Christmas snacks

[Cravey]

I'm hosting this year. 11 adults and 2 children. Xmas eve through day after boxing day. Menus sorted for all three days, but suddenly I'm thinking of snacks. We have lots of fruit anyway, but I know chocs and such like maybe go down well. Crisps ? Pringles ? I can ask people to bring these with them so no hassle, we just aren't a snack family. Ideas much appreciated please.

@Queenfreak

I'm more impressed you've already sorted your menu! May I ask what you are planning please? so I can copy you

Xmas eve, takeaway, cocktails, Xmas cake Xmas morning, bacon or sausage sandwiches, pastries, toast, tea, coffee, Buck's Fizz Snacks Dinner, turkey and beef. Veges, pigs in blankets, stuffing, yourkshore puds, aiming to eat late around 6 ish. Champagne, wine, soft drinks. Cheese after. Boxing Day morning same as Xmas day. Long walk on beach. Hot chocolate, tea, coffee in flasks. Buffet dinner again around 6 ish.

For budget ideas, you can often get stuff in Poundland a
as well as all the stuff above, my fave budget catering have been.
Poundland - Chocolate Liqueurs, matchmakers, candy canes, Cinnamon biscuits, flavoured nuts micro popcorn, Japanese cracker mix
Iceland - the big bag of cheese savouries and mixed bag of pretzels, frozen indian/chinese bits that can be used on buffets used to be better value than supermarkets. If not making sausage rolls the Greggs minis are lovely.
Aldi- stackers as above, they have chocolate version of pringles which are yummy and thin so stretch round, Lebuchken, stolen and yes yes yes to the Florentines. Also if you have young kids visiting a Gingerbread house to decorate

Quick easy makes
Mincemeat and puff pastry for pinwheels or puff pies
Cocktail sausages baked in honey and sesame
A Camembert drizzled with honey and thyme and baked or cranberry sauce and pecans

I love Christmas as en excuse to make rocky road and chocolate bark

You could have crumpets and/or tea cakes in the freezer to toast if people need something to tide them over to the next meal time.

ragwort I don't know if we bothered with half of the buffet stuff last year due to Covid-19 messing up our Christmas plans but I wouldn't have tried them anyway, I hate them

Thankyou everyone, brilliant ideas. The children and parents are in the ( very posh ) hobby shed 😅. I'm thinking of putting snacks and drinks in the mini fridge for them. Maybe some cereal too and milk. Although they can come and go into the house as they wish.

My top tips if you do make your own sausage rolls:

• Brush with a beaten egg before they go in the oven,
• Use a pair of scissors to snip V's (see photo in recipe below) into the top of the sausage rolls before they go in the oven.

Makes them look quite 'professional' 😀

This is the recipe I use although I don't make puff pastry, I buy it.
www.deliaonline.com/recipes/occasions/christmas/christmas-recipes-to-freeze-for-christmas/ettys-sausage-rolls

Our Christmas snacks are Cheese Footballs (I have to get friends in the UK to post them to Ireland, cos we can't get them here - unless anyone knows different?), cocktail sausages, homemade cheese gougeres (which vanish as fast as I can make them), and Beech's Rose and Violet cremes.

@unexpectedthird

We don't snack too much at Christmas but the things we absolutely love are:

Florentines - either home made or Fudge's .
Really crumbly cheesey biscuits - again Fudges or home made.
Chocolate covered marzipan.
Really nice Turkish delight.
Mince pies
Crisps, crudities and dips.

I got some gorgeous florentines from Aldi last year.

There are some fantastic ideas on here thank you 😊

Personally I find tray bakes like rocky road, millionaires shortbread etc and things like home made truffles (I make mine with Lindt dark chocolate orange) go down really well, you can make in advance and just store in Tupperware. And they are so so easy and quick.

Also flavoured vodka if you’re drinkers, I made red berry and vanilla (great in Prosecco) , as well as butterscotch (which is lovely on ice cream and in coffee) ans the grown ups love it.

All that stuff can be made easily in advance and just served up, on the day.

Personally I think that stuff screams Xmas and feels much more festive than Pringles etc,

Plain bread sticks for the kids, and artisan ones for adults. If you're near a Polish shop they do pretzel sticks in different flavours, my grandson adores my bacon ones.