What starter do you have with Christmas dinner?

[catherinep80]

I think we normally just have soup as a starter but I'm doing Christmas dinner this year and I want to do something different. Any ideas for something easy but impressive? What does everyone else do?

Smoked salmon with lemon wedges and nice bread? No cooking :)

Prawns, smoked salmon or some form of melted cheesey loveliness.

We do a lovely selection of a starter platter. Cocktail sausages, onion bhajis, mini cheese and onion bites, nachos, garlic mushrooms in breadcrumbs. Served with salsa, houmous and a few other sauces. Red/white wine. Just chatting and munching. Our gatherings are pretty informal. It's not posh but there is something everyone will surely like.

Duck breast, salad and warm french stick!

Salmon terrine on a bed of rockett leaves...lovely!

Patê and baked rolls... mmmm.

We don’t usually bother but last year I did smoked salmon terrine and bought a couple of dressed crab from marks and Spencer’s I think I sprinkled some prawns around an a bit of garnish.

We never bother with a starter. Main course and pudding both so substantial that it doesn't seem necessary. But then we only have a very small gathering, just husband, me, our two adult children.

My family don't do starters anymore, but when we did it was a fish board. Smoked trout and salmon, mackerel pate, sun dried toms, rocket and gherkins with wheaten bread.

It's really simple and can be eaten while finishing cooking.

Who the hell does all this starter bollocks! It's just Christmas dinner in our house then trifle for after or Christmas pudding. Done. Non of this smoke salmon, fancy bread and prawns!

Some lovely ideas thank you all. I love smoked salmon, and duck too. I actually haven't had patê since I was a child but it sounds really good with baked rolls. And I really like the idea of the mixed platter. Yum!

Pate is another good one.

Smoked salmon mouse, leaves, lemon, dainty bits of brown bread and butter
Every year 😄

Prawn cocktail! It’s the law.

No starter here - surely there is enough food to cook with the main and Christmas pudding to bother giving yourself extra work of a starter too?

Cut melon in a fancy fan and serve with a few berries and raspberry coulis. It's nice and light before a heavy Christmas dinner and our.

Baked Camembert.

No starter is best.

Am anti soup with large meals - was originally intended to fill people up because the main roast was sparse. No longer an issue for most.

A couple of years ago we moved to canapés a couple of hours before hand, with some fizz.

It's a nice way to do it and everyone loves it.

So brekkie mid morning, canapés about 2. Dinner about 4 and straight into thr main course.

You can buy canapés ready made from places like m&s.

Smoked mackerel pate with melba toast. It's not Christmas without it... we make enough to have it again on Boxing Day!

Pud even!

I've never heard of people having starters with Xmas dinner. Unless necking supermarket bucks fizz from about 7am counts.

Surely you want an empty stomach for the mammoth dinner? Why waste space filling up on poncey crap when there's a massive turkey, three types of stuffing, roast spuds, roast vegetables, yorkshire puddings, pigs in blankets etc....

I've never had a starter with Christmas dinner at anyone elses' house or my own, I wouldn't want the edge taking off my appetite. Maybe a few crisps and olives with drinks around midday (we have dinner about 3) but no actual starter.

We don't have starters, we do however have canapés around 11am after present opening. Dinner is served around 1.30pm and breakfast is normally very early due to the children waking up early and hungry.

A huge roast and a choice of desserts is more than enough.

Who doesn't have prawn cocktail at Christmas?