How To Make The Most Of Your Christmas Leftovers

It’s the most wonderful time of the year… and the most wasteful.

Uneaten sprouts, leftover turkey, unwanted spuds – the list goes on.

According to food saving app Too Good To Go, 40% of Irish people admit to wasting more food than usual over Christmas. That’s a lot of waste.

Here are some ways to ensure that you’re using up all of your food this festive season.

Make a giant sandwich (or several)

@dublinsocial The Christmas Sambos 2024 🥪🎅 Part One sees us visit the latest outpost of @greenvilledeli ☕️ The 4th cafe in their ever growing empire is a slick new addition to Goatstown 🍵 Loved the cranberry mayo dip with this edition 😋 #Christmas #sandwich #Dublin @GreenvilleDeli ♬ Another Love – Tom Odell

The holy grail of Christmas leftovers – the sandwich.

For years now, it’s been a nationwide tradition to grab your leftover turkey, ham, sprouts, and cranberry, and shove them all in a giant sandwich that’ll keep you going for the entirety of Stephen’s Day.

Why not mix it up this year, and make a Christmas toastie? We’re talking brie, cranberry, red onion, and ham. Yum!

Check out some of Dublin’s best Christmas sandwiches above for inspo.

Pop a pizza in

If sandwiches aren’t your bag, you could always make a leftovers pizza. Yes, really.

Nab yourself a pizza base and simply load it with all of those picky bits you didn’t manage to get through over Christmas Eve.

Sprouts, bacon bits, and all of those cheeseboard leftovers would make the perfect pizza toppings when you’re just not bothered cooking, but want something different.

Irish pizza base company Pizza da Piero have a range of bases and recipes ideas to make sure you get the most out of your leftovers this year. 

Why not make a Stephen’s Day brunching pizza with potatoes, black pudding, and egg?

Host a leftover party

Christmas is a serious time for food waste, and if you don’t have a massive family, getting rid of that extra food can be a bit of a struggle.

If you’re not in the mood to rustle anything up, host a leftovers party and gather your pals both nearest and dearest so you can all enjoy each other’s bits.

According to Safefood, you can enjoy leftover turkey up to two days after Christmas, so make sure you’re inviting people over ASAP.

Stephen’s Day soirée, anyone?

Bake a pie

@emthenutritionist CHRISTMAS PIE Perfect for that in-between period of Christmas and new years when you don’t know what to do with all those left overs and random kitchen purchases like cooked chestnuts and cranberries. So good it will make you giggle. Serves 4, under 550kcal per portion Around 300g shredded turkey or chicken Cupped handful of Brussels (around 20), roughly shredded 6 fresh sage leaf, finely chopped
2 leeks, sliced
6 rashers of smoked pancetta, diced 1 chicken stock cube 100g cooked chestnuts, roughly chopped 2 tbsp dried cranberries
1 heaped tbsp plain flour
1 tsp english mustard
500-600ml semi-skimmed milk (or any milk) 1 tbsp half fat creme fraiche 
Ready-rolled puff pastry
1 egg Pre heat the oven to 200c fan. In a deep pan, sweat the Brussels and leeks with the sage until they start to turn a little golden and colour. Season with a pinch of salt and add in the diced pancetta and chestnuts. Cook down for another 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle in 1 generous tbsp flour, mix then slowly whisk in 500ml cold semi skimmed milk. Add in the chicken stock, mustard, cranberries and bring to a simmer until thickened. Fold in the cooked turkey, 1 tbsp creme fraiche and leave to cool for a few minutes. Grab your pie dish, tip in the filling, top with pastry and cut around the excess. Pinch the pastry and cut 2 air vents in the middle. Brush with an egg wash and bake for 25-30 minutes until risen and golden. #christmasrecipe #christmas #christmaspie ♬ original sound – Emily English

Nothing tastes as good as a pie feels… or so the saying goes.

Sandwiches may require specific ingredients, but you can throw literally anything into a pie.

Pick yourself up some Jus-Rol Puff Pastry (other pastry brands are available), lob your filling in, and bake until delicious.

May we recommend a turkey and ham pie, with a creamy mustard-y filling, some leftover blue cheese, peas and carrots?

Divine!

Donate

The festive season is a time for giving – and that includes food too.

If you’ve got a lot of unused produce or unopened food, consider donating them to your local food bank or shelter.

Just make sure the products are in date, in perfect condition, and not anything you wouldn’t want to eat yourself.

Chocolate is always a good shout when donating, just saying…