Make your food (and money) go further over the festive period with our handy storage tips, quick food hints and imaginative recipes to use up your Christmas leftovers.

Christmas Food Storage Tips:

  • Keep a list of everything that’s in your fridge and freezer over Christmas - and use clear tubs or re-sealable plastic bags to store things in so you can easily get to what you need.
  • Remember to put Christmas leftovers in the fridge as soon as the food has cooled down after a meal.

You can freeze cooked turkey for up to three months. Store it in airtight containers or bags, clearly labelled with the contents and date frozen.

  • Defrost overnight in the fridge before using again.
  • Store potatoes, parsnips, onions and carrots at room temperature in a dark and dry place to keep them fresher for longer.
  • Cooked turkey and sausage meat are best stored in airtight containers in the fridge and eaten in 48 hours.
  • Cooked vegetables are best eaten within 24 hours, and the same goes for cooked fish, smoked salmon and shellfish such as prawns.

Defrosted raw meats cannot be frozen again, but they can be cooked and then refrozen.

Leftover Christmas Food Tips

  • Combine savoury Christmas leftovers and use them up in soups, stews and curries.
  • Buy drinks in a few large containers, not lots of smaller ones, or use concentrate to make one bottle go further.
  • Keep cream you don’t pour for use in something else - it can add flavour and give a smoother texture to lots of dishes.
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There’s often extra single or double cream at Christmas time. Try these indulgent ideas to use up any that’s leftover.

  • Stir a couple of tablespoons into a sauce to serve with pasta or chicken.
  • Add a dash to some home-made soup to get a velvety smooth finish.
  • Mix some into you mashed potato and serve with cold meats and pickles.
  • Stir a spoonful into mayonnaise along with some herbs to make a basic potato salad.
  • Resist the urge to throw out stale bread - turn it into breadcrumbs, use for croutons in the leftover soups you make, or pop them in the freezer for later.
  • Use old biscuits and cakes in trifles, or crushed and sprinkled over ice cream.
  • Don’t force yourself to finish off the cheeseboard if there’s some left - keep it for a quiche, omelette or tart on Boxing Day.

Christmas Leftover Ideas

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Bang Bang Turkey

Here’s a dish to freshen up your leftover turkey... with a little kick.

Try the recipe here >>

 

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Roasted Veg and Cheeseboard Tart

Simply roast leftover vegetables and add your cheeseboard leftovers to make this tasty dish.

Try this recipe here >>

 

View more Christmas leftover ideas here >>

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Find out more about the Love Food Hate Waste campaign here.

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