the importance of clean water by showing what life is like without it.

Featuring shrivelled-up versions of traditional favourites like turkey, stuffing and Brussel sprouts, plus the much-debated Yorkshire pudding, the dehydrated meal offers a powerful reminder that nearly one in ten people around the world live without clean water close to home.

In the UK, the average Christmas meal for four people has a water footprint of over 15,000 litres[i] - enough to fill 125 bathtubs. This is three times the amount the average Brit estimated, according to new research by WaterAid, with 54% being shocked at how much water was required.

A limited number of WaterAid’s waterless meals are available to win through WaterAid’s Instagram, while virtual meals can be purchased as an alternative gift for the person who has everything, available on WaterAid’s website for £11 - the average cost of a Christmas dinner, which could buy a tap stand for a family in Madagascar. The campaign is part of WaterAid’s ‘Everything starts with water’ appeal, raising money to get clean water and toilets to communities in Madagascar and around the world.

Never mind the centrepiece, WaterAid’s research found that roast potatoes are the most important thing on the Christmas plate, according to four in five (80%) of Brits, compared to just 31% favouring mash. The staple spud also has one of the lowest water footprints of the Christmas dinner - one serving of potatoes requires 60 litres of water to produce[ii].

They were shortly followed in popularity by turkey, which 69% felt had to be on the plate. The flightless bird is one of the most water intensive items, requiring 271 litres per serving[iii].

The humble Brussels sprout has grown in popularity, with 71% saying they love or like them, and only 18% saying they hate them, but many eating them anyway “because it’s tradition”. Love it or hate it, this Christmas staple requires 76 litres per serving[iv]. Surprisingly sprouts pipped pigs in blankets in popularity, with only 56% of Brits seeing them as a Christmas dinner essential.

Controversially, half of Brits (47%) believe Yorkshire pudding should be part of a Christmas meal, while one in five Londoners (21%) state Ketchup as an essential for the dinner. One in five people (20%) kick Christmas Day off with a full English breakfast before tucking into dinner, while 17% prefer to eat nothing, saving themselves for the main meal.

Beneath the good-natured bickering lies a more sobering truth: every one of those festive favourites starts with and depends on huge amounts of water to make it to the plate.

However, for many, access to clean water for drinking, washing and cooking is not possible. Almost 400,000 children under five die every year due to diseases caused by unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene. That's more than 1,000 children a day.

Change starts with water, which is why WaterAid is calling on Brits to dig deep this Christmas.

Celebrities and influencers have already begun tucking into the Christmas classic with a dehydrated twist, including Eshaan Akbar, comedian and actor, who said:

“Christmas is my absolute favourite time of year, and in my family, the festive feast is at the heart of our celebrations. What I’d never considered, though, is just how essential water is to making that meal truly special.

Trying the driest Christmas dinner ever was an interesting experience; one I hope I never have to experience again. The flavours were there, but it just wasn’t the same delicious feast without the all-important ingredient – water."

Tim Wainwright, Chief Executive at WaterAid, said:

“This Christmas, we’re asking people to look beyond the festive table and recognise the ingredient that makes it all possible – water. Our driest Christmas dinner ever presents a fun take on our festive favourites, but it comes with a serious message –one in ten people around the world have no clean water close to home, affecting their health, education and livelihoods. For the cost of a Christmas meal, you can help a family get clean water, so children can stay healthy and in school, women have the time to work, and communities can thrive. Change starts with water.”

To support WaterAid’s winter appeal and add H2O Ho Ho this Christmas, visit wateraid.org.