​How to use up festive leftovers

Festive leftovers are as much a Christmas tradition as turkey and crackers. But after the holiday season, when you can't look at another slice of gammon or mince pie, what can you do with them? Here are some ideas to minimise your waste and maximise your later enjoyment, once everyone's appetites return to full strength!

Canning Food

Canning is a traditional method of food preservation that is surprisingly easy and lots of fun. It uses heat to preserve food in canning jars, rather than chemicals, and if you follow the process correctly to remove food bacteria, canned produce can last for years without spoiling.

When we think of canning, we usually think of vegetables from the allotment or kitchen garden after a summer glut, but you can actually can all sorts of things, including meat. Here's a recipe for canning leftover turkey, which works on all kinds of leftover meat. Just note that you need to use a pressure canner when you can meat, as it is the only process for making the meat safe from bacteria. Find out more here: https://growagoodlife.com/canning-turkey/.

You can, of course, also save your leftover carrots, parsnips, peas and any other foods that you want to keep. They are great for making quick midweek meals when you're short of time and need ready ingredients. If you don't fancy canning, you can also use your glass jars to store sliced fresh food in the freezer for later usage. Surprisingly, you can even freeze foods such as cheese - just grate them first, so they're ready to add to recipes as they thaw as the texture does change a little.

Glass jars for freezing leftovers

Did you know that glass jars can be suitable for freezing produce? It's important to buy freezer-suitable glass storage jars as these are robust and able to withstand freezing, but they're a great solution for preparing portions of food and having them stored up and ready for a busy day. Soup is an obvious choice for using up leftovers, and it's so easy to make with any vegetables that are a little past their best, in addition to leftover turkey.

Here's a great recipe for inspiration: https://cooksimply.co.uk/soup-with-leftover-turkey/. You can make it in your slow cooker, get on with your day and enjoy the beautiful smell that fills your kitchen.

Enamelware

Did you know that you can freeze enamelware? We sell a great range of enamel bakeware, which is ideal for using up festive leftovers. Grab your leftover vegetables, potatoes and meat to make shepherd's pie or spaghetti bolognese and freeze individual portions for batch cooking. You could do the same with leftover fruit to make fruit crumbles or cobbler, ready for a Sunday lunch.

Ideas for Using up Festive Food Leftovers

You'll find great recipes online that don't require much time or effort; after all, no one wants to be slaving away in the kitchen again after Christmas! Here are some good ideas to help you use up those festive foods rather than let them go to waste:

Upgraded Bubble and Squeak
This is a great recipe that uses pancetta, chestnuts and the fancy extras you only tend to have in the fridge at this time of year! https://www.olivemagazine.com/recipes/family/posh-bubble-and-squeak-with-chestnuts/.

Creative Sandwiches
Now's a great time to buy a big loaf of sourdough (or make your own - our glass storage jars are ideal for nurturing a sourdough starter in 2025). Create towering sandwiches with all of the sliced meats and cheeses that you have left over, and generous additions of pickles and chutneys from your collection in the pantry. Now is also a great time to make new chutneys with leftover vegetables before they spoil. Cucumbers, carrots, aubergine and tomatoes all work very well. You can also pickle any onions and even preserve fruits.

Mac 'n Cheese
This is a great recipe for using up leftover cheese from the cheeseboard - just mix it all up. Add any leftover ham or gammon too, plus cabbage or leeks, and you've got a fabulous comfort food meal that's quick and easy to make on a cold night: https://realfood.tesco.com/recipes/leftover-ham-and-leek-mac-and-cheese.html.

A fun pudding!
If you've got leftover mulled wine sitting around, this is a really fun recipe that turns it into a fresh granita. https://realfood.tesco.com/step-by-step/how-to-make-mulled-wine-granita.html. You can add leftover satsumas, too, and any cranberries for a zesty, tangy twist.

A hodgepodge pie!
This is a really fun way of using up any savoury items you have and making them into a delicious pie. You could make this in advance in our enamelware and freeze it, or even make mini pies in our glass jars, ready for baking individually: https://realfood.tesco.com/recipes/leftover-ham-and-leek-mac-and-cheese.html.

Dealing with chocolate...
Did you also know you can freeze chocolate? Yes, if you are sick of the sight of it, freeze it in a lidded glass jar, and it will be good in the freezer for months - if you don't relent and defrost it first!

Hopefully, these tips will help you to deal with those Christmas leftovers in a fun way. Happy New Year from everyone at Wares!