Tender, succulent and a sign of spring, there’s a reason lamb is the traditional centrepiece for Easter lunch. Yet 7,000 tonnes of lamb are thrown away every year in the UK, with over half of this being down to people cooking more than they needed. This adds up to an enormous cost of £80m a year*! Read on to learn how to store and freeze cooked lamb and new ideas to use it up.
Let leftover cooked meat cool, then place in a sealed bag or container and chill in the fridge as soon as possible for up to two days.
To freeze cooked lamb; divide into portions, wrap well in clingfilm and foil to prevent freezer burn, and label clearly with the date.
To defrost cooked lamb; defrost in a microwave (on the defrost setting) or overnight in the fridge. Once defrosted, do not refreeze. Use it up in a warming leftover lamb ragu topped with creamy ricotta.
When you use the leftovers in a new meal they can be frozen again, but only reheated once.
Always try to use up leftovers as soon as possible, so that they don’t dry out and become tough in the fridge. Turn the remainders of a Sunday roast into Monday’s lunch by adding leftover meat to easy sandwiches and salads. For a quick leftover lamb pitta, stuff a hot griddled pitta with lamb, freshly grated carrot and cool tzatziki for an easy 10-minute meal.
A stunning combination of leftover lamb with smoky grilled aubergines, feta and pine nuts makes for a great topping to flatbreads or, like in this recipe, shop-bought naan breads. Finished with garlic and mint yoghurt and quick-pickled red onions; this is a recipe you'll come back to time and time again.
Instead of lamb mince you can shred leftover lamb into this one-pot shepherd’s pie pasta bake. It's made using rigatoni pasta (though you could use any shape) and topped with Cheddar and mozzarella; a midweek meal that dreams are made of.
Crisp, golden croquettes are the ultimate way to combine multiple leftovers from a roast dinner. Using up lamb, spare veg and mashed or roast potatoes, these clear out your fridge in the best possible way. Follow our simple step-by-step recipe to learn how to make them and serve with plenty of easy homemade mint sauce for dipping.
Transform classic roast leftovers into this fragrant leftover lamb, ginger and broccoli stir-fry. With fresh ginger, chilli and sweet chilli sauce, this takes just 10 minutes to toss together and gives leftovers a boost – you can easily swap in any veg and spices you have to hand.
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