Tell British Turkey what you do with your turkey leftovers – £250 voucher prize draw!NOW CLOSED

[MichelleMumsnet]

British Turkey have asked us to find out how Mumsnetters use their leftover turkey during the festive season.

Here’s what they say, “British Turkey is a campaign to encourage people to eat more delicious British-farmed turkey both at Christmas and all year round. Turkey is a great versatile meat as it carries flavours really well, and what’s more, the breast meat is a really healthy choice as it is high in protein and lower in fat than any other mainstream meat so eating turkey makes perfect sense at family mealtimes and for those watching their weight. Look out for mince, breast fillets, steaks and diced thigh in supermarkets.

“However, Christmas is just around the corner and focus will be on buying traditional whole turkeys and large joints for the Big Day. British Turkey is here to help with everything you need to roast your turkey to perfection. We know that cooking a whole turkey for the Christmas table may seem a little daunting for some, but it certainly has its benefits. As well as having the most festive nostalgia, a whole bird is best value for money - for about the same price as a crown or a ready stuffed breast joint, you get the lovely leg meat. This means yummy cold cuts for Boxing Day and even enough leftovers enough to create a tasty dish for the freezer. So this Christmas plump for a whole turkey - you’ll get 3 meals in 1!”

So, do you buy a whole turkey for Christmas, or at another point during the season? If so, what do you do with the leftovers (or do you manage to finish the whole turkey on Christmas day?!)? Perhaps you make turkey sandwiches for lunch for the next few days? Or maybe you make a lovely turkey curry with the leftovers? Whatever it is, we’d love to hear it!

Everyone who adds their comments will be added into a prize draw to win a £250 Love2Shop voucher.

Thanks
MNHQ

[bobs123]

We used to buy a whole turkey and I would make an enormous batch of soup using the carcass and freeze in portions.

Now we buy a crown. We keep some leftovers for sandwiches (touted turkey and cranberry is a favourite) and further dinners for the next 2 days adding some gammon. Turkey curry is not popular in our house. I use some for soup and freeze. I also slice turkey and freeze in gravy or stock to eat about a month later

[ouryve]

The leg meat of a free range turkey is my favourite bit. It's so rich and tasty.

Of course, we do enjoy sandwiches and salads, but I love cooking breast meat, with leftover Christmas ham and leeks in a creamy sauce made with some of the turkey juices, flavoured with rosemary, and served with mash.

The leg meat is lovely in a stir fry, with chinese 5 spice and hoisin sauce or plum sauce.

[Patilla]

I agree that leg meat is tastier.
Makes good soup.
My treat though is turkey and bacon risotto, using white wine and shavings of Parmesan. Nice and warming. Makes me happy inside!

[Ellisisland]

While turkey definitely we tried just getting a crown one year and in just wasn't the same.

For leftovers we do the turkeys legs and chips for tea on Boxing Day. Turkey soup and my personal favourite Turkey and leftover stuffing sandwiches for Christmas day evening. yum!

[AtiaoftheJulii]

Usually just a crown (big one!), but I might try the whole thing this year. Last year, after turkey sandwiches for a couple of days, I used the remaining turkey and ham and made two hot-water crust pies - had one straightaway, one went in the freezer. I would definitely like to do that again this year, they were lovely, and easy!

[rupert23]

my mum cooks a big turkey and invites everyone for dinner which is lovely. She makes a turkey and ham pie with the leftovers and serves it with mash and veg and gravy which is really nice and a good way to use it up after christmas.

[2LittleFishes]

There's only me, dh and 2yo who eat Christmas dinner here so we have lots of leftovers.

Hot turkey and stuffing crusty barms for supper, leg meat goes in a thick creamy soup, then strip the remainder of the breast meat for turkey pie (with leftover veg, chips and gravy) as a nice, easy, cosy tea in the week after Christmas.

We love turkey, always say after Christmas that we should eat it more. It's a meat we generally forgoet about until Christmas time.

[gamerchick]

Well turkey is pretty much used throughout the year. I buy one stick it in an oven bag and cook it.. strip the meat and separate into meal sized portions and freeze. When I want to make something I grab a bag out of the freezer.

I'm making a turkey and veg gravy pie today.

[claire11d]

Turkey and ham pie is delicious or turkey and courgette frittata for a healthy option after all the seasonal indulgence. We like Turkey crown in our house but as there's only three of us there are always plenty of leftovers. Find it much moister than a whole bird.

