We are getting ready to celebrate Christmas and welcome in 2026. The restaurant is closed at the moment and we are open again on 8 January and everyone will be refreshed and ready to go. But we are not idle. This is the time of year that we refresh and refurbish everything.
Apart from the restaurant and the reception areas, we have 19 rooms and a townhouse for our guests to enjoy. That is a lot of painting and decorating and this is the only prolonged period when we can get this kind of work done so that everything is spick and span.
It is a mixture between dealing with ordinary wear and tear and then some rooms where we will make bigger changes. All will be ready to go on 8 January.
Then the cookery school is back in action on 16 January and our world in Blacklion is back to normal. Lest there is any confusion, no, I will not be doing any painting.
It is a few years now since we decided on this longer closing period at this time of year and I have never regretted it. I think our hardworking staff really appreciate it.
After that, it will be time for me to get going on my next book. Eat out at Home is out for more than a year now so I will be delighted to have a new one in the autumn. It will be called Wham Bam One Pan, and is really a response to many of the questions I am asked at demos and looking at the changing ways people eat. A lot of people are time-poor, particularly during the working week and especially if they have young families.
There are lots of students and young people who are living in smaller spaces and we are thinking of them too. So, as the name says, it will be recipes that can be made in one pan and we are now beginning the testing stage and tweaking and making changes. All the main work will be done well before the summer. I hope it will be a book that is useful for a lot of people.
Back to Christmas, and honestly, for me, the leftovers are nearly as good as the Christmas dinner, and I have two nice ways to use them up. Indeed, I think some people enjoy those few days of grazing and making things with the turkey and ham more than the big day itself. It is much the same food – minus the stress – and you can have a lot of the selections on offer either hot or cold.
I don’t like to waste anything so any leftover turkey or ham will go to the freezer and will be very welcome some day later in the year. If you’re a fan of wanting to eat a second Christmas dinner – to make the best of your leftovers, then this turkey and ham pie is for you. It is a nice pie any time of the year, and particularly in winter. The sauce takes a little bit of time to make, but it is well worth it. Serve with some stuffing on the side if you’re lucky enough to have any left and a bowl of mashed potatoes. If you don’t want to use puff pastry then breadcrumbs will do.
This turkey and butternut squash curry is quick and tasty and uses harissa paste for its kick – another lovely way of using up the Christmas leftovers. I always enjoy the taste of ginger and during winter in particular, I use it a lot for it’s warming flavours and aroma.
You could also use a tablespoon of your favourite curry powder or a korma paste instead. The harissa is quite hot and korma may be more suitable for some children.
If you prefer a smooth sauce, then simply blend with a stick blender before adding the butternut squash, which could be replaced with regular, or sweet potatoes.
I hope you enjoy these Christmas leftovers and the few days with family and friends.
Turkey and ham pie with puff pastry
Ingredients: Serves 6-8
75g butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, diced
2 celery sticks, diced
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
50g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
350ml chicken or turkey stock
or use up any leftover gravy
120ml dry white wine
2 small leeks, trimmed and thinly sliced
100g button mushrooms, halved
150ml cream
2 tsp Dijon mustard
450g leftover cooked turkey,
cut into bite-sized pieces
275g leftover cooked ham, cut into bite-sized pieces
500g all-butter puff pastry, thawed if frozen
Egg wash, to glaze (1 egg or yolk beaten with a splash of milk)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Heat 25g of the butter in a large sauté pan set over a medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery and thyme and sauté for 6-8 minutes, until tender but not coloured. Add the rest of the butter and allow to melt, then stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the stock and/or gravy and the wine until the sauce is thickened and smooth.
2. Bring to a simmer, then add the leeks and mushrooms and cook for 3-4 minutes, until tender. Stir in the cream and mustard and cook for another minute or two, stirring. Season to taste, then remove from the heat and fold in the turkey and ham. Transfer to a 25cm (10in) pie dish (or use a large ovenproof dish if you don’t have one). Leave to cool.
3. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/gas mark 4). Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured board until it’s the thickness of a €1 coin and large enough to easily cover the pie dish. Brush the edge of the pie dish with egg wash, then cover with the pastry.
Use a sharp knife to trim down as necessary and use a fork to lightly press around the edge to crimp it. Stamp or cut out leaves from the pastry leftovers and use to decorate the pie if liked. Brush with more egg wash and make a small hole in the middle to allow the steam to escape.
4. Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes, until the pastry is cooked through and golden brown. Serve straight to the table.
One-pot harissa turkey and butternut squash curry
One-pot harissa turkey and butternut squash curry. \ Philip Doyle
Ingredients: Serves 4-6
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2.5cm piece of fresh ginger,
peeled and grated
1 tsp ground turmeric
4-6 tbsp harissa paste (chilled from a carton)
250ml Greek-style yoghurt
1 x 400g tin of chopped plum tomatoes
300ml vegetable stock
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed and cut into cubes
4-6 large handfuls of leftover turkey, chopped into bite-sized pieces
2 large handfuls of baby spinach leaves
Toasted flaked almonds, to garnish
Dried cranberries, to garnish
Fresh micro coriander sprigs, to garnish
Mediterranean wraps, to serve
Tzatziki, to serve
Method
1. Heat the oil in a pan set over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and turmeric and cook for another minute or so.
2. Stir in the harissa paste to taste, then add the yoghurt one large spoonful at a time, stirring continuously. Add the tomatoes and stock, then stir in the butternut squash. Cover with a lid and cook gently for 25-35 minutes, till the squash is tender.
3. Stir in the turkey and spinach leaves and allow to just warm through. Garnish with the flaked almonds, dried cranberries and micro coriander sprigs and serve with the wraps and tzatziki.
