Christmas lunch starters

[shrumps]

I usually do the classic prawn cocktail or canapés...i prefer it to be a sit down one but am out of ideas. What are you having??

Little shot glasses of prawn cocktail, garlic dough balls, Brie and cranberry in cracker shaped filo and pâté on star shaped toast.

Smoked salmon
Cheese bagels

Starters always feel like an unnecessary faff to me, but if I had to choose I'd definitely choose something very light, that could be prepared early and didn't need to go in the fridge. What about a savoury sorbet?

Jings It’s really easy - just a slice of honeydew melon with a piece of stem ginger on top and a drizzle of the ginger syrup. My mum always did it. She’s Scottish, so it may be a Scottish thing.

We often have little brie and cranberry parcels , small party size ones

Coquilles at Jaques

Coquelles St Jaques I meant

Melon, thinly sliced and wrapped in parma ham. Utterly simple and delicious. You can make it more festive looking with a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds or some finely zested orange peel. Prepare the melon the night before. When you have a moment on Christmas morning wrap the slices in a strip of parma ham and put on a large plate in the fridge or a cold place until you are ready to serve it on small plates.

Followed by carrot soup, spiced with coriander and ginger. Again, you can make this on Christmas Eve and re-heat gently as you are sitting down to eat your melon. No potato in the soup base to keep it nice and light and I don't serve it with bread either so people have room to enjoy their main course.

Traditionally it was the top layer of a box of Milk Tray

Sounds lovely Sage.

We have had lots of things over the years but last year we had a platter from our well known butchers.

You can choose from a selection of seafood and it is presented beautifully on a platter. Saves me a lot of work we just have a small salad and people help themselves. Lobster, crab, prawns in shell and shelled, smoked salmon, trout pate etc

@DeirdreRashid

Quality street

Agreed. I also feel a tangerine/ chocolate coin starter works well.

I do a selection of pates and breads.

I do a mushroom and walnut, a sun-dried tomato and butterbean and a cashew camembert for the veggies/vegans
and a duck pate for the meat eaters.

I also bake a couple of loaves of bread, usually a pumpernickel, a sourdough, a French stick and an olive bread.

they are always a hit and its easy for me as I can do it all a day or two in advance.

usually a choice of either prawn cocktail or pate and caramelised onion chutney with brioche. I will just do whatever everyone wants - ds wants chicken dippers and mayo.

So many fab ideas!!! Thanks so much for your replies...I'm now spoilt for choice

We have prawns cooked in oil, garlic and parsley, in a lovely individual dishes with a lid on, not too many prawns though, and fresh bread from the oven, those pre cooked types you need for 10 minutes to mop up the garlic oil.

We have soup after that. And it's always asparagus soup. With a dollop of cream, sprinkle of fresh parsley. (I'm getting hungry and it's hours to lunch yet !)

These Christmas threads are getting my stress levels up about presents and lists and stuff.

I normally do potato and leek soup. I had mentioned maybe not doing it this year, DH looked shocked, so it's back on!
We are only 3 adults for Christmas day so there is usually a long break between all courses. I'd like to do something different, my mam would love something sea food, neither of us would, I'd like something goats cheese, they wouldn't.

Beetroot and goats cheese salad or if we fancy a hot starter spiced butternut squash soup, but some years just Quality Street.

Leek and potato soup with crusty bread
Mushroom pate on homemade toast
Or savoury pastries- cheese and bacon are good for brunch and quick to make and chuck in the oven.

@Ionlydomassiveones

A starter for Christmas dinner sounds a bit like ‘man vs food’ to me… how do people do it? Camembert and bread? Followed by turkey and all the trimmings? Jesus, how does this fit with the MN 800cals-a-day-and-any-bigger-than-a-size-8-you’re-a-disgusting-fat-pig vibe?

We have at least an hour break between the starter and Turkey. Really it's an extra special tasty snack to stave off the moans of "I'm huuuuuuungryyyyyy...". The Coquilles St Jacque aren't huge, so it doesn't over-fill us. We usually have breakfast about 8.30 (DCs also have a breakfast starter of satsuma and chocolate coins ), starter around 1, turkey between 2 and 3, then Xmas pud about 7. We don't subscribe to the 800 cals/size 8 model though!

I definitely wouldn’t have soup & rolls - too filing. We don’t usually have starters but if we did, it would probably be fish based.

@Ionlydomassiveones

A starter for Christmas dinner sounds a bit like ‘man vs food’ to me… how do people do it? Camembert and bread? Followed by turkey and all the trimmings? Jesus, how does this fit with the MN 800cals-a-day-and-any-bigger-than-a-size-8-you’re-a-disgusting-fat-pig vibe?

The same way you can fit in 10 courses at a Michelin starred restaurant. By making the portions proportionately smaller!

Bloody Mary soup - I love it as I am usually too 'over' the turkey by the time it comes to eat!

We just choose a few of whatever M&S party foods look nice and have a selection a couple of hours before the main meal.

Oh my goodness @liliainterfrutices - my mum used to do the melon and stem ginger too ( not for Christmas) I’d completely forgotten about it until I read your post! I loved syrup drizzled over it.