[Lindsaym1983]

We go out for a Indian meal on Christmas Day ( I know it's strange ) so we have are traditional Christmas dinner on Boxing Day and we always have turkey sandwiches for tea with the leftovers and then make a curry for the next day and sometimes we have enough left t make a pasta bake with or to put in pies aswell

[ShatnersKaBOOM]

DH just eats loads of turkey sandwiches. I hate cold or reheated meat, so I'm not interested in leftovers at all.

[ExitPursuedByABear]

Turkey and red currant jelly butties with breast meat, for days, then Turkey and Sweet Leek pie with the rest. Yum.

[Cherryjellybean]

My mum does the turkey but we make turkey curry or my mum will make a pie with all the left overs inside :) yum!!

[mumsbe]

We have a little recipe we like to use for left over turkey nice and healthy too.
We mix the left over turkey with mushrooms rice peas ( mushrooms peas and rice already cooked) pineapple raisins and low fat yoghurt instead of mayo and a little lemon juice( you could also pop in any left over veg). scoop out the insides of some different coloured peppers and stuff the mixture in keeping the lid to put on top. place in the oven for around 20 mins.
You have a lovely snack or meal for the kids and if you wanted to add a few calories its very nice with melted mozzarella.
(this is also nice stuffed in pitta bread or wraps)

[CMOTDibbler]

Although we enjoy turkey mince/breast normally, we never have one at christmas - its not my family tradition, and dh would much rather have something thats a big treat meat wise

[AlexanderinaTheGreater]

We'll have a whole turkey, make plenty of stock from the carcass which will go into soup over the winter, and enjoy the left overs in sandwiches, curry, stir fry and whatever else anyone can think of - there's always plenty to freeze.

[OnIlkleyMoorBahTwat]

We only buy turkey at Christmas, but I buy a large breast joint from the farm shop for Christmas dinner.

We have some of the leftovers in the next day or two as part of a cold buffet and then I slice and freeze the rest in meal sized portions, which are reheated in gravy over the next couple of months or so as a shortcut to a roast dinner in the early part of the year.?

[Allalonenow]

I like to stuff a turkey with sausagemeat and herb stuffing, and later the sandwiches with stuffing and turkey are super.

With leftovers, I've often made turkey and mushroom in a creamy sauce and served it with rice or tagliatelli, or used it in a pie, or to fill pancakes. Turkey risotto is another favourite.
I also like a fruity turkey salad with orange or pink grapefruit segments and pomegranate seeds with Caesar dressing, makes a lovely quick fresh tasting lunch.

Always make a pan of turkey stock too, a great base for warming and cheap winter soups.

[fRaahhnkenstein]

We get a Turkey crown - BIL takes some home with him, and the rest dh has on sandwiches for work, or stir fried with noodles and veg. If there's enough we might do a curry. We don't generally buy a huge one though, as we also do a small gammon (dcs prefer it) and BIL always bring a beef joint - so there's a selection of meat leftoevers

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

We always buy a bigger turkey than we need for the day.

we have:
cold turkey,
freeze some in tupperware with gravy for quick other sunday lunches.
Turkey sandwiches,
turkey soup
turkey and ham pie
turkey stir fry
turkey curry.

Is it lunchtime yet?

[GoldfishSpy]

Whole turkey here.

Turkey sarnies with bread sauce - yum.
Also turkey curry on Boxing Day. mmmmmmm

[Dolallytats]

We only buy a crown these days because the children don't like turkey. I'm pretty boring with the leftovers, but I wouldn't have it any other way!! We have the 'turkey and trimmings' on Christmas day, cold turkey with mashed potatoes and pickles on Boxing day and, if there's any left after that, turkey and stuffing sandwiches.

The Boxing day meal is my favourite.

I do but turkey all year round, but I seem to be the only family member that thinks a turkey is not just for Christmas!!

[ButtfaceMiscreant]

We have a whole (v. large) turkey, as there are usually around 12-15 people for Christmas lunch. My DM cooks enough to feed an army with the amount of trimmings we have (3 types of stuffing, all the different veg, pigs in blankets etc etc).

There is always enough turkey to go round for our "party tea" on Christmas Day evening (cold slices to go with the ham, cheese board etc), followed by a turkey and ham pie with "Boxing Day Mash", which has all the leftover veg fried bubble and squeak style.

If we're lucky, and depending on whether all my siblings/their partners were present for Christmas lunch, there is sometimes enough turkey to have sandwiches on Boxing Day/27th December. This isn't often though!

I am yet to cook my own Christmas lunch with a turkey (we did a chicken one year when it was just me and DH - it felt too quiet that year!), but now I have a DD I think we will begin to cook our own meal in the coming years, so I'm taking note of the lovely ideas of the pps