Cold appetisers/hors d'oeuvres for Christmas day

[thelegohooverer]

I want to serve some cold appetisers to fill the gap on Christmas Day. Something I can serve in the living room, rather than at the table.

Definitely nothing that requires an oven or a microwave.

Hit me with your brilliant ideas!

Cheese and pineapple sticks
Mini peppers stuffed with cream cheese.
Cheese and crackers
More cheese?

M&S is your friend.

I always raid their canapés to have an n hour or so before Christmas dinner - I don’t do a starter so it’s just to keep everyone going before dinner at 5 ish.

I usually go for fishy things - cold ones are easiest but the hot ones are very good, too.

Mini blinis with smoked salmon/cream cheese/caviar
Prawn cocktail in shot glasses
Cheese straws (home made although the M&S ones are also delish)
Cocktail sausages in honey mustard dressing or extra pigs in blankets
Brie & cranberry sauce on sourdough crackers

I'd usually go the hummus/crudités route but nervy about shared dips due to COVID-19

So for after the main Christmas lunch? Cheeseboard, pate, nuts, chutney, fruit, crackers, cold meat and chipolatas left from lunch, quiche or a frittata, rice salad, crisps and dips. Plus leftover desserts, chocolate.

@titchy I have the same problem that everything I think of is cheese based but we definitely have to have cheese and pineapple sticks.

@GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER I had it in my head that m&s only had hot canapés. I’ll definitely look into that. Easy is definitely a good thing

@Defiantly41 I feel the same about dips. That’s always been my go to.

@Whatwouldnanado no the gap before lunch. We will have a cheese board later so I don’t want the appetisers to be too cheesy.

Waitrose do mini croustades, fill them with smoked salmon, half a quails egg (they sell them ready shelled) and a blob of hollandaise (they sell it in a pouch)
Or with crab mixed with mayo

We always have cashew nuts, smoked salmon blinis and Delia’s sausage rolls on Christmas Day, with Buck’s Fizz from about 11 or 12. We eat our Christmas dinner around 3, no starter.

I make the sausage rolls in advance and freeze them, defrost and reheat on Christmas morning.

A light one we do to not fill people up too much is a slice of cucumber (or blini if wanted) with a spread of cream cheese on then a sliver of smoked salmon on top (bit of pepper and lemon juice too).

These are great. I’m taking notes!

Last year we did: croustades filled with lemon and dill smoked salmon pate or Bacon, marscepone and thyme roasted apricots. Mini goats cheese and beetroot cheesecakes. Pre-grilled langoustine with chilli, lime and corriander.

Parma ham and melon or figs
Crab, cucumber and grapefruit salad (think this might be a Simon Hopkinson or Nigella Lawson thing)

What about toast, is that too much effort? If not, then toast with pate, or gentleman's relish, or fish pate.

Blinis or crackers with salami and fresh fig slices, caponata, tapenade, guacamole, etc etc, garnish with things like olives, cocktail gherkins, cocktail onions, asparagus tips, caper berries, lumpfish or salmon caviare.

How about some stuffed dates? You pit the date and then stuff it with peanut butter, pecans, pistachios, cheese, bacon or anything really?