How to host a Boxing Day buffet

By

Georgina Kiely

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Use the Christmas leftovers to conjure up a tempting buffet if you're entertaining after the big day. We have easy-to-make, seasonal dishes to wow a crowd.

Boxing Day was made for relaxing with friends and family, and indulging in the best of your Christmas leftovers. Turn lonely-looking scraps into innovative recipes and if you're having people over, put together a buffet to impress. These dishes are all about big, comforting flavours and making the most out of festive favourites. We've got clever pasta bakes, salads, scones and puddings to use up whatever's left in the kitchen and keep the party going well beyond Christmas Day.

Salads and finger foods

Use your leftover party nibbles to create a riot of colour and flavour with our brown rice canapé bowl and serve it up with a sweet chilli and sesame sauce for drizzling. For a last-minute showstopper, bake up a batch of Boxing Day scones. Use up chunks of gammon or ham and a crumbling of your favourite festive cheese and serve them warm with lashings of butter and an optional chunky pickle.

Do you have carrots left over from Christmas Day? You can enhance them with texture and fresh flavours by using them in this orange, fennel & wild rice salad. And turn potato peelings into a crunchy snack – get our recipe for easiest ever potato peel crisps.

Magnificent mains

Your festive buffet table will be groaning under the weight of all the fabulous dishes you can create with leftovers. How better to clear the cheeseboard than by making a luxury mac 'n' cheese? This is crowd-pleasing comfort food at its easiest. Or bake leftover brie with apple and cranberry sauce in a spectacular tart – ours is an easy recipe that can serve up to 12 people.

Fancy some homemade fast food? Try our Brussels sprout, bacon & stilton pizzettas. Trust us, these are moreish – and you can use ciabatta bread mix for a cheat's pizza dough.

You could also try making leftover turkey slaw with our easy-to-follow video.

Easy desserts

Do you have any Christmas pudding languishing in the fridge? Turn it into a refreshing yet decadent dessert like our Christmas pud ice cream, or throw together a speedy, creamy Christmas pudding trifle. Use up any spare Christmas chocolates by making a minty syllabub, or use leftover cranberry sauce to whip up our deliciously rich chocolate, cranberry & macadamia brownies.