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

We've purchased a smaller turkey this year, but usually it's a much bigger turkey. I grew up in the states, and we always had a huge turkey for Thanksgiving and another for Christmas. If there aren't any leftovers, it just seems wrong.

We make, of course, sandwiches (with just turkey and mayo or with cranberry and/or stuffing), turkey and ham pie, turkey curry, turkey tetrazzini. I try to freeze some sliced, so we can reheat it another time with gravy. And of course, we tend to nibble small pieces we've swiped from the leftovers throughout the day whenever we walk by the fridge.

We roast a whole enormous turkey for Christmas dinner, and eat mainly the breast meat with roast potatoes, carrots, brussel sprouts, sausages wrapped in bacon, cranberry sauce and (under duress) bread sauce.

Rest of the breast meat gets made into sandwiches that night with mango chutney, cucumber and tomato.

On Boxing day - slices of cold turkey, gammon, baked potatoes, carrot and cabbage coleslaw and salad.

27th December - turkey fajitas for a bit of spice, wrapped up in tortillas with strips of peppers, guacamole, salsa, sour cream and lime juice. Saw it as a suggestion in a Mary Berry Christmas book.

By that time we've had enough turkey, so the remaining meat is stripped off the legs, frozen, and used for a turkey curry with rice later in January.

I've also used leftovers to make a turkey and mushroom pie, after frying up remaining turkey meat with sliced mushrooms, throwing in a bit of creme fraiche and white wine, and putting on a short crust pastry top. Tastes great with mashed potatoes and broccoli.

I love the brown meat and it sounds disgusting but if you let leftover gravy solidify then use it to spread on toast or a sandwich then some turkey and some coleslaw and it really is the perfect turkey leftovers snack or lunch.

Soon after Xmas dinner is finished my DP will carve the remaining turkey and we will portion it up into family sized portions which will be frozen in bags ready to be used as and when needed. Some will be used again in roasts, others will be put in stir fry, curries or simply defrosted and used in sandwiches or as cold meat and mash. My favourite is a coronation turkey style sandwich filler.

I buy turkey all year round.

After Christmas we do turkey pie usually. It's my mum's special recipe and is lovely.
We also keep some cold for sandwiches for Boxing Day.

Yes we buy a whole one, but then feed around 6 each year so we can finish most. If not its sandwiches, salad and if there's a lot left we have had curry in the past. We love it so don't mind eating a lot of it. We also make soup with the carcass which is yummy and no effort between christmas and new year

I love Turkey my most favourite meat. I buy it at Christmas New year and Easter we have a whole bird, and throughout the year i buy fillets for stir fries. I love Christmas Dinner its not the same without a Turkey. We have all the trimmings and whats left over goes in sandwiches, soup and pie not that there is very much left over, i use the bones to make a stock from which i make the soup and pie gravy. Its such a healthy meat. I tend to put onion, lemon and some herbs inside the turkey rather than fill with stuffing i lift the skin and put butter just under i cover the skin in a butter and streaky bacon and then i lay on a base of carrots and onions with some boiling water before i seal it in a big tin covered in tin foil, so it steams rather than bakes, i cook for approx 2.5 hours medium heat about half hour before end i remove the foil and allow the turkey to crisp up and brown. It aways comes out moist never dry. :D

I don't do anything fancy, but there is nothing left on the carcass once I've finished with it. I freeze the leftover meat on Christmas night in batches depending how much is left.

Carcass goes to make soup.
Best leftovers are used for a luxury pie for family get together
Leftover leftovers are shredded into BBQ sauce and put in crispy rolls or chopped through risotto with butternut squash (my favourite), or used in toasties with melted cheese.

we love cold turkey with the cranberry sauce and Turkey curry also a huge favourite in our house. We usually make a large batch of curry and freeze it in portions for evening when we're too busy too cook.

Somehow Turkey curry made with fresh turkey pieces just doesn't taste as good as using leftovers!

