Easy canapes for a drinks party

[BonjourBonheur]

We are having some friends round for drinks and canapes just before Christmas and I want to do something a bit Christmassy. I don't have a lot of time though so can you suggest some easy options? It's not a meal, just bits to go with drinks. On the list so far

• honey-glazed cocktail sausages or sausage rolls (or both)
• mini mince pies (bought)
• ummm..
• that's it

What is easy to make and to eat while clutching a glass of wine? I need a few veggie options too.

Thank you!

Pigs in blankets in cocktails sticks.

Cracker with cream cheese and chopped chives sprinkled on top.

Buy some frozen vol au vent cases and make some creamy, Herby mushrooms to go in.

Chicory boats with Greek salad filling (olive, feta, red onion, cucumber drizzled with a lemony dressing.

I had a website book marked with h loads of great ideas. I'll see if I can find it. Crunchy grapes looked great....

Here's the grape recipe. www.google.com/amp/s/www.greatbritishchefs.com/recipes/crunchy-grapes-recipe/amp

If you search that site there's loads of canapé recipes.

I would make loads of pigs in blankkets. Use cocktail sausages and half a rasher of streaky bacon.

Aldi and tesco both do sticky chicken teriyaki skewers which are very good.

I make amazing tarts with caramalised onion chutney, add some cooked bacon lardons, and top with a wedge of cheddar. Xmas ones would be cranberry sauce instead of onion chutney and brie instead of cheddar - both are lovely. I use a sheet of ready made puff pastry and a muffin tin.

Caprese skewers
Cheese straws
Mini quiches

Something like this.
www.redonline.co.uk/food/recipes/a501534/smoked-salmon-canapes-with-cream-cheese/

Do you use Ocado?

If so, try the French frozen Picard range - just bang in the oven

Get a bag of disposable piping bags (pound shop) or make your own out of baking paper.

Then you can make fillings and drizzles for vol au vonts, crackers and blinis. Store in fridge until needed and then pipe them on. It’s very neat and quick. A few snipped chives or a tiny sprig of lettuce finishes things off.

For sweet nibbles I serve mini mince pies, mini battenbergs cut in half, macarons, tunnocks tea cakes with a blob of white chocolate and a fondant holly leaf (to look like mini mince pies), fingers of Christmas cake (but a small rectangular iced one)

squares of cheddar on a cocktail stick with a piece of fruit always go down well. And a cheese board looks after itself.

If you want to serve hot nibbles, check the oven temp on the boxes is the same for everything.

My favourite easy easy one is cream cheese smothered in sweet chilli dipping sauce with tortilla crisps like Doritos.

Ready to roll pastry and then add toppings of choice. So pesto chicken. Cheese and mozerella and tomato,peppers tomato and feta and pine nuts etc etc the choice of topping is endless and so easy to do.bing on the oven then take out and cut into squares.
fruit skewers
chocolate strawberries
little pots of prawn salad
bhajis
posh crisps
couple of whole melted Camembert and French stick to dip in
jacket potatoe skins

buy pizza

Cheese, nuts, anything with fat & protein.

Crisps
Nuts
Mini vol a vonts
Mini pies/quiche/tarts
Cocktail sausages
Cheese and pineapple sticks
Cheese and pickled onion sticks
Cavier on crackers
Cheese on crackers

squares of cheddar on a cocktail stick with a piece of fruit always go down well

If you're going to do that, please, please, please go full retro and stick then in a halved grapefruit!!!!

Last year I did min greek salads on a cocktail stick and they went down very well. Little bit of feta, chopped tom/olives/cucumber/red onion.

I think honey glazed sausages and mini mince pies sound fine 😀

Blinis - blob of sour cream, bit of smoked salmon. Ground black pepper on top or a smidge of caviar if you fancy being posh!

Grilled Pear, Brie, and Honey Crostini www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/grilled-pear-brie-and-honey-crostini-recipe/

Slice up a baguette, drizzle oil and toast. Add brie and pear, back under the grill and then honey and serve!

I can't get this in our local Aldi anymore, but I used to get a jar of their specially selected pesto rosso, mix it with either a tub of creme fraiche or cream cheese and have it as a dip - really tasty with crisps or crudités.

Oh lovely- I'll have a look through all these suggestions. Thank you, everyone. Love the sound of those crostini!

Pigs in blankets, best quality sausages cut into thirds, half a rasher of streaky bacon, cocktail stick. Can easily be made in advance and frozen (uncooked) - I do that every Christmas.

I’d say cheese straws - my very very cheesy ones always go down a storm and have been requested more than once - but admittedly they’re a bit of a faff to make.

Otherwise, M&S is your friend.

Streaky bacon wrapped around green olives and secured with a cocktail stick is surprisingly tasty.

Deviled eggs are always a crowd pleaser.

Stuffed mushroom caps. There are a million recipes out there but we like browned beef mince seasoned with worcestershire sauce, topped by a spoonful of mash, pepper, under the broiler. Lots of butter in the mash. They are labour-intensive though. If you really want to be fancy you can use very thinly sliced rare steak instead of the mince.

Prawn tempura

These are amazing.

I always enjoy a ritz cracker with cream cheese and a prawn or smoked salmon on top!

I'd just get some Christmas tree shaped pretzels or crisps...

@JuneOsborne what do you think crunchy grapes taste like?!