Ideas for starter for Christmas Day lunch

[TheIckabog]

DSis and I are hosting Christmas lunch this year. My mum has always hosted and without fail has done either prawn cocktail and smoked salmon or mini ‘fish pie’ served in a scallop shell as a starter so this year we’d like a change!

What do you do for starters? Ideally we need something that could be made ahead, something suitable for a vegetarian (or can be adapted for a veggie) and also suitable for a 95-year-old!

We've done mini crab cakes - either Nigella or Mary berry recipe, I can't remember, but they were a massive hit. Also had teacups of chestnut soup but no bread as very filling.

My mum always did prawn cocktail . Now that mr an DH host I make lentil soup as he doesn’t like seafood. We don’t have bread and it’s just half a bowl each. Pate is too rich for a starter for me.

@VirginiaWolverine

What I actually do is have vast quantities of canapés at noon and then the actual meal with no starter a couple of hours later.

We do similar. Big breakfast. Canapés and fizz around 2pm with dinner around 6pm.

Figs with gorgonzola?

Curried apple and parsnip soup
Figs wrapped in parma ham stuffed with stilton
Pate
Stilton parcels
Serve a sorbet afterwards to cleanse the palate

Ooh @MotorwayDiva have you got a recipe for the soup?

Another vote for fizz and canapés

@potteringalong it's the one on BBC good food but I don't put lentils in and use any cooking apples

Champagne to start

Another vote for fizz and canapés a couple of hours before the main event.

For Christmas I’d keep things earthy but lightish and might pick something like:

Pear, chicory, walnut & creamy blue cheese (St. Agur or piccante dolcelatte) salad, with a dressing put on at the last minute (oil, wine vinegar about 4:1, about 1tsp Dijon mustard and salt/pepper - but taste!).

Twice baked cheese soufflé with salad

Agree, baked Camembert but with pomegranate. This is a nice recipe with pomegranate, hazelnuts and pear.

We do canapés and cranberry gin fizz upon arrival at 3.30pm then main and dessert about 90min later then cheeseboard and chocolates around 9pm.

Be careful op, very careful. It tried to stray from smoke salmon and asparagus and it didn't work too filling.

Thanks for the suggestions all. I’m afraid the idea of canapés would be far too adventurous for our parents! They like structure and routine- they would be aghast at not having 3 sit down courses at Christmas lunch!

Lots of lovely suggestions on here, I’ve had a look at them all and they’re making me hungry for Christmas lunch already!

If everyone likes prawn cocktail or fish then why not keep the tradition going ?
As a vegetarian alternative , you could do avocado in the sauce ( if its suitable )
One of the nicest parts of Christmas Diner (I think) is knowing exactly what I'm going to have . Nothing new fangled .
DS is the only non-vegetarian in our household but when I have hosted DParents and DBro DSiL , we've always done a turkey ( DBro buys from a specialist butcher ) Quorn Roast , all the sides .

I just like to know that I;ll like what I'm eating on The Day , it's not a time for adventure !

I agree 70isaLimitNotaTarget I dont think Christmas dinner would be the same without prawn cocktail starter. It's practically the law . I like that its something weve carried on from childhood Christmas dinners. So nostalgic.

Breaded brie with a cranberry dip.

Soup, bruschetta, salmon, melon balls.

My MiL used to do ritz crackers with cream cheese on top. Hated that

No actual starter (who’d have enough room for lots of roasties as well?) just M&S canapés, usually fishy, a couple of hours before, but we don’t have our Christmas dinner till around 5. A much more civilised hour IMO and far less of a rush for the cook.

Canapés with champagne before sitting at the table. More relaxed, less cutlery!

And yes, dinner after 4.

I tend to just put a few little bowls around with nice nuts, olives etc and champagne.
No starter.

Just a massive main and pudding.

We normally have prawn cocktail but me and DH are hosting this year and are doing procesco and canapés instead

Always prawn cocktail and smoked salmon here!

We had smoked salmon, tiger prawns and lobster tail last year, it was light enough (low carbs, quite small portions of each), but it was really hard to find a sauce/dressing which went with all three (esp as smoked salmon is comparatively oily), so ended up with a pink grapefruit / orange vinaigrette.