Making the most of Christmas Leftovers

1. Making T he Most of Christmas Leftovers With all the preparation that goes into making more than enough food for everyone, Christmas is over before you know it. It is inevitable that you’ll end up on Boxing Day with more food than you know what to do with, but there are endless options of what to do with your Christmas dinner leftovers. Everyone knows the horror of eating turkey curry for weeks after Christmas, it seems being on the come down from the Christmas hype effects people’s creativity in the kitchen. We have combined a few simple meal ideas which can easily be adapted with the ingredients you have left over. www.emporiumcookshop.co.uk

2. Sandwiches Sandwiches However, cliché it may be, sandwiches are ideal for leftovers as you can fill them with anything you like. Why not grill your sandwiches? And get creative with what you put in it, turkey can be quite a dry meat but alongside cranberry sauce and brie, you’ve create a great sandwich using up three ingredients that could very easily have gone to waste. Pies Pies Turkey is as versatile as chicken, so your favourite chicken dish can be replicated with this festive bird. Pies are a great way for mixing lots of leftovers into one tasty meal, turkey, ham, bacon or any other meat can be mixed with vegetables of your choice, some stock or even gravy; put some ready-made pastry over the top and bake for a quick and easy meal. Omelettes Omelettes As long as you have eggs, you can pretty much put anything you like into an omelette. Spanish omelettes are handy to make if you have leftover potatoes as well; conveniently Spanish omelettes require a cooked potato or two so we think leftover roast potatoes do the job perfectly. Add in any meat or vegetables you like, add in chunks of cheese or sprinkle some grated cheese over the top (depending on what you can find half eaten in the fridge). Cook through like a regular omelette and tuck in. www.emporiumcookshop.co.uk

3. Bubble and Squeak Bubble and Squeak A fancier term for ‘bung everything in a pan and fry it’, bubble and squeak was literally made for leftovers. Tradition calls for potatoes and cabbage with the option for any other leftover vegetables but it’s all up to you. If you don’t have any cabbage, don’t put it in, if you want to add in some meat, cut into cubes and put it in. Since the ingredients are cooked anyway, all you are doing is combining everything, warming it through and creating a nice crisp edge. Mash is the easiest way to get everything to bind together and to create a base but if you’re the type of family who has roast potatoes rather than mash, we’re sure you could mash up some roasties a little bit. Lighter bites Lighter bites If you are still feeling full from the amount of food you surprised yourself with eating, there are many lighter options for mealtimes. Stir-fries, rice dishes, and salads are perfect for using up your leftover turkey without making a big meal that you’re going to end up leaving again. Pudding Pudding When it comes to dessert, no everyone can stomach a mammoth portion of Christmas Pudding after their dinner. This of course means, lots of leftovers. Rather than throwing it away or simply having a week of Christmas Pudding for dessert for the sake of eating it all up, making a completely new dessert such as a trifle brings a new lease of life to the cake. Christmas Pudding acts as a great base for trifle and with oranges, custard, cream, and mascarpone having a very likely chance of being in your kitchen over the festive period, you don’t need to go out and buy a ton of other ingredients. You can choose an alcohol of your choice to go in trifle but if you do choose to use oranges, Grand Marnier or any other orange based liquor works well. www.emporiumcookshop.co.uk

4. Emporium Cookshop The Emporium Unit 9 Sandars Road Gainsborough DN21 1RZ UK https://emporiumcookshop.co.uk www.emporiumcookshop.co.uk