Everybody knows the best part of Christmas is the leftovers that span for the next few days.

Is there much else the screams ‘summer' than cold snags, leftover Christmas ham and slightly soggy trifle?

But if you're not a fan of eating your leftovers as just leftovers, maybe it's time to start getting creative.

With the average Kiwi family throwing away three shopping trolleys worth of food each year, Best Foods is launching The Leftover Lunch Truck to challenge the nation to change the way they view food waste.

"We want to make reducing food waste fun and easy for the everyday person. The Leftover Lunch Truck is showing people how to use leftovers more effectively and how versatile our most discarded ingredients actually are," says head of Unilever New Zealand Matt Rigby.

"We're here to help people enjoy good food, without worry or waste. Simple treatments and the addition of a little bit of mayo to these dishes is an easy and affordable way to bring them to life."

Love Food Hate Waste's Sarah Pritchett says most New Zealanders are unaware of how much food they waste.

"Most people think food waste only occurs through supermarkets, restaurants and the hospitality sector. However, Kiwi households waste more than all of these combined. The Leftover Lunch Truck is a fantastic way to demonstrate how to make the most of your leftover meals and ingredients with simple and creative recipes such as a pumpkin and potato salad or a stir fry.

"It's great to see the issue of food waste in New Zealand being embraced and highlighted by brands."

The most common cause of food waste is over-purchasing, over-cooking and simply not eating leftovers. This is often due to a lack of inspiration and skills resulting in $1.17 billion worth of food wasted per year.

For further inspiration, Best Foods has teamed up with five recipe masterminds from across Aotearoa to develop their own recipes with the top most wasted ingredients in mind.

Keep an eye out on the Best Foods Facebook, Instagram and website to discover these delectable and easy bites.