Boxing Clever

Terrific tips for a Boxing Day spread

No-one wants to cook on Boxing Day so here are some ideas on how to put on a great Boxing Day spread without any stress…

 

Get in lots of chutneys and pickles: liven up a platter of cold meats and cheese, with a variety of tasty chutneys or pickles. Mix and match flavours – Lishkins fig chutney is a best-seller or go for the Christmassy cranberry chutney, gorgeous with leftover turkey.

Try: Lishkins Preserves, Selsey Fine Foods

Stock up on cheese: it’s rare that anyone manages to finish a cheese board on Christmas Day so enjoy the leftovers as part of a Boxing Day spread. Devour with some quality sourdough bread or crackers. For interest, have a selection of soft, hard and blue.

Try: Simon Weaver Organic Brie, Jonathan Crump, White Lake Cheese, Godsells Artisan Cheese, The Old Cheese Room, Bath Soft Cheese, Windrush Valley Goat Dairy, Brinkworth Dairy; Hobbs House Bakery, la Parisienne, The Artisan Baker

Cook a joint or two: while you’re cooking the turkey on Christmas Day, whack in a piece of meat at the same time to enjoy cold on Boxing Day with chutneys and cheese. Ham or beef always go down well.

Try: Adeys Organic for beef, The Stowe Herd and Hinton Marsh Farm for ham

Use up your leftovers: the question on Boxing Day is always ‘what do I do with all that food’?! But, a bit of creative thought can turn leftovers into new culinary delights – sprout and chestnut soup; bubble and squeak pasties; turkey and ham pie; and for something really novel, try pan-frying leftover Christmas pudding in a little butter and served with cream.

Try: Jess’ Farm Ladies organic cream, Faithfull’s Quality Baking Christmas pudding

Make a quick slaw: after so much rich food on Christmas Day you need something cleansing to go with your dishes on Boxing Day. A winter slaw is the ideal accompaniment to cold meats, cheese and chutneys – to make it, finely shred seasonal veg such as red cabbage, apple, carrot, celeriac and fennel and dress in an Asian-style dressing.

Try: for fresh seasonal vegetables, go to Coleshill Organic Farm, Croft Farm, Duncan Paget & Co, Over Farm Market, Newark Farm, Hotch Potch Organic; Days Cottage