What's starter do you like making for a dinner party?

[HRHMcDreamy]

Looking for inspiration!

what I like (but can't afford!!) is smoked salmon pate wrapped in smoked salmon done in individual ramekins as moulds and turned out with either some salad or thin toast.

garlic mushrooms cooked in cream with breadcrumbs on top.

simple salad with bits like shredded chicken, or smoked mackerel, or avocado and bacon.

soup is good

roasted veg on sheet puff pastry and cooked

Smoked mackerel pate is nice with toasted sourdough and a beetroot caper parsley and tomato salsa

A wooden board with a bowl of olives, chorizo or salami, manchego and quince. Serve with glass of cold fino sherry

Piedmontese peppers are ridiculously easy and elegant

Soup - something not too heavy is lovely on a cold day

asparagus and hollandaise sauce

ceviche.

Is a big party? If it's a party but a little bit formal, you can make a salad. If it's really a sort of wild party, try making finger foods. Something you have in stick. For some restaurant, they actually serve bread with butter.

Stilton and broccoli soup.

OR

Tomato and mozzarella with lots of fresh basil, drizzled with balsamic dressing.

Both are easy peasy to make but high impact / very tasty.

chicken tom yum soup (thai)

I tend to do canapes and snacks or mezze rather than a first course. If I am doing a "proper" first course I like a good salad - rocket, roquefort, fig and honey/sherry vinegar dressing is nice and a little bit interesting or you can't beat a good mozzarella, tomato and avocado salad with olive oil and basil. Or if I want something more substantial a goats cheese and tomato tart always goes down well and is very easy to do.

I avoid soup as they tend to be too filling (unless I'm doing a light fish course as main).

Hatwoman - you make your own ceviche? That's impressive.

bling - dh does it - it's lovely and very easy. I was deeply sceptical as I'm not much of a fishy person at all - let alone half-raw fish! but it's just a case of chopping it up, making a marinade (lime juice and chilli based) and putting it on a plate with salad. so easy to do ahead of time. everytime he does it people love it. even if they pull an "I'm not that keen on fish" face at first.

How about a Roquefort salad, it only need crumbs of the cheese, so not terribly overpowering for people who don't like blue cheese a lot.

Mash up some Roquefort with a fork and mix with fromage frais. More fromage frais than blue cheese.

Thinly slice some baguette and toast. Cut each slice into 4 to make the croutons. Arrange salad leaves on a plate. Just before serving, so that the croutons don't go soggy, dunk the croutons in the cheese mixture and arrange on the salad.

If you're feeling generous, you could always scatter a few toasted pinenuts over, too.

We had this in a restaurant in Provence, thought it was lovely and asked how they did it.

big sharing plate of carpaccio

big sharing plate of canapes eg grilled chilli, mozzarella and basil on a wee bruschetta etc

Salad of romaine, watercress, pear, parmesan and walnuts with dijon dressing.

Massive bowl of simply boiled large prawns with lemon and bread and butter

Moules marinieres with crusty bread

Salt and pepper squid