Great British Food - Christmas 2025

Themagicof the storecupboard A well stocked pantry or store cupboard means those leftovers can be utterly transformed. We recommend stockpiling on the following in the lead up to Christmas: cheese, eggs, flour, butter, nuts, dried fruit, spices (cumin, coriander, ginger, turmeric, chilli flakes, cayenne, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, curry powder, garam masala), salt and pepper, dried herbs (rosemary, thyme, sage, oregano), ketchup, mayonnaise, soy sauce, fish sauce, Worcestershire sauce, sesame oil, tahini, stock, tinned pulses, tinned tomatoes, olives, anchovies, lemons and limes, cream, Greek yoghurt, vinegars, pasta, rice, grains, noodles. Gammon Lasts in the fridge: Up to three days. Gammon is one of the most prized of all Christmas leftovers. For a quick fix make a Cuban style sandwich. Slice a baguette in half horizontally and layer with Dijon mustard, slices of gherkin, gammon and Swiss cheese. Crisp it up in a sandwich press, or press between two baking sheets to compress, butter the outside and grill until melty and crisp. Stir frying is another tasty way to tackle gammon... Chinese-style stir fry In China, there are loads of fried rice dishes, and some of the tastiest arrive laden with tiny nuggets of Chinese sausage. Usually air dried, and comparable to German beer sticks or our own little snacking salamis, they deliver a salty, savoury hit and added bite to Chinese cuisine. The saltiness of gammon is a worthy alternative. To serve four, cook 400g white rice. Finely chop a small onion and fry in a wok or large frying pan to soften. In the meantime, mix together ½ teaspoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon light soy sauce ¾ teaspoon caster sugar, ¼ teaspoon sea salt, large pinch white pepper, 1 teaspoon rice wine, and 1 tablespoon oil. Chop a couple of handfuls of cooked gammon into 1cm pieces and add to the softened onion. Cook for one minute. Now, add a handful of frozen peas or cooked leftover Christmas veg. Add the cooked rice and toss together. Then add the prepared sauce and mix through. Finally, crack two large eggs at the edge of the pan, and carefully fold through the rice. Finish with chopped spring onions and toasted sesame seeds (if you like). Nuts Once opened, nuts will last for quite a while stored in an airtight tub. The kind of whole nuts in the shell you might throw in the fruit bowl at Christmas, however, have a tendency to go rancid, being fresher, with more moisture in them than you think. Don’t wait for that to happen. Crack them all open and toast in a dry pan with any other nuts you want to use up that are lurking in the cupboard. Once you can smell their fragrance, add a few spoonfuls of unsalted butter – just enough to coat them all, a tablespoon of brown sugar, a large pinch of cayenne pepper, a few generous grinds of salt, and a tablespoon of dried rosemary or very finely chopped fresh rosemary. Taste for salt, then serve warm – preferably in front of a film under a blanket. greatbr i t i shfoodawards.com 110 LEFTOVERS