Forget turkey curry – here’s how to transform your Christmas leftovers

I’ll start by laying my (Christmas) cards on the table: never in all my 32 years have I had turkey curry. I’ve heard tell of it from friends, popular TV programmes and papers, but as with most things Christmas, it’s a question of family – and in my family it has never been much of a thing. 

Christmas pie, on the other hand, is a different matter in our house. It’s like Desert Island Discs for a turkey: no matter how great the Christmas Day feast, it’s only when you’re in a Christmas pie that you know you have made it as a bird. So the idea of doing “something a bit different” with. our leftovers this year filled me with just as much dread as those of you in Camp Curry.

Here’s the thing though: everything is different this year. Many of us are in smaller groups. Some of us are going solo. And none us will be raising our glasses with anything like the same joie de vivre. 

So if we’re shaking up Christmas anyway, why not go the full Shakin’ Stevens and transform your leftovers into something upbeat and jazzy, with the help of the following tips and recipes.    

Pizza

As the co-founder of London’s pioneering Homeslice pizzeria, there isn’t much that Mark Wogan won’t put on a pizza – and that includes Christmas dinner. Make the dough (or buy one of Homeslice’s Take & Bake margherita pizzas, which just needs to be baked in the oven), then proceed with the topping. 

“Mix a tsp of Dijon mustard with 1 tbsp of mayonnaise and sour cream in a bowl,” he advises. “Add a squeeze of lemon and season with salt and pepper and add your leftover brussels sprouts. Fry off some leftover roasties until crisp, then scatter over the cooked pizza alongside your sprout mix and shredded pieces of turkey meat.” Bake in a hot oven for a couple of minutes and tuck in.

Savoury bread pudding

“There will always be leftovers at Christmas, but please do not throw anything away,” urges Richard Corrigan, chef patron of Bentley’s Oyster Bar & Grill, Daffodil Mulligan and Corrigan’s Mayfair in London, and Virginia Park Lodge in Ireland. His particular favourite is savoury bread pudding. “Take about ½ pint of bread sauce, add two eggs and cook it slowly in a ramekin,” he explains.  “Chill it and serve sliced, topped with turkey breast or cold ham.”

Pasta or risotto

As a Majorcan who spent his early career in Spanish restaurants, Richard De La Cruz, head chef of Arros QD in London, approaches Christmas leftovers unfettered by British traditions. “In Majorca, we tend not to make a pie or curry as you do over here with the leftover meat,” he says. “We mix it with onions, garlic and herbs to make meatballs or use it as a ravioli filling.” The poultry bones are roasted down, then vegetables added “for a paella for a Boxing Day lunch with friends”.

Bao buns

Goose might be the most traditional Christmas bird, but these bao buns from the owner of Kricket London, Will Bowlby, are anything but: “I like to shred the meat from the carcass, glaze it in a little honey and soy sauce and mix well,” says Bowlby. “Fill the steaming bao buns and add some shredded raw vegetables like brussels sprouts” – to make yourself feel better about the bao, if nothing else.

Broth

“Something spicy and super light is exactly what is needed after the big day,” Lucy Carr-Ellison and Jemima Jones of Wild by TART observe. Their go-to gut-relief? A warming, comforting broth. “Strip the leftover turkey or goose and add the bones into a large pot. Add water, chopped onions, mixed herbs, fresh chilli, ginger, garlic, peppercorns, lemongrass and whatever else you have in the fridge and bring to the boil then simmer with the lid on for about two hours,” they instruct. “Season to taste then, using a colander, pour the broth into a large bowl and add remaining turkey or goose meat.” If, like me, you consider carbs an essential requirement for any meal, just add noodles. There’s bound to be some lurking in the cupboard.

Tacos

This one, from Meriel Armitage of Club Mexicana, goes out to all the vegetarians and vegans – though it would work just as well with turkey or chicken. “I like to throw everything into a taco or burrito: it’s the ultimate low-effort way to polish off all your leftovers, because you can put anything in it. 

"I use my vegan ‘turkey’, or nut roast leftovers if I have them, and add potatoes, leftover veg, a dash of gravy, and anything else that needs using. Hot sauce is also a must – don’t be afraid to really spice up the gravy to get a nice little kick! I often feel quite heavy after Christmas, so corn tacos are a great way to cut out some gluten and make the whole thing a bit lighter, whilst still being comforting and Christmasy!”

Gumbo

The prize for the most unusual leftover dish has to go to Jacob Kenedy, chef patron of Plaquemine Lock, one of the few restaurants in London serving the cuisine of the Deep South, who recommends a gumbo of turkey and shrimp. “Shell some prawns, and roast your turkey carcass brown, having picked off and set aside all the remaining meat. Dice onion, garlic, green pepper, jalapeńo and celery – keep the celery base and pepper stalks and seeds. Make a stock with your leftover gravy, the carcass, the vegetable trimmings and more vegetables – simmer a good two hours, then add the prawn shells and simmer an hour more. Strain it – it should smell, in a good way, of swamp creatures. Fry flour in oil or duck or goose fat until milk chocolate colour – this takes time, stirring, and bravery. 

"When properly chocolatey, add your diced vegetables and cook for 30 minutes, gently, until tender. Add the stock, turkey meat, and any leftover pigs in blankets you have knocking around. Braise for 20 minutes, gently bubbling, then add some okra cut into rounds and simmer for 20 minutes more. Add the peeled shrimp tails, turn off the heat, and wait for them to plum and pinken. Serve with a pile of rice atop the centre of each bowl, and a goodly sprinkling of spring onions.”

Colcannon

You don’t need a bird or even a nut roast for banging leftovers. As Will Blank of Top Cuvee in Highbury points out, leftover sprouts – or white cabbage, if you’re a hater – and potatoes make a good colcannon. Chop up your sprouts and roasties, add some stuffing and gravy and bake in the oven until golden – delicious!

Pie

It’s a classic for a reason, and as some chefs couldn’t resist sharing their recipes, I shan’t hold off passing them on. Tommy Banks is chef patron of the Black Swan in Oldstead, and says his mum’s go-to leftover dish is what she calls a “turkey turnover”. “It's basically any leftover turkey and ham meat with leeks and puff pastry – shop-bought is fine. Mix it up with a good mustardy sauce and you have yourself the perfect Boxing Day lunch,” he enthuses. 

Tom Aikens of Muse in London meanwhile, recommends a baked pie – also with puff pastry. “Make a basic bechamel, add some leeks & mushrooms, a dash of cream, grainy mustard and parsley. Then add all the white & dark meat – ham or poultry will be fine – cut up into smallish pieces. Pop into a pie dish, cover with defrosted puff pastry, brush with egg yolk and bake at 200C for 20 mins.”