Chef Dan has given us some great tips on how to be savvy this Christmas so that you save money and waste less! He has also shared his favourite festive specials!
PLAN, PLAN, PLAN
Plan what you are cooking across the whole festive period, work out how many people will be at each meal and portions! If you are making a big spread factor in left overs for the next day. Remember to resist those supermarket bargains!
PREP, PREP, PREP
Prepare what you can before hand, remember you can always freeze bits & bobs, especially sauces and sides! This will help you feel on top of your meals and mean you don’t frantically over cook.
FREEZER IS YOUR FRIEND
You can also freeze left overs after you cook! Make sure you have organised your freezer before the festive season starts, make space and label topple wear, you will future self will thank you.
YOU CAN ALWAYS SHARE FOOD
Don’t be a joey. If you have a lot of leftovers and know you won’t eat them from the freezer then share them around! You can give them to your neighbours, guests, or donate them to a local homeless charity. You can also use the OLIO app!
Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Such a simple thing to make and you will always be the hero of Christmas if you turn up with a jar of homemade cranberry sauce!! You can make it with either fresh or frozen cranberries so give it a whirl! To really make it a bit posh why not swap the orange for prosecco or add a splash of gin!
Ingredients:
250g Cranberries (fresh or frozen)
115g Light Brown Sugar
1 Orange (zest & juice)
5 Fresh Thyme Sprigs
Instructions:
- In a medium to large saucepan pour in the cranberries and turn the heat to high to get the cranberries popping.
- Zest the orange and place zest in the pan. Squeeze in the orange juice and give the mix a good stir.
- Once cranberries are popping turn down the heat to a low to medium setting.
- Add in the sugar and stir again.
- Finally add in the thyme and allow the sauce to simmer.
- Don’t be gentle when stirring as you want to break the cranberries up a bit so the sauce looks more jam consistency.
- Continue cooking until the sauce is lovely and thick.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool before adding to the jars or on the table.
- Enjoy!
Servings: x8 Ready in min: 20mins +cooling
Bubble & Squeak Tarts
One of my favourite parts of Christmas is all those leftovers the next day… Bubble and squeak is just so awesome!!! A few years ago though I wanted to make my b&s even awesomer! So decided to add some to a tart!!
Ingredients:
2 cups Christmas Leftovers
4 Eggs
½ cup Cream
½ cup Milk
1 pack Shortcrust pastry
Handful of Sage Leaves
½ cup Cranberry Sauce
Instructions:
Format your instructions nicely, it is recommended you use ordered lists e.g.
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees
- Roll out pastry and line either one big quiche dish or around 10-12 individual ones.
- Line the pastry with parchment paper and weigh down with baking bead aor if you havent got any uncooked rice will do the same thing. Bake tart cases for 15 mins.
- While that’s all baking whisk up the eggs, cream and milk and add the chopped up left overs.
- Evenly distribute the mix to the case/s and place on a baking tray. Put it back in the oven and cook for 35-40 mins or until the mix has set.
- Fry off some sage leaves until crispy and to serve add a dollop of cranberry sauce and top with the crispy sage leaves.
- Enjoy!
Servings: 8-10
Ready in min: 60 mins
Banging Bread Sauce
What a way to use up 2 of the most wasted items in the home… milk and bread! Turkey isn’t turkey without a big dollop of bread sauce on the plate!
Ingredients:
1 onion
8 cloves
2 bay leaves
¼ whole Nutmeg, grated
600ml whole milk
2-3 slices white bread
30g unsalted butter
salt, black pepper
Instructions:
- Stud the onion with cloves
- Pour milk into a pot with the onion, bay leaves and a little pinch of nutmeg
- Bring to the boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes to enfuse all the flavours.
- Remove the bay leaves and onion, then slowly add in pieces of the bread, and whisking constantly until it is as thick as you like it!
- Finish off with a knob of butter and taste… season and,……
- Enjoy!
Servings: The Table
Ready in min: 40mins
