Christmas Eve party food?

[Polkapjs]

We have a party every tear. Drinks/ nibbles usually but I always seem to have a lot to clear up/ bin and can’t remember what went down well or not. I made palmier pastries with pesto and goats cheese which were all left (out of not knowing what they were I think) but don’t just want to serve Doritos
Kids and adults there. Is chilli/ rice a bad idea ? Or maybe go retro with cheese/ pineapple in a foil wrapped cabbage half and hot dogs on sticks? Inspire me - I hate waste but like cooking but it seemed a bit wasted last year so I’m dithering
Thank you!!

Cheese and pineapple on sticks too I mean. Not some bizarre cabbage/ cheese gift in foil

I don't think chilli/rice is a bad idea, but it seems a big step up from providing nibbles to serving up a meal, iyswim.
Personally as a guest, I would prefer nibbles. Maybe look at what M&S, Sainsbury's etc have to offer, and try and copy those if you want to make them yourself. My friend always gets the smoked salmon appetisers from Waitrose, which always go down well.

I’m happy to make it easy but also get short on fridge space as I “do” Christmas dinner too. Is a few nice nibbles better than variety? What would you like to eat with fizz/beer/ mulled wine?

M&S party food, never disappoints

I’ve been looking at food I could freeze if it doesn’t get eaten, so maybe a roast ham or something (then if lots of leftovers these can be frozen, or made into something freezable like soup?)

Ooh maybe I could do hot meat for sandwiches. Still easy to eat but could freeze meat and the rolls we don’t use..

Oh ive just been looking at cheese balls recipes

Really pretty and you can make it well in advance

We go to a friends house every Christmas eve. She serves cheeseboard/ crackers, cold meat selection. Sausage rolls, cocktail sausages, mini pizzas. Crisps, dips bread sticks, crudites. Mince pies, brownies, and bits like that. It's lovely

We have a pulled pork recipe for the slow cooker and do hot sandwiches. Also pizza and general platters. Cheap and cheerful

Depends what time it is and if people will have eaten first. Sometimes proper food (ie chilli) is so much easier than faffing around with nibbles. Or cheeseboard is a good alternative as you say.

Polkapjs You said how some food items didn't get touched as people may have not known what they are? Maybe use these?

www.amazon.co.uk/JZK-Holder-Wedding-Occasions-Silver/dp/B071J6TKJB/ref=sr_1_7?s=kitchen&keywords=name+place+card+stand&tag=mumsnetforum-21&ie=UTF8&qid=1543205422&sr=1-7

And for food ideas:

• Fresh mixed salad it's cheap so if it doesn't get eaten and you don't wish to put it in a tupperware for later use, no guilt in throwing it away/composting it.
• Fresh fruit salad again it can be done on the cheap, avoid fruits that bleed or discolour fast (cherries bleed and bananas/apples brown fast) again no guilt in throwing/composting the remainder if you chose to to tupperware for later use.
• Chips&Dip You can go with veggie sticks, bread sticks or thick cut ready salted crisps with a choice of dips like hummus or sour cream.
• Cheese Board Pre-slice the cheese and store the rest in the fridge, if it starts to look bare just add more to avoid being left with possible dried out blocks or sliced cheese, a choice of crackers, biscuits, chutneys and green and red grapes.
• Baked Camembert Add a drizzle of honey or sprinkled bacon rashers for added flavour and accompany with pre-slice baguette slices (people may even use the bread sticks/veggies sticks to dip in)
• Cold Meats Board Accompanied with olives, pickled onion and gerkins.
• Quiche Either mini quiches or large pre-sliced large quiches, cheese and onion, cheese and bacon, cheese and broccoli.
• Finger Sandwiches Turkey and cranberry, chicken and pesto, beef and mustard, ham and mustard, egg mayo and cress, falafel and hummus.
• Pizza Mini Pizzas or large pre-sliced, 3 cheese, veggie, pepperoni, meat feast.
• Chinese Buffet Spring rolls, satay chicken skewers, duck pancakes, spare ribs dry or in sauce, sesame prawn on toast, crispy won tons.
• Indian Buffet Samosas, bahjis, pakora, Tandoori, naan, poppadoms and chutneys.
• Japanese Buffet Sashimi, sushi, mixed tempura, gyozas and edamame.
• Desserts All can be served as mini or large with self serve spoons/tongs, trifle, tiramisu, cheesecake, cakes/cupcakes, jelly and fruit, jam tarts.
• Pick'N'Mix A selection of bowls filled with goodies both sweet and savory, raw/salted/roasted/honey roasted nuts, sweet/salted/toffee popcorn, mini cheese crackers, salted or chocolate coated pretzels, tubs of chocolate selection boxes.

Can you tell I was raised in a club house that catered weddings, funerals, christenings, birthdays, ladies clubs, gentlemen clubs and even dogs shows!

We do Christmas Eve too. I normally do pulled pork with rolls, Camembert snowflake, bread and pate, dips and crudités, crisps, nuts etc and then have a freezer of party food that's cooked from frozen and we just work through it as needed. Rarely much left over (that's cooked) and whatever there is we have on Christmas Day evening.

If you can afford to raid M&S, their party food is lovely, but it's an awful faff to make lots of nibbles. Easier to do chilli and rice IMO, perfectly nice.
BTW more than once now I have done 'retro' nibbles for very small Gdcs' birthday parties where a lot of parents were going to be present.

Sausages on sticks (premium ones cooked and cut into 3) and cheese and pineapple 'hedgehogs' have been pounced on and devoured by the adults!

Tonnes of ideas there thanks. I think I’ll still maybe go nibbles then but follow tips on minimising waste and making more of what “goes”. I’d feel a bit of a fraud ponce using labels in stuff being as I’d like to be ponce tastic but fall woefully short of the standard required! Liking the idea of slicing cheese and replenishing and the retro stuff plus finger sandwiches - do we mean bread cut into fingers? Or as per my youth, hotdog sausage buns made into open sandwiches?!

Our recent hits have been cheese and crackers, griddled halloumi, home made guacamole, pulled pork, pastrami and gherkin on rye, Nigella’s mustard glazed sausages, beer bum chicken, tempura prawns, paprika potato wedges with sour cream dip, tacos.

I do a slow cooker full.

So far the best thing has been pulled pork.

I then do casserole dish of stuffing, apple sauce and rolls.

Veg sticks, crisps and cakes.

Also cheeses.

All stuff that can be refrigerated or frozen and used at a later date - however this is the one where I've had least stuff left over!

Give me your pulled pork recipes please. I may do this anyway as never tried it. I don’t eat meat but do cook it so I need to trust you!

Beer bum chicken?!

We have a buffet boxing day
I do for sandwhiches
Crusty rolls and baguettes
Coca cola ham
Left over Turkey
Pulled pork
Stuffing
Mini burgers for the kids (prepacked ones from supermarket)

Then
A quiche
Pizza squares
Chicken kebabs
Prawn ring or breaded prawns
Potato wedges

Potato Salad
Coleslaw
Salad bowl

Breadsticks
Dips
Bowl of crisps for kids

A mini desserts platter from supermarket

I know that sounds quite a bit but there are quite a few of us on boxing day