MEXICAN TURKEY TINGA

Dry, bland and often overcooked . . . it may be the centrepiece of Christmas dinner, but turkey has a reputation for being the least exciting thing on the plate.

Chucking the leftover meat in a pan with some ready-made sauce is about as creative as most of us get — but Thomasina Miers, former MasterChef winner and founder of the Mexican restaurant chain Wahaca, has a better idea.

She suggests a smoky turkey tinga wrapped in toasted tortilla wraps. The recipe, adapted from her book Home Cook: Over 300 Delicious Fuss- Free recipes (Guardian Faber, £25), takes 20 mins and makes a tasty lunch for six.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan with a knob of butter and saute one finely sliced onion with ½ tsp of ground allspice, ½ tsp of ground cinnamon and 2 tsp of Demerara sugar.

Season well, add 2 crushed garlic cloves and, once the onions are soft, add 2 cans of plum tomatoes and 2 tbsp of smoky chipotle paste (you can buy this from most supermarkets, £1.50 for a jar).

Cook for 10 mins, then add 700g shredded turkey — use both white and brown meat — to the sauce. Serve it rolled in hot tortilla wraps (warmed in the microwave or an unoiled frying pan) with sliced avocado and sour cream.

TASTE TEST: This is incredibly quick and easy, and disguises the dry white meat in a flavoursome sauce with a fiery kick. It’s messy to eat, but kids will love it. VERDICT: 7/10