Do you have a starter on Christmas day?

[TickleThePickle]

I am trying to make this year as special as possible. I would like to make something nice for people to munch on whilst the main course finishes up.
No one in our house really likes fish and I am conscious that I don't want anything too heavy as I don't want people to be too full to eat the main course. What do you have for starter on Christmas day?

Yes. A nice 1970s prawn cocktail.

Crackers and pate

No.

We don't, it would risk spoiling appetites for the main course.

Last year I did mini prawn cocktails in shot glasses with star bread, mini Brie and cranberry filo parcels shaped like crackers, and garlic dough baubles.

But we have starters about 1-1.5 hours before mains

No. We have 'nibbles' from m and s early and then a late lunch.

I do a broccoli and Stilton soup or some baked Camembert- it's all about the cheese!

We used to. But I recently moved to canapés over the last couple of years, it’s so much better,

So we have champagne and canapies about noon or one o clock. Bits from marks and spencer you just warm up in the micro, and then Xmas lunch about four. Everyone enjoys it so much more. Because a starter just before is so much food. It also spreads the oven use out.

We then have pudding about eight pm, so the meal basically lasts all day.

Prawn cocktail, pate or smoked salmon and avocado!

The only thing I would have is salmon or prawn cocktail, or maybe some canapés but I see in your post you don’t like fish!

If we didn’t have smoked salmon I would just stick to some nibbles like honey roast peanuts and save myself for the main meal (and cheese!).

We usually go for a curry but this year being this year we're staying home. We're having coquille St Jacque (Sainsbury's shove in oven, I'm not Heston Bloomingheck).

I have made butternut squash spiced soup and breaded Brie deep fried with cranberry sauce before.
We haven’t bothered the last few years and have a main and pudding (later).

Lovely suggestions!

I'm doing bacon rolls and cinnamon rolls for breakfast (early - small children) and serving lunch around 3pm.

I want something for mid day, not a meal but might do a starter type dish. Kids will probably have some sweeties so can gear this towards me and DH.

Canapes and bucks fizz sounds great.

Markies do brilliant canapés. If you don’t like fish then things like mini cheeseburgers, mini chicken Kiev’s, beef and mushroom Yorkshire’s, sticky chicken lollipops, hoisin duck pancake rolls etc , but all are in tiny miniature size. If you do like seafood then also things like tempura prawns etc, as said they are all canapé, so one bite size, but always go down a storm.

My DM always insists on making a starter and I wish she wouldn’t I feel obliged to eat some soup, when really I’d be quite happy with Christmas dinner and a nice dessert.

Maybe some nice nibbles would be a good compromise?

We already feel sick by lunchtime due to Quality Street and Twiglets consumption!

I always think the main course is what matters tbh, starters seem a bit unnecessary on a day which is really pure overeating already.

No - don't want to fill up on stuff, and also there is too much in the over / in the fridge / on the worktop.

Canapes with champagne or a cocktail about an hour or an hour and a half before dinner (we have Christmas dinner in the evening)

Oh I just remembered I had these canapés from M&S the other day. Omg. It was the mini Yorkshire pudding with the porcini mushroom and slow cooked beef filling with red wine.

I know you have yorkshires anyway with a roast but honestly these are so good (£7 for 10, though...)

I definitely do not want to eat soup before Christmas Dinner.

Canapes and champagne
Main Course
Pud
Cheeseboard and port
Chocs.

I'm doing bacon rolls and cinnamon rolls for breakfast

Yes I do this too, and some cheesy scrambled eggs, croissants, and some Buck’s Fizz.

Then as said, canapés around mid day with some Prosecco or champagne, and them Xmas lunch mid after noon and then dessert early evening, otherwise it’s just too much food at once,

Absolute best thing is lots of little salty things with a nice sherry or port. Smoked nuts, olives, THESE, homemade parmesan biscuits (really easy and can be frozen). Or just Monster Munch

Prawn cocktail with a bit of smoked salmon.

Cheesy scrambled eggs and croissants sounds lovely @Bluntnes100. We've never worked to these timings before so good to see it works for others and not too much.

I am soooo hungry now.

The year before last I made homemade blini's with quails eggs (runny) and a sauce but I can't remember what the sauce was. Anyway the starter was light and made a change from the usual fish starter x