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Elevate the basics with cupboard staples and when it’s all finished store the leftovers quickly
Turning a dish from what you might have at the weekend to something special to impress guests can often be achieved just by adding something which is already in the fridge or cupboard.
If you have bought a basic stuffing, you can add sausagemeat to make it more substantial, says Mimi Harrison, author of the Beat the Budget cookbook. A packet of cocktail sausages can be improved by cooking them in mango chutney or cranberry sauce. Or do the same with some regular sausages that you have sliced up.
“To make mini brie and cranberry sausage rolls, you can get eight sausages for about £1.80, puff pastry for £1.20, brie for £1.70 and use just a little of the cranberry sauce that you’ve bought for Christmas,” says Harrison.
“Baked camembert, which can be served with a crusty loaf, costs just under a fiver and can be jazzed up with cupboard staples such as honey and paprika.”
She says halloumi can be mixed with sweet chilli sauce and some spices to make a 20-minute canape.
Baileys, a Christmas tipple in many homes, can be poured on top of ice-cream, then sprinkled with chocolate for a decadent desert. Or mix 100ml of the liqueur with a shot of strong coffee and some ice – and some optional vodka – to make an espresso Martini. Asda has bottles for £10.
A carton of long-life apple juice can be turned into a festive mulled drink: throw it in a pan with some cloves and a cinnamon stick, and some slices of orange or lemon, and warm it up.
The freezer is your friend when it comes to festive standbys.
Keep a packet of ready-made puff pastry in there which you can pull out when you know guests are heading your way. “Unroll it, score a rectangle, then spread it with cranberry sauce and top with some cheese – slices of brie, crumbled cheddar, wensleydale or goat’s cheese,” says Jassy Davis of online grocer Abel & Cole.
“Or use shredded turkey, chopped stuffing and grated parmesan. Bake until golden and serve with salad. It’s a great light meal for unexpected guests.”
Harrison says a bag of frozen prawns in the freezer can be quickly defrosted with some cold water and turned into a prawn cocktail with the aid of ketchup, mayo and Worcestershire sauce.
Crisps and nuts also keep well in the freezer, according to Kate Hall, author of The Full Freezer Method, so stash half-eaten packets for emergency use.
But they should be eaten quickly once they have been taken out. “They’re well worth keeping in the fridge or freezer because they’ve got high oil content,” she says.
“I know it sounds weird, but it makes them crisper.”
Hall says using the freezer to store part-cooked food will allow you to spread your workload, and it can be a way to use up vegetables you might otherwise have been tempted to throw away.
Start with vegetables by first boiling and then plunging them into ice water, before spreading them out on a tray and freezing, she says. This way they will not clump together and can then be stored in a bag.
This method can be used for carrots, parsnips, sprouts, cauliflower and green beans, among other vegetables.
“They should then be cooked from frozen,” says Hall. “I roast them all for ease, tastiness and to minimise washing up.”
Potatoes can also be prepared in a similar way and then roasted in hot oil with garlic and rosemary.
Stuffing balls and pigs in blankets can be made or bought, and then frozen. “You’ve got the flexibility there on deciding how much you actually need,” she says.
“Sauces and red cabbage can be made or bought, and frozen flat in usable portions in freezer bags – if you usually make or buy tubs of gravy in advance, this is a great way to free up fridge space.”
To make gravy in advance, you can buy a packet of chicken wings for about £2, roast them and make stock which can be used as the base for the sauce.
If you don’t get any surprise guests, you can have an easy time in the new year. If you don’t eat everything you’ve prepared, “have a roast dinner in January and February and work it through until you finish it all off”, Hall says.
“It’s going to be fine tucked away in the freezer.”
After the main meal is finished, move to store your leftovers quickly, Davis says. These could help you in an emergency at a later date.
“Transfer all the veg dishes to tubs, then seal and chill. Strip the turkey meat off the bones and store in a tub. The bones can be kept in the fridge ready to be turned into stock on Boxing Day.
“Most leftovers will last two to three days in the fridge and are great for hashes and sandwiches,” she says.
A typical 5kg turkey will be enough to feed between eight and 10 people. If you need to bulk out the remains, ingredients that may already be sitting in your store cupboard can help.
“If you are using some in a soup, you can bulk it up with pulses or lentils and then you will need less meat,” says Davis.
“About 400g of turkey is good for a soup for six to eight people. If you are making a curry, adding chickpeas will add bulk.”
The remains of the cheeseboard can be turned into a fondue with some bread and white wine, while leftover sprouts can be turned into bhajis with the aid of spices and gram flour – a good accompaniment to the inevitable curry.
The Boxing Day sandwich does not just have to be mayo, turkey and stuffing – Max Halley of Max’s Sandwich Shop in north London recommends turning raw sprouts into a pickle to add crunch.
He also mashes up leftover veg with an egg, fries them into a patty and combines everything for a mammoth sandwich.
To make it look like you have made an effort, think about how you are serving the food. Getting out your nicest crockery instantly suggests you have bothered, as does adding a garnish.
Leftover shop-bought hummus could be spooned into a bowl, with a dash of olive oil or sprinkle of paprika to elevate it.
A simple cup of coffee looks fancier if, along with it, you put one of the chocolates you had for Christmas, or some cream in a jug – even if it is just what’s left over from the pudding.
Sprout bhajis? How to feed unexpected guests at Christmas and New Year
