Find out what to do with your Christmas leftovers with our handy little tips and recipes

If you’ve still got a turkey staring at you from the fridge, or a bit of ham going begging, here’s what to do with them and the other foods that are waiting to be used up before the New Year festivities start:

A gratin with cooked turkey and ham and a rich mature cheddar cheese and mustard sauce, topped with breadcrumbs, is delicious, baked till golden and bubbling. Serve with salad and bread.

A cold turkey Thai style salad with fresh beansprouts, cooked noodles, shredded greens like Chinese leaves, springs onions and other raw salad veggies of choice. Make a dressing with sweet chilli sauce, soy sauce, lemon juice and sunflower or peanut oil. Mix together, dress the salad and scatter some chopped peanuts over for crunch.

Turkey soup is delicious and easy. Boil up the carcass first to make stock. Make sure you remove all the leftover meat and reserve. Strain the stock into a clean pan, then add about 500g cooked and shredded turkey meat with finely chopped onion, a couple of chopped carrots, few sticks of celery and a couple of fresh raw potatoes, peeled and cut in small chunks, which help to thicken the soup. Bring to boiling then simmer till the veggies are tender. Season the dish with sea salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper. All this needs now is lots of fresh green finely chopped parsley to finish. Serve with brown bread.

Spice shredded cooked turkey by frying in a pan with olive oil, garlic, chilli and some chopped fresh tomato. Serve in tortilla wraps with salad, grated cheese and chilli sauce for topping.

Roast potatoes, parsnips and carrots can be fried to make a bubble and squeak type dish. Chop the veggies and add grated onion, fresh herbs and seasoning. A little cranberry sauce doesn’t go amiss here either. Fry in butter, turning, so the mix gets browned. Serve with cold turkey and spiced beef.

Coronation turkey uses cold cooked turkey mixed with a curried mayonnaise (mayo mixed with a mild good quality curry paste is good) spiked with lemon juice. You can add fresh fruit or a dollop of mango chutney to the mix. Serve on a bed of lettuce leaves as part of a buffet salad selection.

Spiced beef makes good fist food, cut into thin slices then served on crusty bread and topped with caramelised red onions or cranberry sauce.

The combo of ham and turkey is still a winner for a lovely hot pie. Bind the meats with a creamy white sauce which has grated onion and lots of fresh herbs in it. Pour into a dish, top with puff pastry and bake in the oven till golden brown.