Gardeners urged to feed robins £1.65 Sunday dinner staple to help them thrive in winter
GARDENERS have been urged to feed the nation's favourite Christmas bird a Sunday dinner staple to help them thrive over winter.
With the colder weather and frozen ground, robins can struggle to keep their energy up over the festive season.
The red-breasted birds are incredibly territorial and start their breeding season earlier than most other birds.
They are readily spotted in gardens and will keenly follow gardeners around to see what fresh worms and grubs they're digging up in soil.
But in winter, they need to rely more heavily on bird feeders and food being left out for them.
The Royal Horticultural Society says: "Garden birds, in particular, benefit from feeding year-round, but winter is a time to provide foodstuffs with a high-fat content to help keep them warm.
"Feed regularly so that birds will not waste vital energy visiting your garden when there is no food."
And an ingredient from a Sunday dinner staple can be the perfect snack for them.
Dumplings from beef stew are made using suet pellets, which are a beloved delicacy for birds, including robins.
You can pick up Atora suet for £2.70 in supermarkets including Asda.
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Tesco also offer their own-brand version for just £1.65.
Suet pellets provide small birds with essential energy and nutrients, so you can simply scatter them on your bird table or ground feeder.
One keen bird lover said: "They like them so much that if I have the back door open and didn't put out some pellets for them they'd come into my kitchen to remind me."
Another added: "Atora suet is absolutely fine for the birds. I've been feeding it to my lot for the last two weeks."
Meanwhile, a third wrote: "When I put the seed into a bowl ready to take outside to the bird table, I mix one third of each packet [of Atora suet] into it and they go crazy and eat the lot!"
If you're feeling more creative, you can also melt down the suet in a pan, and mix in porridge oats, peanut butter, dried fruit or bird seed to create suet cakes for your favourite garden visitors.
If you make too much, you can freeze them and take them out as required.