starter for a crowd

[NegroniLover]

We might have a crowd (as many as 17 if everyone can make it) for Christmas dinner.
The dinner itself will be traditional - turkey, glazed ham, roast potatoes, mash, roast herbed root vegetables, red cabbage, sage and onion stuffing, gravy.

The guests will be arriving from various locations so I think we need to have nibbles / starter as we're gathering.

The oven will be under pressure to cater for that number so party food / canapes might be difficult unless they can me made in advance?

I would love to have platters of 'something' so we can offer people a drink and there's something lovely to eat as we're waiting for the full group to arrive.

I am thinking smoked salmon on brown soda bread

Any other ideas?

Any dietary requirements?

Smoked salmon or gravadlax, prawn cocktail - all easy to prep in advance. I'm not clear if you/re planning it to be a sit-down-at-table starter?

How about antipasti? Cured meats, olives, breadsticks, artichoke, roasted peppers tomatoes, hummus, dips and hard cheeses.

No cooking, minimal prep and it can be arranged on platters so they can be moved around with no fuss as needed. Also good for people turning up at different times.

Nuts and fruit and nut mixes esp covered in chocolate.

Pate and oatcakes

Biscuits and cheese

Mince pies

Homemade stuffing sausage rolls

Charcuterie platter, seafood platter, fresh crusty bread, olives and dips is ideal

This 110%

I'd go with this too

Yep defo antipasti. I'd do a board between four or five so people aren't trying reach over each other.

For starters served canapé / appetiser style made in advance, we always have mini prawn cocktails in a small glass, melon chunk wrapped in Parma, cucumber disks with various toppings plus one bread or pastry item, either a platter of mini vol-au-vents with assorted fillings, a platter of mini crostinis with various toppings or mini puff pastry Parma twirls and puff pastry cheese twirls.

For pre-prepared nibbles on arrival there are bowls of assorted nuts, dried fruit some chocolate covered plus dates some stuffed with peanut butter on the side tables.
I’ve found some guests just want a cup of tea and biscuit with time to settle in and slippers on so a dish of 1 type of mini biscuits on the tea tray. Others are a bit more peckish so we serve cold cocktail sausages so no sneaking the pigs in blankets.