Christmas is over, everyone’s eaten too much – and yet, there’s still a mountain of leftover goodies, from the turkey to the cheese board, from the veggies to the fruit cake.

So how can we make the most of festive leftovers? And for that matter, leftovers at any time of year? Because this isn’t just about reducing the 4.5 million tonnes of food that UK households waste every year, it can also be a route to some seriously delicious dishes…

Sheila Dillon gets creative in the kitchen while finding out more about the leftovers ethos from cook and author Melissa Hemsley, food-loving writer Bill Buford, and author and journalist Debora Robertson; along with tips for up-cycling the remainders of festive feasts from School of Wok's Jeremy Pang, Gardeners' World's Frances Tophill and BBC Food's Emily Angle.


Presented by Sheila Dillon; produced by Lucy Taylor in Bristol.


Pictured: BBC Food's Ultimate Festive Cheese Toastie from Sarah Cook. Find the recipe at www.bbc.co.uk/food.