Boxing Day is the best food day of Christmas. The pressure of the big dinner is over, the fridge is full, and nobody expects anything more elaborate than a generous spread that people can help themselves to all afternoon. A good Boxing Day buffet is mostly assembly rather than cooking, which is exactly the point.
This guide covers what to put on a Boxing Day buffet, how to use up the Christmas leftovers, how much food you need per person, and how to keep it all safe when it’s sitting out for hours.
What Goes on a Traditional Boxing Day Buffet?
The classic British Boxing Day spread is a cold buffet: sliced meats, a cheeseboard, pickles and chutneys, good bread, and whatever’s left from Christmas Day. Add one or two warm dishes for comfort, and something sweet for later.
A simple formula keeps it balanced:
| Element | What to include | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Cold meats | Ham, leftover turkey, cured meats, pork pie | The centrepiece |
| Cheese | 3–4 cheeses: hard, soft, blue | Every Boxing Day table needs one |
| Pickles & chutneys | Piccalilli, pickled onions, chutney, chilli jam | Sharpness to cut through the richness |
| Bread & crackers | Crusty bread, crackers, oatcakes | Something to carry everything |
| Leftovers | Roast potatoes, stuffing, pigs in blankets | Use up Christmas Day |
| Something hot | Bubble and squeak, baked Camembert, sausage rolls | Comfort on a cold afternoon |
| Something fresh | Salad, celery, grapes, clementines | Lightness alongside the heavy food |
Cold Meats and Charcuterie
Ham is the Boxing Day classic. If you cooked a gammon for Christmas, it’s even better cold the next day; if not, a good shop-bought ham does the job. Leftover turkey, sliced or shredded, sits alongside it.
To make the meat platter feel more generous, add a few cured meats. A salami, some coppa or prosciutto, and a slice or two of chorizo give variety in flavour and colour, and they need no preparation at all. Our charcuterie range includes British cured meats from Tempus, and the Tempus Three Meats selection is an easy way to cover three styles at once. If you’re new to cured meats, our guide to what charcuterie is explains the main types.
A pork pie is non-negotiable for many families, and a few slices of Scotch egg or a cold sausage roll round things out.
The Cheeseboard
Boxing Day is when the cheeseboard really comes into its own. On Christmas Day people are often too full to do it justice; the day after, it gets the attention it deserves.
Three or four cheeses is plenty: a mature or vintage cheddar, something soft like Brie, a Stilton, and one wildcard. Our cheese wedges are useful here because the vacuum-sealed 100g portions mean you can offer more variety without opening big blocks, and the flavoured cheddars give the board something a little different. Waxed cheese truckles also look great on a buffet table and keep well.
For a fuller guide to choosing and arranging, see our article on the perfect Christmas cheese board.
Pickles, Chutneys and Relishes
This is what makes a Boxing Day buffet taste like Boxing Day. Rich meats and cheeses need something sharp alongside them, and British pickles do that job perfectly.
Piccalilli is the traditional partner for cold ham, with its mustardy tang cutting straight through the fat. Our guide to what piccalilli is covers why it works so well. Pickled onions and cornichons add crunch.
For the cheeseboard, a sweet chutney is essential. Our Caramelised Onion Chutney works with almost everything, the Cheeseboard Chutney is made for mature cheddar, and the Chilli Jam is brilliant with both cold turkey and soft cheeses. And of course the leftover cranberry sauce belongs on the table too. Not sure which chutney goes with which cheese? Our guide to what chutney goes with cheese breaks it down.
Bread and Crackers
A crusty loaf or two, sliced and ready to go, is the backbone of the buffet. Add a mix of crackers for the cheese: plain sourdough crackers for strong cheeses and something with a bit of character, like our Pink Peppercorn Crackers, for the milder ones. Oatcakes are a good third option for crumbly cheeses and Stilton.
Using Up the Christmas Leftovers
Boxing Day is really a celebration of leftovers, and a few simple ideas turn them into buffet dishes:
Bubble and squeak. Fry leftover potatoes, sprouts and cabbage together until crisp and golden. Serve hot in wedges, ideally with a fried egg on top for anyone who wants it.
Turkey sandwiches or sliders. Leftover turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce in a soft roll. Put out the components and let people build their own.
Pigs in blankets and stuffing balls. Reheated until piping hot, these disappear faster than anything else on the table.
