Christmas Lunch starter

[Sunbeam18]

Does anyone have any great ideas? Was thinking smoked salmon, capers, brown bread, lemon but is that too dull?

I would love that, but I think I'm the only person in the family who looks forward to smoked salmon at this time of year. Not boring at all though, and lets people choose how much to have.
Past Christmases I've done salad in one form or another, with mixed leaves, orange and other fruit (pomegranate looks festive and provides some comedy for those watching me prepare it), nuts, crumbled cheese, dressing arranged in a semi artistic fashion on a plate. I mix up the ingredients a bit so that the children end up with stuff that they eat, and the adults have some of the more unusual things. Dump some bread or crostini things in the middle of the table and job done. When I was growing up, it was always melon.

proscuttio with fresh figs and/or melon chunks?
artichoke soup iwth cream and chives
grilled walnut bread with pate and gherkins

We just do nibbles if anything. Christmas lunch is already so heavy (and drawn out) that the addition of an extra course is too much. Maybe a few blinis if you fancy salmon & a few olives etc to keep it light.

DS makes a smoked salmon mousse or mackerel pate usually, but this year we have salmon cheesecake apparently- my mum does Christmas dinner.

That sounds delicious! We usually have just soup (carrot and coriander typically) so that there's more room for the main course.

Prawn cocktail - always!
Don't care if it's boring I love it and really look forward to It. My mum keeps trying to suggest more exciting alternatives but I'm having none of it!

Thanks! Some great suggestions!

I went to a do at a restaurant where we had melon snow. It was thin slices of melon with a berry coulis and lemon sorbet. It was lovely because it was so light.

No starter!

It is just way too hard to clear away the starter and prep the veg etc for the main course without getting into a sweaty mess.

Stick with plenty of canapés.

DD and I will be having Baked Camenbert and warm crusty bread.

We have either:

Pate and Melba toast
Sushi
Grilled Halloumi

We do a big baked brie or a few different small Camembert with different toppings (honey, caramelised onion, garlic & rosemary, fig jam. cranberry sauce) with bread sticks, cornichons and this year, fresh crudites.

Served before lunch with other cocktail bits like spiced nuts and fizz.

Then we don't have a starter at the table.

I have served a salad too which was similar to above. Leaves, pecans & Stickleton Blue (or Stilton & walnuts), pomegranate, with a sweetish dressing (honey).

The one everyone still remembers is a random but delicious, French onion soup from a year when everyone had to make a course and my teenage son made this because it likes it.

I think smoked salmon is perfect, easy, light and not quite what we usually have,

We have smoked salmon as a canapé but no starter.

Another idea- pear, blue cheese and walnut salad. Easy peasy.

Prawn cocktail for me this year (cooked prawns) as I'm pregnant! Usually it's pate or baked Camembert and bread - which I'm going to be so jealous of watching everyone else eat theirs 😫 but needs must!

Smoked salmon is lovely and light, maybe Parma ham for non fish eaters?

Farrar you CAN eat baked Camembert, it’s on the nhs website! It kept me going when 8 months pregnant last christmas!

Surrey, please can you describe how you cook your camenbert? Especially the one with caramelised onion!