Scientists have issued a warning against wrapping Christmas leftovers up in tin foil

Although it may be tempting to wrap up the leftovers of your turkey dinner in tin foil, please do resist the urge.

We get it - wrapping has become second nature over the festive season after parcelling up a load of presents, but the scraps of your Christmas feast need a bit more tender loving care.

According to scientists, aluminium foil just isn't going to cut it - as there is a much better, and safer, way to store what is left lingering when you're family have been up for seconds.

This might come to a shock to a lot of Brits, as we all think a trusty roll of tin foil can work wonders.

But the experts have issued a warning about the shortfalls of the handy kitchen staple in the hopes of stopping people from making a very un-merry mistake.

You see, if you cover your food in tin foil, you're not completely covering it. Even if you scrunch down every flap, some air will still sneak inside - which opens the door to bacteria growing.

You don't want to get ill for New Year's Eve, do you?

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Air infiltrating your leftovers also means that it won't stay fresh for long, so you'll be very disappointed when you go to make a little turkey butty and find it's gone off.

Lindsay Malone, a dietician at the Cleveland Clinic, explained to MSN: "When air is present, that allows the bacteria to grow faster, so you really want to get the right containers and pack things appropriately.

"Otherwise, your food isn't going to last."

Fair enough. So, what are we supposed to do instead then? Obviously, get other containers.

Apparently, the best things for the job are shallow air-tight containers, because they keep all the air out so that bacteria can't thrive and grow.

They also help the food to cool down, which you need to do before you put it in the fridge.

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Incidentally, if you want to keep the food and have it in the fridge, you're better off getting it in there as quickly as possible afterwards.

You've got to let it cool down before it goes into the fridge, but it is best if you get it in there within two hours.

It makes sense that there would be more bacteria on pigs in blankets that have just been sat on the kitchen side than those in a sealed container.

Malone continued: "If you have an abundance of food left over, the smartest thing to do would be to put a portion of it in the refrigerator, and then pack a portion of it really nice in air-tight containers and put it into the freezer.

"And then when you're ready to eat it, take it out."

Even though you might be busy getting festive, food safety should still be a priority.