Leftover cheese. Any cheese that’s past its best for the board can go into a toastie or onto cheese on toast later in the day.
Hot Dishes to Add
A cold buffet is easier to manage, but one or two hot dishes make it feel more generous on a cold afternoon.
Baked Camembert is the easiest showstopper there is. Score the top, add a little garlic and rosemary, bake for around 15 to 20 minutes, and serve with bread for dipping and a spoonful of chilli jam or chutney. Sausage rolls can go straight from the freezer to the oven. Soup in a slow cooker is useful if you’ve got a houseful arriving at different times.
Something Fresh
After the excess of Christmas Day, a bit of freshness is welcome. A simple green salad, a bowl of celery (a traditional partner for Stilton), grapes for the cheeseboard, and a bowl of clementines all help balance the heavier food.
Shortcut to a Boxing Day board: If you’d rather not shop for everything separately, our Cheese & Charcuterie Hamper includes five cheeses, two chutneys, charcuterie and crackers, which covers a large part of a Boxing Day spread in one delivery. Order it before Christmas so it’s ready in the fridge.
How Much Food Do You Need Per Person?
Boxing Day guests have usually eaten well the day before, and buffets tend to be grazed over several hours, so it’s easy to over-cater. As a guide, per person:
| Item | Per person | For 8 people |
|---|---|---|
| Cold meats (total) | 75–100g | 600–800g |
| Cheese (total) | 50–75g | 400–600g |
| Bread | 2–3 slices | 1–2 loaves |
| Crackers | 4–6 | 2–3 boxes |
| Pickles & chutneys | 1–2 tbsp | 3–4 jars to choose from |
Leftovers from Christmas Day count towards these totals, so take stock of the fridge before buying more. It’s better to have a little left over than to run out, but remember that whatever’s left after Boxing Day still needs to be eaten safely.
Keeping the Buffet Safe
A buffet that sits out all afternoon needs a bit of care, especially with cooked meats and leftovers in the mix.
Don’t leave food out for more than two hours. Put out smaller platters and top them up from the fridge rather than leaving everything out from noon until evening.
Cool and refrigerate leftovers quickly. The Food Standards Agency advises cooling leftovers quickly, refrigerating them, and eating them within two days. Leftovers should only be reheated once, and reheated until steaming hot all the way through.
Keep the fridge at 0–5°C. It’s working harder than usual over Christmas, so it’s worth not overloading it.
Hard cheeses and cured meats are more forgiving than cooked turkey or soft cheese, but the same principle applies: out for the meal, back in the fridge afterwards. For storing the cheese specifically, see our guide to how long cheese lasts in the fridge.
Make-Ahead Tips
The beauty of a Boxing Day buffet is that almost all of it can be prepared on Christmas Eve or earlier. Slice the ham and arrange the meat platter, cover it, and refrigerate. Make the bubble and squeak mix and keep it in the fridge ready to fry. Decant pickles and chutneys into bowls. On the day, all that’s left is to take the cheese out an hour before serving, put a few things in the oven, and slice the bread.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is traditionally eaten on Boxing Day?
In Britain, Boxing Day food is traditionally a cold spread: leftover turkey and ham, cold meats, pork pie, a cheeseboard, pickles and chutneys, and bread, often with bubble and squeak made from Christmas Day leftovers.
What should I put on a cold buffet?
A good cold buffet includes sliced meats, a cheeseboard with three or four cheeses, pickles and chutneys, crusty bread and crackers, a salad or crudités, and fresh fruit. Add one or two hot dishes, like sausage rolls or baked Camembert, if you want it to feel more substantial.
How much food do I need for a Boxing Day buffet?
Allow roughly 75–100g of cold meat and 50–75g of cheese per person, plus two or three slices of bread and a handful of crackers each. Christmas Day leftovers count towards these amounts.
Can you eat Christmas leftovers on Boxing Day?
Yes, as long as they were cooled quickly and stored in the fridge. The Food Standards Agency advises eating leftovers within two days and reheating them only once, until steaming hot throughout.
What are easy Boxing Day lunch ideas?
Bubble and squeak, turkey and stuffing sandwiches, a ham and cheese ploughman’s-style platter, baked Camembert with crusty bread, or a simple soup made from leftover vegetables.
How long can a buffet be left out?
Perishable food shouldn’t be left at room temperature for more than about two hours. Serve smaller platters and top them up from the fridge throughout the afternoon.