We used to buy whole but just buy crown now so no waste and no faffing about. We love a turkey korma her or turkey stew if it lasts that long. Dh usually snaffles it the next morning before anyone else is awake as another roast made up of any other left over Christmas dinner.

Lots of things: shredded in mexican dishes like fajitas or enchiladas, curried, and in pies of various types. And you can't beat a turkey, mayo and stuffing sandwich on boxing day!

At Christmas we either buy a large whole turkey or two smaller ones.

For the last few years we've had friends join us for Christmas lunch so I've used the leftover turkey to make sandwiches in the evening for everyone and also put some aside for guests to take home with them.

We eat turkey all year round though as it's tastier than chicken but I buy turkey fillets or turkey steaks rather than a whole bird.

My Mum always saved the legs to make ´devilled´ turkey for my dad and her. She made delicious turkey fricasse for us kids. I much prefer cold turkey-love it for making Boxing day sandwiches -white bread with lashings of mayo and black pepper or on brown with chutney . Mmm

I turn my leftover turkey into turkey curry and serve it with basmati rice. Delicious!

We get a whole turkey. I always make a turkey curry and we have turkey and stuffing sandwiches too.

Only ever buy turkey at Christmas time, usually a while bird.

Leftovers become
Stock
Turkey rissoles
Christmas Pie(Turkey, cranberries, ham, chestnuts and stuffing)

I Still always buy a whole turkey over a crown because I just find it more satisfying to cook/carve and enjoy picking the last bits of meat off the bones because boiling it down to make stock. We always buy double the size turkey we actually need because it is tradition in our family to have turkey sandwiches with the leftover breast and the rest is used for 2 big turkey pies one enjoyed straight away and the other saved for New Year's Day!!!

Usually just buy a crown. Love having cold turkey along with ham, chutney to eat for tea on box day (& after that for lunches)

Leftovers are the best bit so I cook an overlarge bird. Then, depending on family member preference, there will be reheated christmas lunch or cold turkey, gammon, stuffing and salad on boxing day. Repeat the day after or somebody will make a pie/curry/turkey and rice dish. Sandwiches are available at all times. Eventually the carcass will be boiled up and the stock frozen for soup.

There are only 2 adults and a toddler for Christmas this year! There may be another adult joining us but nothing is set in stone yet! Therefore, we won't be getting a whole turkey! We will be getting a turkey crown and any leftovers will be going into sandwiches with cranberry sauce! Mmmm! Although my husband likes to just eat it by itself sometimes!

The only turkey we really buy throughout the year is the turkey in chicken tikka chunks that go well in sandwiches or in baguettes!

We buy a turkey large enough to keep us in tasty meals for about five days! Favourites include Coronation Turkey, retro vol-au-vents, one of Nigella's Turkey Leftover Asian Salads (cleansing!) and thick Turkey Soup too....

We love turkey sandwiches, has to be the white meat on white bread with butter, cranberry and just a tad of stuffing.

I make a leftovers pie, all the bits left from Christmas dinner with white and dark meat and a bit of gammon put in white sauce and encased in pastry. It is truly yummy

The last bits of turkey, every year, go into a creamy turkey curry. It has become symbolic of the end of Christmas in our house

Just a turkey crown bought here. Any leftovers become turkey curry or turkey sandwiches. We only buy a full turkey at christmas but we do also buy cuts of turkey for sandwiches throughout the year.

Whole turkey serves 4 for Christmas lunch plus sandwiches in the evening. Cold with bubble and squeak made from leftover roasties and sprouts Boxing Day. Curry for 2 day after. Then boil up the carcass and scraps, add seasoning and noodles to make thai soup.
We're out for Christmas Day this year but planning on getting a crown anyway so we don't miss out on the leftovers!

We buy a large turkey as everyone loves it. We have several full meals out of it, some gets used in sandwiches or pasta and any portions left are frozen to use later for meals, either a roast meal or just because we fancy a treat.