The remains of the day: give your Christmas leftovers a lift

For many of us, our favourite part of the Christmas festive feasting is using up the leftovers. For those who have been following this column over the course of the past month, you’ll have noticed a focus on reducing waste as we go. This week’s recipes rely solely on some ham-infused stock, leftover stuffing and a turkey carcass, with a little help from some frozen peas and stale bread. While this description may not sound too appetising, I’m hoping the photographs will hook you in.

Once the big dinner is done and dusted, the Celebrations box has reached stray Bounty levels, and my family and friends have seen enough of me to do them until midsummer, it is time for a reboot. Attention can then turn to spring, brighter evenings and the health kick that is creeping around the corner to peel me off the couch. I’ve started early, with our leftovers, taking inspiration from big flavours, lighter food and that splash of colour to pull us into the new year.

First up is a hot and sour broth using what’s left of the turkey. This takes inspiration from my travels in southeast Asia, one of my favourite parts of the world, where the food is fresh and fragrant, jammed with flavour and doesn’t burn your bank account. There’s also an element of that powdered chicken noodle soup flavour that most of us will know. There’s something about noodles suspended in a broth seasoned with stock cube that brings back comforting childhood memories.

I’d go as far as saying frozen peas are better to eat than seasonal fresh peas, so why not use them in December?

Boiling up the carcass is a great stock technique and one that can be used all year round. This recipe is great with leftover roasted chicken as well as the remains of the turkey. And don’t be afraid to freeze any excess stock for later use. I’ve garnished it here with loads of herbs, onions and chillies, but you can add any greenery or veg that’s leftover from Christmas day. Sprouts would also be ideal in place of cabbage.

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Next, we have a pea and ham soup, a recipe as old as time, brought to the next level with a few cheat ingredients. While the ham stock is full of flavour, I round it out by seasoning it with half a stock cube. The crème fraîche adds some acidity and helps the texture when the soup is blended, while the frozen peas are absolutely packed with natural sugar. I’d go as far as saying frozen peas are better to eat than seasonal fresh peas, so why not use them in December? The blast freezing process, which happens straight after picking, maintains all that sweetness.

A little open sandwich with leftover stuffing is the perfect mop for the last of this striking soup, and with that, we can look forward to a whole new year of great food in 2024.

Lastly, I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas packed with delicious food. Best of luck on Monday to those in the kitchen and have a very happy new year.

Recipe: Hot and sour turkey noodle soup

Recipe: Pea and ham soup with stuffing crostini