Make the most of Christmas leftovers

"Christmas is a time of love, giving and good food, and for many of us, that festive roast with all the trimmings is what excites us most about the winter holidays. But we can be overindulgent with our Christmas food shops, and when Boxing days rolls around, a lot of that food finds itself in the bins."

Good food shouldn’t go to waste, so we’ve compiled some delicious recipes you can whip up from all those leftovers.

Christmas pie

Let’s face it, on Christmas day we never get through the whole turkey, and the same goes for all the trimmings. So why not use up all your Christmas leftovers to make a hearty turkey and ham pie. You don’t even have to make the pastry if you don’t want to. Just get yourself some supermarket puff pastry, along with a handful of other traditional pie ingredients and rustle up a festive bake that’ll have your family chomping at the bit.

Spicy Christmas

If you want to mix it up a little, you can use your leftover meats and veg for a nice spicy curry instead. You’ll only need a little cream or coconut milk along with a couple of spices to cook up something that’ll really tingle your taste buds. Just whack it all in a large pot, and let your meats slowly simmer in a thick homemade curry sauce for the ultimate left field Boxing day dish.

Raclette & Fondue

Fondue and raclette have evolved into a modern Christmas tradition in many households. Raclette in particular is perfect for sharing with the family while washing down your favourite tipples. Plus, you can pair it up with a variety of leftovers from other cheeses, cold meats, bread and crackers. In fact just gather all your leftovers, spread it out on the table and tuck in with some crazy combos.

Talking of cheese, we often buy one wheel too many when shopping for our Christmas feast. But before you go and chuck it in the bin, think about that creamy mac & cheese or savoury fondue that you could easily make with it. And if you pair either of those dishes with some fresh bread, you’re on to a winner.

Sweet finish

While we’re at it, we might as well add desert to our menu of delicious leftovers. If you have a few overripe bananas lying around, you’ve got the perfect base for one of the food trends of the year, oven baked banana bread. From Instagram influencers to first time bakers, banana bread has made a real comeback in 2020. And with just a handful of baking ingredients needed such as eggs, butter, flour and sugar, you can whip up a deliciously sweet loaf in no time.

Shop ovens