Christmas is a wonderful time! Family! Fun! And LOADS of food! But when all is said an done, and leftovers are staring you in the face, what can you do?

The answer is simple my friend!

Bubble & Squeak!

This Great British favourite is a must after any roast dinner! The concept is extremely simple, simply smash together your left over mashed potato and greens (sprouts, cabbage, brocolli) with

A couple of eggs

A finely diced onion

And a little salt and pepper to season!

Next you cook it, and how you do so depends on your intention for the bubble and squeak. To my mind, no fry up is complete without this beauty, so if all you’re aiming to do is get this on the plate with your eggs, sausage, mushroom, tomato and bacon then it’s all very simple! Slap your mix down into a hot, oiled frying pan and cook for about 4-5 minutes on each side! Don’t worry if it tears when you flip it, it’s all part of the beauty! Serve and enjoy.

If, like me, however your intention is to cook a few portions to freeze then a little more care is required.

1. First, pre-heat your oven to 190. Lightly smear a baking tray with a small amount of vegetable oil and leave it to one side.

2. Heat some oil in a frying pan then grab a handful of your bubble and squeak mix and work is into a cylinder shape with your hand. Place it down into the hot oil and cook for about 5 minutes.

3. Now flip it onto the baking tray so the cooked side is facing up!

4. Repeat until you have a tray filled with bubble and squeaks!

5. Bake for 15 minutes, turn, then bake for 5 minutes more.

6. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Once cool, place inside a freezer bag and freeze them! You may wish to slip a little grease proof paper between each one.

7. Don’t thaw! To cook from frozen, simply bake on 190 for 18-20 minutes, turning halfway through cooking.

8. Particularly delicious on a bacon sandwich.

A couple of days later, the 28th December, was my Mum’s birthday! I did have a special dinner in mind for her, but then she was whisked away to London for a birthday weekend treat instead! So I’ll hold on to the Special Dinner plan for another time, but thanks to the bubble and squeak I was able to treat her to a birthday breakfast to set her up ready for a day of Londoning!

(and one for my Dad, of course, to keep him quiet…)

Enjoy!