What to do if you have Easter leftovers

Image courtesy of Sebastian Staines via Unsplash

Easter is a time for sharing good food with family and friends – but it can also mean ending up with more leftovers than you expected. The good news is that with a little creativity, Easter leftovers can be turned into easy, tasty meals instead of going to waste.

If you’ve cooked a traditional Easter roast, leftover meat and vegetables can be enjoyed cold the next day, added to sandwiches or wraps, or turned into simple meals like soups, stir-fries or pasta dishes. Leftover roast potatoes and veg can be reheated, frozen for another day, or mixed together to make something new.

Hot cross buns are another Easter favourite that often pile up. If they’re starting to go stale, they can be frozen for later or used to make a comforting bread and butter pudding – a great way to give them a second life.

Much like reviving bread you can also freshen up slightly stale hot cross buns.

• Oven method: Sprinkle water on the crust, wrap in foil, and heat for a few minutes.
• Microwave method: Wrap buns in a damp paper towel and microwave on high for 10 seconds.
• Toasting: Slightly stale buns toasted are still tasty

And of course, there’s Easter chocolate. Any extra chocolate can be melted and used in home baking, added to desserts, or saved for treats later on, helping to make sure none of it ends up in the bin.

Using up leftovers saves money, reduces food waste and helps protect the environment. Small changes in the kitchen can make a big difference.

Find more simple ideas and recipes from Love Food Hate Waste. 

If you do have food that really does have to go, the best thing to do is recycle it via your food waste recycling collection. All food - anything from gone-off food, to burnt culinary disasters, bones from meat, plate scrapings and pet food can be recycled.