Turkey sandwiches still tops for Christmas leftovers - but here are some other ideas

Turkey sandwiches are still our favourite way to use up Christmas left-overs with turkey curry another perennial favourite.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is urging people to use up their leftovers this year and avoid waste after the Christmas. 

In a recent survey by the EPA,  78 per cent of people reported that cold meats were their favourite festive leftovers, for making sandwiches (53 per cent), or the fabled turkey curry (16 per cent), cold turkey plate (12 per cent) and turkey pie (4 per cent).

A less stressful dinner on St Stephen's day when leftover turkey and ham, which has already been carved, can be reheated (steaming always works well) is a staple in our household and a more relaxed one than Christmas day. 

You can get creative with leftover meats and a simple pie with ready rolled puff pastry, some Crème fraîche and chicken stock is also a tasty way to use up what you have in your fridge. Some herbs, such as thyme, will add more flavour to the pie. 

Leftover ham is also very versatile and can be used for Omelettes & quiches, pasta carbonara, cheese boards, quesadillas & tacos and even sprinkled on pea soup, according to the EPA. 

The EPA urges that once meats and food are cooled, you should store leftovers in reusable, resealable tubs in the fridge, to be eaten and not forgotten!

"As well as saving you money, leftovers are the no-stress dinner that makes it easy for you to invite family and friends around during Christmas time," the EPA says. 

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Odile Le Bolloch, Food Waste Prevention Team Lead at the EPA said: “Christmas is a time for celebrating, but the festive season means more food and extra leftovers. By taking simple steps to manage our food, we can trim our shopping bills, save time and reduce our impact on the environment. We are encouraging every household to reduce their festive food waste and make the most of the leftovers - especially on St. Stephen’s Day which we like to call National Leftovers Day.”

For great tips and advice to reduce food waste at Christmas and all year round go to www.stopfoodwaste.ie. There are great ideas for using leftovers including the ‘12 Days of Christmas Recipes’ and ‘Luscious Leftovers’.