Kid friendly starter for Christmas dinner?

[clare8allthepies]

It’s just the 4 of us at Christmas, me, my partner and our 2 kids. I never have a starter at Christmas dinner as it’s a big meal and if by some chance I’m not completely stuffed at the end I would rather have dessert. I do a prawn cocktail for my partner (and used to for his dad too when he was with us) but the rest of us don’t like seafood.

I would like to offer my kids a starter (especially as one of them doesn’t really love the main roast) but can’t think of many options. They don’t really like soup except canned Heinz tomato, my eldest would probably like bruschetta but the youngest wouldn’t. Does anyone have any genius ideas?

Ham and melon?
could youngest have a different topping on the “bruschetta” eg hummus?

Given the ages could they have Ritz crackers with cream cheese?

Melon

Another vote for melon

Dough balls

Hummus and pitta strips

Some mini chicken kebabs

Came on to suggest melon and ham like a pp. Or would they like pate & toast or something like hummus & carrot batons?

Pate? Honey and mustard cocktail sausages? Grilled hallumi lollipops with an optional cranberry dipping sauce? Have a cheese board? Baked canembert with bread to dip. Or even garlic doughballs to fill the younger one.

Not melon if you're hoping to fill up the youngest.

Party food?

We bake a small brie and have bits to dip into it, thsi year we’re having some garlic ciabatta. My dc all enjoy this. When I was young it was always melon for me.

Pate with melba toast.

Do them a little cheese board with some crackers and maybe some little ham slices, cherry tomatoes.

We have prawn cocktail, one of my DD's doesn't like prawns so she has the salad and dressing sauce without the prawns

M&S and Waitrose both do bao buns that have a festive themes- Father Christmas ones in Waitrose and penguins in m&s. These have been a hit with my kids, and would look fun as a starter. Plus take seconds in microwave.

My kids used to love blinis with smoked salmon and cream cheese - simple and not filling

Pigs in blankets with a few dipping options - ketchup, sweet chilli sauce, cranberry sauce.

So potentially elements of the main course, just accelerated.

That's a good shout. My DS 6 loves this.

We normally eat cold food and leftovers for a few days after Christmas, and I always get him pate and Melba Toast to have with it!

We don't do starters on Christmas day, though. Just the main and then desert a few hours later.

We always start with pate, toast and red onion chutney. Kids that don’t like pate love a little plate of sliced baguette, butter, carrot and cucumber sticks.

Cream cheese and bruschetta
Fruit platter
Cheese and ham pastry or mini sausage rolls
Pate and Melba toast / crackers
Cheese and breadsticks

If they like Heinz tomato soup why not give them that?

Garlic bread slices? They could have a bruschetta type topping then if they wanted

Crisps and a couple of different dips.

Chinese or Indian starters....vegetable spring rolls, bao buns, onion bhaji, samosas etc.

Wafer thin ham wrapped around asparagus with mayonnaise for dipping

Avocado.....roughly chopped mixed with chopped fresh skinned tomato and a salad dressing such as Caesar.

Caesar salad, you could add sliced avocado or hard boiled egg.

Egg mayonnaise.

Salad of mini mozzarella balls and cherry tomatoes.

Toast and pate or melon.

Hummus and crudités/breadsticks. Honestly, I give mine stuff I know they're going to eat and enjoy for Xmas dinner - I want to enjoy my meal, not spend 30 minutes arguing with a six year old about pate 😁

Breaded cheese bites or garlic breaded mushrooms with a ketchup/mayo/garlic mayo dip depending on what they like?

So many amazing ideas, thank you! I’ll offer them some choices from the list and see what they fancy. We’re going into town this afternoon so I’ll get them to have a look at the bao buns in m&s and see if they like the look of them.

I’ve realised that it sounds like they’re toddlers but they are just a fussy teen and pre teen who should be more than capable of telling me what they want to eat for dinner 🤦🏽‍♀️

DS17 is always only child at our Christmas table and we always have a seafood starter which when he was little wasn't for him. His favourite thing at 5 was a chocolate spread sandwich - so I made him one, cut off the crusts and cut into 9 canapé size portions and sprinkled with edible gold dust - he loved it.

Over the years the item for starter has changed but always the edible gold dust is sprayed over it - quite a few times he has had chicken nuggets , it's "tradition "and I think if I didn't do it he would be sad