Vegetarian Christmas Eve Nibbly Bits

[Springisintheairohyeah]

Looking for nice ideas for a nibbly vegetarian Christmas Eve dinner - want something that can be grazed on throughout the night. I'm open to cooking from scratch, but because of the way the night's going to go I want something that people can dip in and out of as they like, rather than something that we all have to sit down together to eat hot.

Was thinking some nice cheese with crackers, grapes, chutneys etc could be the starting point - but what else to go with? My brain is getting stuck at "not charcuterie" and I can't think beyond that

Really not a fan of the ready made bung it in the oven type stuff (mini spring rolls etc.), and hummus is boring - although it's just grazing stuff, would be nice to make it still feel a bit special.

50% of the people coming do eat fish - but only cooked - so the obvious and easy smoked salmon out of the question.

I'll be making home made mince pies, lebkuchen and mulled cider/hot choc so sweet stuff and drinks taken care of.

Any suggestions to complement the cheese, or am I better off going back to the drawing board?

Cocktail stick, mozzarella, sundries tomato, bit of basil. Cheese and pineapple

Fromage Fort with crackers or crudités. David Lebowitz’s recipe is good but you can essentially use any old bits of cheese

@JG24 I can recommend the artichokes that Waitrose do on their deli counter. The best of any I’ve tried.

I love this thread. I’m not vegetarian, but so many things on here seem so appetising, I’m making a list of things to try.

One year I bought a load of ready made vol au vent cases, and every time I was making something using the right ingredients, I'd finely chop them at the right stage of cooking, fill a few cases and bung them in the freezer. Really I'm trying to recreate the ones M&S used to do years ago. Creamed mushroom, broccoli cheese, tomato and red pepper kind of thing. As they're out of vogue now, or at least the vegetarian ones are, they're less predictable than the standard supermarket fare of spring rolls, samosas and breaded cheese efforts.

Artichokes: definitely go Waitrose or similar. For me they're very much a do not try this at home affair. I do like home roasted veg mixed with a tub of slow roasted tomatoes, along with the oil, which would be good with houmous or cream cheese and crusty bread. I find Morrisons do the best ones at the moment.