The joy of leftovers – what to cook in the calm after Christmas
At this time of year, I like to stay home, shut off from the world and do as little as possible for as long as possible.Eat all the food, embrace all the leftovers and be creative with whatever’s in the kitchen.After the big day, I like to turn leftovers into some sort of pie: they’re forgiving and malleable and work with whatever you have hanging about.This leftovers pie from Tom Hunt and this turkey and ham pie from Felicity Cloake are great places to start.You could absolutely make your own pastry, as Tom does, or use shop-bought if you want to keep things as simple as possible (I always store a few rolls of pastry in the fridge over Christmas for precisely this reason).
If it’s cheese that you have in abundance, meanwhile, then Rosie Birkett’s decadent-sounding lazy cheeseboard tart is a perfect way of using up the odds and ends of any remaining festive fromage,The Guardian’s journalism is independent,We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link,Learn more,As well as comfort food, I also find I need a change of pace after the 25th; I start craving spice and less hearty meals, too.
Yotam Ottolenghi’s Boxing Day fried rice with garlic and spring onion sauce is the perfect way to be resourceful with leftover roast veg, as is Meera Sodha’s Christmas veg penang curry, a real treat of a dish that I enjoy year-round, and especially after the indulgence of December.Nigel Slater’s roast parsnip and stilton soup with beetroot crisps is another great addition to your leftovers repertoire, not least because it is a recipe that needs very few ingredients, very little work and is immensely adaptable.If I don’t have beetroot kicking around, I just leave it out.And if I have leftover comté instead of stilton, I’ll chop and stir that in instead.And then there are the puddings.
No matter how well I plan, I always have an excess of mince pies and Christmas pudding, so this year I am stocking up on the additional ingredients for Felicity Cloake’s fabulous Christmas pudding tiffin – what an inspired way of giving new life to leftovers! It’s perfect for any last-minute visits or visitors, or just to enjoy on the sofa with a glass of sherry in front of your favourite Christmas movie.Merry Christmas to all!More bakes | I’m clearly embracing my sweet tooth and want to share one of my favourite festive reads of all time: Advent by Anja Dunk.I adore this classic Christmas book and think it is a must for any keen bakers.Dunk shares recipes from her German heritage, and her book is filled with inspiring recipes and stories, beautiful photography and prints that she created herself.Favourites of ours include peppery gingerbread, gefüllte lebkuchen (jam-filled lebkuchen) and marzipan-filled stollen.
A beautiful addition to any bookshelf,Scandi treat | My current addiction is Lakrids by Bülow; these little balls of chocolate-coated artisanal liquorice are my achilles heel; I also love their Christmas pairing of caramel balls with festive raspberry,Sous Chef also stocks a smaller festive set, as well as many of their other flavours (they’re gluten-free, too),New Year, new cake | Leaning into my Greek Cypriot roots, I love making all the traditional festive biscuits and cakes in December, such as melomakarona, kourabiedes and vasilopita,Vasilopita is a cake that’s traditionally eaten at New Year, and features a lucky charm hidden inside, a bit like the French galette des rois.
It is said that the finder will have good luck all year and my yiayia (grandma) always makes a large one for all of our family,You can absolutely have a go at making it yourself, or just order one from Greek Mama’s Bakehouse, which makes them all by hand and is delivering before New Year,Great as a gift or to have at home to see in 2026 with loved ones,One last sugar hit for the road | If you’re still in need of a present for a fellow sweet-toothed loved one, head to Gower Cottage Brownies,These treats by post have cult status – and rightly so: they are very, very good (they have gluten-free and vegan options, too).
You can either send a box by post, or set up a gift box subscription.After all – and let’s be honest here – it’s in the deepest depths of January, February and March that we really need a sweet treat to get us through the short, dark days.If you want to read the complete version of this newsletter please subscribe to receive Feast in your inbox every Thursday.
Help UK ceramics industry or ‘lose piece of national identity’, government told
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Elon Musk warns of impact of record silver prices before China limits exports
A surge in the price of silver to record highs this month has prompted a warning from Elon Musk that manufacturers could suffer the consequences.Silver has risen sharply during December, part of a precious metals rally that also pushed gold and platinum to record levels on Boxing Day.Analysts have attributed the jump in prices to expectations of US interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve in 2026, leading to increased demand for hard assets that protect against inflation and currency debasement.New restrictions on silver exports from China, which begin on 1 January, have created supply fears while geopolitical worries have lifted demand for safe-haven assets.Silver hit $79 (£58) an ounce for the first time last Friday, a new peak, up from $56 at the start of December, and just $29 an ounce at the start of 2025
AI is coming for young people’s office jobs. That’s good news for the construction industry | Gene Marks
While standing on the sideline watching a high school soccer game, my friend, who owned a small and successful construction company, complained that his son – a senior – was starting at a respected local university that fall, which would cost roughly $200,000 over the next four years.“I could take the same money and set him up in a contracting business,” he said. “It would be a much better investment.”That was in 2010. The kid did go to that college and graduated four years later with a degree in history
The 2025 US economy – in charts: rising prices, hiring slowdown, rollercoaster growth
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Labour must learn lessons from history as automation hits jobs market | Richard Partington
Walk through a supermarket and the technology is everywhere. Self-service checkouts, electronic shelf labels, handheld barcode scanners and the video screens showing you – caught by AI facial recognition cameras – leaving the shop.In an economy struggling for growth, the encroachment of these machines in our everyday lives could be an early sign of a new dawn – a tech-driven renaissance in activity after years of flatlining growth in productivity and stalled business investment. No bad thing.On the other hand, it could be the glimpse of a dystopian future that is already beginning to take shape
Former Wessex Water boss received £170,000 bonus despite ban on performance pay
The former chief executive of Wessex Water received a £170,000 bonus from its parent company last year despite a ban on performance-related pay after criminal pollution failures on his watch.Colin Skellett received a total of £693,000 in pay from the water company’s Malaysian-owned parent company, YTL Utilities (UK), including the bonus, according to its accounts up to June 2025.The bonus prompted strong criticism from the Liberal Democrats, which said it showed that the government’s bonus ban was “nowhere near strong enough”.Wessex was banned from paying bonuses for the year after it was criminally convicted in November 2024 for a sewage pumping station failure six years earlier, which killed more than 2,000 fish and resulted in the company paying a fine of £500,000. In June the government banned bonuses covering the 2024-25 financial year for the chief executives and finance bosses of Wessex and five other companies
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