Five delicious turkey sandwich ideas

Turkey Reuben

Fill slices of light rye bread or pumpernickel with turkey, bought sauerkraut and slices of emmental or gruyère cheese, then trickle on some Russian dressing (blend 4 tbsp mayonnaise with 1 tbsp ketchup, 1 tsp horseradish sauce, a few generous splashes of tabasco and worcestershire sauce, and a pinch of paprika).

Lightly toast in a frying pan until the bread is crisp and the cheese melted.

Serve with pickles and possibly crisps on the side, deli style. After so much rich food, the sharpness of the sauerkraut and pickles is delicious.

Try this turkey, rice and raspberry Boxing Day salad

Turkey, watercress and walnut

Stir some lightly toasted, roughly chopped walnuts into watercress butter (whizz 30g/1oz watercress leaves with 100g/4oz softened butter, a pinch of salt and a squeeze of lemon in a food processor until combined – use cream cheese instead of butter if you prefer). Spread slices of sourdough with the watercress butter and layer with shredded turkey, slices of crisp green apple and pitted medjool dates.

Pulled turkey and slaw

Finely chop green apple, red onion and red cabbage into thin batons and dress lightly with mayonnaise and dijon mustard to make an easy slaw. Shred leftover turkey and warm it through in just enough gravy to moisten, then heap it onto brioche buns with some spoonfuls of slaw – add a slice of crisply cooked bacon too, if you like.

Turkey banh mi

Fill a small, white baguette with sliced turkey, coriander, mint, shredded carrot, spring onion, cucumber and mayo, and trickle on some hot sauce, such as Sriracha. The heat, crunch and freshness is a real shot in the arm on Boxing Day.

Try this creamy spicy turkey curry

Toasted turkey with cheese

Butter some good, white bread slices on both sides, then layer on shredded turkey, smoked gouda or other good melting cheese, with cranberry sauce, chutney or very sharp marmalade, and crisply cooked smoked bacon. Fry until golden on both sides and the cheese is melted. Rich and good.

Essential shopping list to jazz up leftovers

Salad leaves to add vitality.
• Herbs for freshness and herb butters.
• Cornichons add crunch and sourness on the side, or chopped into mayo or crème fraîche.
• Mayonnaise, as it is or customised with mustard, lemon juice and zest, horseradish, herbs, curry powder or other spices.
• Mustard of all types.
• A jar of horseradish for instant zip.
• Chutney, pickles and cranberry sauce for essential tang.
• Tabasco, Sriracha and other hot sauces for a peppery wake-up call.
• Ketchup and brown sauce, of course!

The best bread for turkey sandwiches

Ring the changes with different kinds of bread.

Sourdough bread has a delicious tang and great texture, which helps to transform a simple sandwich into a meal.

Brioche-style loaf has a sweetish tender crumb. It makes a great toasted sandwich, with turkey, cranberry sauce and a slice of Brie, fontina or other melting cheese.

Rye bread is perfect for Scandinavian-style open sandwiches - pile up the turkey with cornichons and a dollop of sour cream, seasoned with dill and sharp mustard.

Fluffy white bread is just what you want for a lazy breakfast sandwich or late-night snack of shredded turkey, crisply fried bacon and ketchup or brown sauce.

Try this recipe for creamy turkey gratin