We are getting ready to celebrate Christmas and welcome in 2026. The restaurant is closed at the moment and we are open again on 8 January and everyone will be refreshed and ready to go. But we are not idle. This is the time of year that we refresh and refurbish everything.
Apart from the restaurant and the reception areas, we have 19 rooms and a townhouse for our guests to enjoy. That is a lot of painting and decorating and this is the only prolonged period when we can get this kind of work done so that everything is spick and span.
It is a mixture between dealing with ordinary wear and tear and then some rooms where we will make bigger changes. All will be ready to go on 8 January.
Then the cookery school is back in action on 16 January and our world in Blacklion is back to normal. Lest there is any confusion, no, I will not be doing any painting.
It is a few years now since we decided on this longer closing period at this time of year and I have never regretted it. I think our hardworking staff really appreciate it.
After that, it will be time for me to get going on my next book. Eat out at Home is out for more than a year now so I will be delighted to have a new one in the autumn. It will be called Wham Bam One Pan, and is really a response to many of the questions I am asked at demos and looking at the changing ways people eat. A lot of people are time-poor, particularly during the working week and especially if they have young families.
There are lots of students and young people who are living in smaller spaces and we are thinking of them too. So, as the name says, it will be recipes that can be made in one pan and we are now beginning the testing stage and tweaking and making changes. All the main work will be done well before the summer. I hope it will be a book that is useful for a lot of people.
Back to Christmas, and honestly, for me, the leftovers are nearly as good as the Christmas dinner, and I have two nice ways to use them up. Indeed, I think some people enjoy those few days of grazing and making things with the turkey and ham more than the big day itself. It is much the same food – minus the stress – and you can have a lot of the selections on offer either hot or cold.
I don’t like to waste anything so any leftover turkey or ham will go to the freezer and will be very welcome some day later in the year. If you’re a fan of wanting to eat a second Christmas dinner – to make the best of your leftovers, then this turkey and ham pie is for you. It is a nice pie any time of the year, and particularly in winter. The sauce takes a little bit of time to make, but it is well worth it. Serve with some stuffing on the side if you’re lucky enough to have any left and a bowl of mashed potatoes. If you don’t want to use puff pastry then breadcrumbs will do.
This turkey and butternut squash curry is quick and tasty and uses harissa paste for its kick – another lovely way of using up the Christmas leftovers. I always enjoy the taste of ginger and during winter in particular, I use it a lot for it’s warming flavours and aroma.
You could also use a tablespoon of your favourite curry powder or a korma paste instead. The harissa is quite hot and korma may be more suitable for some children.
If you prefer a smooth sauce, then simply blend with a stick blender before adding the butternut squash, which could be replaced with regular, or sweet potatoes.
I hope you enjoy these Christmas leftovers and the few days with family and friends.
Turkey and ham pie with puff pastry
Ingredients: Serves 6-8
75g butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, diced
2 celery sticks, diced
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
50g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
350ml chicken or turkey stock
or use up any leftover gravy
120ml dry white wine
2 small leeks, trimmed and thinly sliced
100g button mushrooms, halved
150ml cream
2 tsp Dijon mustard
450g leftover cooked turkey,
cut into bite-sized pieces
275g leftover cooked ham, cut into bite-sized pieces
500g all-butter puff pastry, thawed if frozen
Egg wash, to glaze (1 egg or yolk beaten with a splash of milk)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Heat 25g of the butter in a large sauté pan set over a medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery and thyme and sauté for 6-8 minutes, until tender but not coloured. Add the rest of the butter and allow to melt, then stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the stock and/or gravy and the wine until the sauce is thickened and smooth.
2. Bring to a simmer, then add the leeks and mushrooms and cook for 3-4 minutes, until tender. Stir in the cream and mustard and cook for another minute or two, stirring. Season to taste, then remove from the heat and fold in the turkey and ham. Transfer to a 25cm (10in) pie dish (or use a large ovenproof dish if you don’t have one). Leave to cool.
3. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/gas mark 4). Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured board until it’s the thickness of a €1 coin and large enough to easily cover the pie dish. Brush the edge of the pie dish with egg wash, then cover with the pastry.
Use a sharp knife to trim down as necessary and use a fork to lightly press around the edge to crimp it. Stamp or cut out leaves from the pastry leftovers and use to decorate the pie if liked. Brush with more egg wash and make a small hole in the middle to allow the steam to escape.
4. Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes, until the pastry is cooked through and golden brown. Serve straight to the table.
One-pot harissa turkey and butternut squash curry
One-pot harissa turkey and butternut squash curry. \ Philip Doyle
Ingredients: Serves 4-6
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2.5cm piece of fresh ginger,
peeled and grated
1 tsp ground turmeric
4-6 tbsp harissa paste (chilled from a carton)
250ml Greek-style yoghurt
1 x 400g tin of chopped plum tomatoes
300ml vegetable stock
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed and cut into cubes
4-6 large handfuls of leftover turkey, chopped into bite-sized pieces
2 large handfuls of baby spinach leaves
Toasted flaked almonds, to garnish
Dried cranberries, to garnish
Fresh micro coriander sprigs, to garnish
Mediterranean wraps, to serve
Tzatziki, to serve
Method
1. Heat the oil in a pan set over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and turmeric and cook for another minute or so.
2. Stir in the harissa paste to taste, then add the yoghurt one large spoonful at a time, stirring continuously. Add the tomatoes and stock, then stir in the butternut squash. Cover with a lid and cook gently for 25-35 minutes, till the squash is tender.
3. Stir in the turkey and spinach leaves and allow to just warm through. Garnish with the flaked almonds, dried cranberries and micro coriander sprigs and serve with the wraps and tzatziki.
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