10 Christmas leftover recipes as good as Christmas dinner

Liturgically, the feast of Christmas lasts for a full 12 days, from Christmas Day to the feast of the Epiphany (also known as 12th Night) on the 6th January. For me, Christmas food is as much about all the trimmings and the leftovers as the main event of Christmas dinner.  Let’s feast on leftovers until 12th night!

I put my Christmas decorations up round the 20th December and leave the until 12th night, in our increasingly commercial world it is not uncommon for Christmas decorations to be put up in early November to be ripped down for the Boxing Day sales when Christmastide has only just begun. But let us keep the tradition of food alive until the 12th night with an abundance of leftovers!

Use up the last of the potatoes and a slice or two of ham with this warming, comforting soup perfect for a light lunch—perhaps after a trip to the sales. A hefty dollop of Dijon mustard adds some piquancy and off sets the sweetness from the leeks. A vegetarian version without the ham will be just as good. Get the recipe.

With quality ready rolled puff pastry, there really is no need to spend the time making your own, always buy the all butter variety, and always keep a roll or two in the freezer (it defrosts in a couple of hours). These puff pastry pasties are filled with all manner of leftovers – turkey, bacon (or ham), stuffing, cranberry sauce and filled with a cheeky packet white sauce mix to make things very easy for yourself.  Perfect for an ultra low effort supper in front of the telly. Get the recipe.

There is nothing like a pie, and a turkey, bacon and leek pie a few days after Christmas can be a real crowd pleaser for the inevitable post-Christmas guests.   Make one huge pie, or individuals, top with short-crust or puff pastry. Get the recipe.

These spring rolls, filled with turkey and cranberry are fresh, vibrant and light after the excesses of Christmas. They are also really fun to make with children – simply lay all the ingredients out and let everyone assemble their own. Get the recipe.

Simply substitute chicken for the turkey in this oven baked pearl barley risotto. It also uses up a few sprouts and is made with an indulgently creamy sauce that is surprisingly healthy as it is made with a secret ingredient: cauliflower. I cannot wait to try it. Get the recipe.

My mother gets her mince pies ready a few weeks before Christmas, but rather than popping them in the oven, she pops them into the freezer. Once frozen push them out of their tins and pack into Tupperware. This way you can cook from frozen as needed. If you buy ready made, or have bake a few extra this mince pie ice cream will use them up nicely – simply crumble mince pies (or mincemeat) into an ice cream base. Get the recipe.

These custard tarts topped with crumbed Christmas cake are a great alternative to yet more mince pies and are sure to be popular. For bonus leftover points top with any remains of brandy butter. Yummy. Get the recipe.

I think that this dish could actually surpass the original unadulterated Christmas pudding.  Slices of leftover Christmas pudding baked with a covering of creamy boozy bourbon custard. An excuse to make an extra large pudding! Get the recipe.

Meringue is very easy to make, will always impress and can be made a good week in advance, which makes it the perfect thing to serve at a party. Here, a Pavlova is filled with whipped cream mixed with crumbed Christmas pudding and topped with seasonally spice orange slices. Get the recipe.

Not so much leftovers rather no-waste-at-all, this cake uses a big handful of peelings from a mix of potato, carrot, parsnips and cauliflower.  If ever there was an excuse to prepare your vegetables a few days before Christmas (they can be stored in bowls of water in the fridge) it would be this cake! Get the recipe.

Helen Best-Shaw, is a freelance food & recipe writer and blogger at Fuss Free Flavours.

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