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?

I always used to do a starter, but the timing is really awkward: the last 20 mins before you plate up Xmas Dinner is really busy - with Yorkies going in, veg to boil, sprouts to fry, sauces/gravy to heat/make... I found I never got to sit down and eat the starter with everyone else, which was depressing.

So starters ended up being a victim of 'The Great Christmas Dinner Simplification', the year DD was born, and we've never missed them.

What I find does work well if you want another course is a good, christmassy salad between the main course and desert. I did a walnut, endive and gorgonzola salad one year, which was amazing. But anything with fresh, strong flavours would work.

No, it's such a huge meal and we usually have smoked salmon and scrambled eggs in the morning which is quite filling. We hardly ever get around to pudding afterwards either - far too full!

We never used to but one year my dad insisted on making prawn cocktails as a starter despite all our protests and now it's tradition and we have it every year 😂

We have a starter at around 11-12ish and then dinner later at about 3pm so it doesn't spoil our appetites. Although we're all quite greedy so that's never been an issue.

We usually have something like garlic mushrooms or something with seafood. Last Christmas we had scallop gratin, it was delicious. I do like starters with cheese but my mum isn't a huge fan of cheese and she comes here most years.

Absolutely! We serve prawn cocktail or pate, both with freshly baked bread, depending on what family members want. Sometimes we also do soup. Then we have Christmas dinner with the trimmings. By that point we’re all stuffed and need to sleep for an hour lol before having pudding later on in the day (xmas pud or toffee/chocolate pud and custard). Then turkey and stuffing sandwiches and homemade tarts/buns in the evening. Christmas Day is a totally indulgent day for us lol! 🙈🤣

Usually soup and pate and oatcakes.

Last year did a baked brie set inside a big round crusty loaf with some cranberry sauce, yummy!

@Bluntness100 without sounding too "the clue is in the name" what are cheesy scrambled eggs? We like our scrambled eggs on the verge of undercooked, so they are really silky, does the cheese not turn it a bit omelettey or rubbery? Do you sprinkle the cheese over the top instead?

@WhatAreWordsWorth

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?

I would find this so grim. Soup is what you eat when you are ill, or when all you have the energy for is opening a tin, or when it's the only thing you can afford in the canteen. It isn't a treat, and my heart would sink if I was served it on xmas day!

If soup is an option, you might as well go all 1970s and have a small glass of orange juice or grapefruit juice. (Anyone else remember when these counted as a starter?!)

We do but we spread Christmas dinner out so we have the starter at lunchtime and the main just after the Queen. Usually some sort of pate with melba toast and a bit of vaguely festive salad. We usually have melon as an option for children: two different colours in balls and stars (They think having fruit for starter is quite funny!)

Yes, something light that doesn't need cooking like Parma ham and melon.

Yes, something light that doesn't need cooking like Parma ham and melon salad

We have a recipe that has been passed down years that's a secret, only I know it in my family and I make it around 3 days before Christmas for starter. It's similar to stuffing and we bake it and serve with gravy and a pinch of salt! It's beautiful

Is it Paxo @Snowman2020

I only ask as my Grandmother's most secret recipe was straight out the be'ro book and damn if it doesn't make me laugh as I bake it 20 years later.

Definitely. If we have a houseful of people I'll do 2 starters.

I like a soup, homemade of course. Lettuce, pea and mint soup is not very seasonal but is easy, quick and delicious.

Other things I've made: mackeral pate and melba toast, parsnip and apple salad, smoked salmon and toast

With the DC I like to have a decent breakfast (with bucks fizz for the adults), a light posh picnic lunch (fancy breads, cheeses and meats) then dinner in the evening. Otherwise I'm stressing to get the bird in while we're doing the stockings and end up hungry waiting for Christmas dinner.

We do brunch, usually blinis, black pudding, smoked salmon, scrambled eggs etc, washed down with black velvets (Guinness and champagne)

Then canapes to nibble for starters which must include Japanese style pickles, which I make the day before. The DCs are all in their twenties and it is nice to get them all to the table sober enough to eat, so I delegate canape responsibility to them.

This prawn cocktail recipe

I do beetroot marinated salmon a few days before as it needs a bit of time, it is very popular

[quote Courtney555]@Bluntness100 without sounding too "the clue is in the name" what are cheesy scrambled eggs? We like our scrambled eggs on the verge of undercooked, so they are really silky, does the cheese not turn it a bit omelettey or rubbery? Do you sprinkle the cheese over the top instead?[/quote]
Yes, I do them on the verge of under cooked too

It’s not healthy but eggs, salt, pepper, a shit ton of butter, and then grate some (a lot ) of mature cheddar in, mix it all up, add some chilli flakes if you like some heat, and then do in the micro, or on the stove, but catch them before they go dry, they need to be still wet, as they continue to cook when out. They need to be really soft.

The cheese goes into the mix before you cook it. Try it, you won’t look back,,,

@NatalieH2220

My husbands tradition has always been to have tomato soup as a starter so this is what we always do now with crusty rolls.

My husbands mother used to always make ham and lentil soup as Xmas starter. I honestly don’t know how anyone has a bowl of soup and bread before eating a Xmas dinner.

At the beginning of our Xmas’s together, he used to request it, but it is just too heavy. He now much prefers Canapés a couple of hours before hand. And before we did them, we used to do something light for a starter , like mozzarella and Parma ham and some salad, or whatever.

A couple of years ago we had a house full and instead of doing breakfast/canapés that year, we bought all these posh mini hand made pies, they all had really lovely fillings, from veggie, to cheese , to steak etc, and warmed them up, and had them late morning, they went down a storm too.

Gordon Ramsay butternut squash soup or potato and leek soup

A little slice of griddled pecorino with crispy sage leaves.

Pears or figs with prosciutto, blue cheese and honey, stick under the grill

Just make the portion size small and it will be special but not too filling.

I don’t like soup as a starter either. Too filling. Unless maybe a tiny cup of it?

If soup is an option, you might as well go all 1970s and have a small glass of orange juice or grapefruit juice. (Anyone else remember when these counted as a starter?!)

Yes! @ArcheryAnnie

Yes, we do a very small portion of butternut squash soup each, no bread on the side. We make it in the soup maker, so no fuss, but serve it in a ‘Christmassy’ way. So we have a bunch of little thing on the side (sliced nuts, finely sliced spinach, baked croutons). Everyone adds a bit of each (or whatever) to their small soup bowl and then pour the soup in. It is really nice and festive.

My mum always hosts and I always make a prawn cocktail. This year however I'm hosting and want do cocktail hour with canapés and champagne so everyone's bringing a canapé. I'll get some pre made ones from Mns as well