Light but delicious starter ideas needed

[MmeLindt]

We have guests coming tomorrow and I am making a chicken, bacon and mushroom pie (puff pastry).

Dessert will be Jamie's Frangipane Tarts.

Any ideas for a light starter? Don't want anything too stodgy, or we won't have space for dessert.

Prawn cocktail?

melon and parma ham?

Hula hoops?

LOL at Hula Hoops.

I don't think that they sell them here in Switzerland.

DH is allergic to shellfish, so could only do prawns if I had an alternative for him.

Melon would be good, DC like it too.

DS loves Parma Ham - I caught him munching on raw bacon today because he thought it was Parma.

If they don't sell them in Switzerland you should get some mailed over. Your guests would probably think they were quite exotic

with pastry in the main and pudding courses I think something tasty but light like a seasonal salad - eg watercress with pears, croutons and a little blue cheese and some toasted walnuts

smoked salmon?

do you need to bother?

Smoked salmon sounds yum.

Will soup be too filling?

JJJ
They live in London, are Scottish/English so probably not going to be impressed by exotic tube crisps.

Do I need a starter? Probably not, just feels like a more complete meal with one.

Soup too heavy, I think.

Hmm. I could do salad.

What do the Swiss have for starter?

Um. Salads mainly, I think.

I don't often order a starter, as I find it too filling to have one as well as a main course. And if I were to chose, would always go for a dessert rather than a starter.

I could do a Champagne cocktail instead of a starter.

Champagne cocktail would do it for me. There again though I would have been happy with the Hula Hoops

Caprese salad - slices of fresh buffalo mozzarella, slices of large tomato, drizzled with good quality olive oil and scattered with fresh basil leaves.

Light, simple, delicious.

Champagne cocktail

oh yes - champagne cocktail would be a hit with me rather than a starter! Stuff the salad!

champagne cocktail followed by caprese salad?

Ok.

Um. How do I make a Champagne Cocktail then?

Champagne, I have.

Bellinis are nice - an inch of peach juice in the bottom of the flute, topped up with champagne

I may be a bit late, but I made this salad on New Year's Eve and it went down very well. I was also looking for something light. It includes bacon but you could miss it out or substitute for something else.

fatsatsuma
that is my normal starter salad, or one very similar. Mine is with bacon and mushrooms, which is obviously not going to work with a chicken, bacon and mushroom pie.

Bellini sounds good.

Pear and blue cheese salad?

(I was going to suggest melon and parma with a raspberry coulis... but I was beaten to it )

Would this recipe do?

What on earth is Bitters? This is all to complicated for me.

When I was younger my mother used to artfully arranged two lettuce leaves on a plate, place some prawns on them then dollop a spoonful of Mary Rose sauce on the top. If she was feeling really fancy, she would decorate the plate with some dried herbs.

I do have some Aperol, could do Aperol Spritz and be done with it. Don't think I have Cognac.

Thank you all though, for your wonderful help.

Checked the liquor cabinet (ie, Ikea shelf). We do not have Cognac. No surprise, we don't drink spirits so only have odd bottles that we have received as presents over the years.

We still have about 1/4 of the bottle of whisky we got as a wedding present in 1997.

Champagne Charlie has one dash of apricot brandy in a chilled flute then add Champagne.

Afraid that my culinary skills are a bit too much like your Mums