BEEN gifted a hamper over Christmas?
You might not want everything inside.
A poll by money.co.uk has picked out those little-loved items we get in hampers but can’t find a home for.
If you have bits to spare, you can avoid an extra visit to the shops ahead of New Year’s Eve with my quick-and-cheap recipe ideas.
STILTON PUFFS: Got Stilton left over? Whip up some tasty cheesy puffs to nibble on.
Grab 300g of Stilton (or whatever you have left in the fridge), a sheet of ready-made puff pastry and an egg.
Preheat your oven to 200C and line a baking tray. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry before cutting into rectangles.
Crumble the Stilton and add a heaped teaspoon to the centre left of each rectangle, then brush the edges with egg.
Fold over the pastry to form a parcel and crimp the edges. Brush the outside with more egg. Add any extra cheese to the top.
Make a little hole in the top of each parcel with the tip of a sharp knife then bake for 10-15 minutes.
CHRISTMAS-PUDDING SCONES: I always end up with spare Christmas pud. I do love it . . . but when you get more in a hamper, what do you do with it?
Finish off the festive season by working the pud into a scone recipe.
Use a standard recipe for scones and simply crumble around 70g (for eight scones) of leftover Christmas pudding or cake into the batter. Make sure you remove any marzipan or icing first.
You could jazz things up even further with fruit, such as dried cranberries, for added sweetness.
CHARCUTERIE PASTA DELIGHT: Rather than laying out those meaty treats on a wooden serving board, try whipping up a crowd-pleasing pasta dish.
Use chicken stock, leftover cream and veg such as mushrooms to mix with your meats.
Heat until it reduces, then serve over cooked pasta, using a cup of the pasta water to loosen your sauce.
- All prices on page are correct at time of going to press. Deals and offers are subject to availability
Deal of the day
ALDI has brought back its popular heated clothes airer for £28.99.
Find it in stores or order it online at aldi.co.uk.
Cheap treat
A TWO-LITRE bottle of Tango is reduced to £1 at Asda, down from £1.65.
SAVE: 65p