Restaurants

Tom Ilic (Tom Ilic restaurant)
‘We usually make suckling pig roasted with cabbages, which is very traditional for us’ (Tom is Serbian). ‘For the day after, I try to be imaginative – I’ll usually use leftovers for stuffing ravioli. I’ll get some black pudding, a Granny Smith apple, and the leftover suckling pig. Chop it all up and add a bit of lemon zest for zing, then cook until everything is nice and tender. Cool before using the mixture to stuff pasta. I like to serve it with nice big scallops on the side, or fish – turbot, usually. Ideally, though, there wouldn’t be any leftovers from Christmas dinner!’
Tom Ilic, 123 Queenstown Rd, SW8 3RH (020 7622 0555) Battersea Park or Queenstown Rd rail.

Claude Bosi at Hibiscus

Claude Bosi (Hibiscus)
‘My mom always cooks at Christmas, even now, and there’s always lots of leftovers. We’ll have a big capon (a castrated chicken that grows to be very large) – so we find ourselves eating leftovers for the next couple of days. Capon is absolutely beautiful the next day in a salad! Or, you can make a simple blanquette (a white sauce casserole): take the meat off the bone and use the carcass to make a lovely stock, then add a bit of milk, a bit of roux and some cream to thicken. The chicken is already cooked, and you can add leftover vegetables – roasted carrots, brussels sprouts – then mix it all up and you’ll have a lovely blanquette!’
Hibiscus, 29 Maddox St, W1S 2PA (020 7629 2999/www.hibiscusrestaurant.co.uk) Oxford Circus tube.

Feature continues

Marcus Eaves at L'Autre Pied

Marcus Eaves (L’Autre Pied)
‘Generally, on Christmas day I’ll be having a goose, or a rib of beef, and a lot of cheese – I’ll always have a big load of them, especially Vacherin (a soft, seasonal Alpine cheese). I’ll make a sandwich, Vacherin and beef, in a great big bloomer, placed under the grill until the cheese has gone all gooey. And maybe I’ll add some salad, like watercress.’
L’Autre Pied, 5-7 Blandford St, W1U 3DB (020 7486 9696/www.lautrepied.co.uk) Bond St tube.

Craig James (Quaglino’s)
‘Definitely bubble and squeak – it is exactly what the dish was made for. I also like to use turkey leg meat in something like a turkey, mushroom and leek pie. The leg meat keeps moist as it is quite fatty.’
Quaglino’s, 16 Bury Street, SW1Y 6AJ (020 7930 6767/ www.danddlondon. co.uk) Green Park tube.

Hereford Road's Tom Pemberton

Tom Pemberton (Hereford Road)
‘Often, I’ll have goose or turkey for Christmas, so what I like to do is take the carcass and make a stock with it, adding maybe the odd bit of bacon trimmings that are left over. All you have to do next is throw in some uncooked chestnuts and let them soften in the stock before you purée it. Reserve some chestnuts to cook through in the soup at the end, for added texture. You can also add leftover veg, and the leftover meat from your bird as well.’
Hereford Road, 3 Hereford Rd, W2 4AB (020 7727 1144/ www.herefordroad.org) Bayswater or Queensway tube.

Trish Hilferty (Great Queen Street)‘When I was a kid at home, we’d put everything in bread – we’d make roast dinner sandwiches with potatoes, bread sauce, brussels sprouts, gravy and everything you can think of, in between slabs of thick-cut white bread from a proper loaf. I’ll also make bubble and squeak, or have the potatoes and vegetables cold with mayonnaise or something similar.’
Great Queen Street, 32 Great Queen St, WC2B 5AA (020 7242 0622) Covent Garden or Holborn tube.

Texture's Agnus Sverrisson

Agnar Sverrisson (Texture)
‘My family and I in Iceland usually have salted smoked lamb, and smoked ham as well. If we do end up with leftovers we usually chop the meat up and put them in a white sauce and eat it for brunch.’
Texture, 34 Portman Square, W1H 7BY (020 7224 0028/www.texture-restaurant.co.uk) Bond St or Marble Arch tube.