What are your favourite vol-au-vent fillings?

[DioneTheDiabolist]

I'm doing a supper for DS2's birthday this week. Soup with bread and cheese ready on arrival, followed by vol-au-vents. The last time I made them it was the 80s and the filling was condensed soup based, so I need inspiration. Please tell me what are your best fillings.

Too retro?

What age is DS2? How about pulled pork?

I havnt had a vol-au-vent for years! I do love them with prawn cocktail filling!

I might make some this christmas. Retro is cool is it not?

I love vol-au-vents with creamy chicken, coronation chicken or garlic mushrooms - yum!

Mushroom er mush
Quiche type fillings I guess like salmon and pea, cheese and onion

I like classic chicken and mushroom or chicken and bacon

I love vol-au-vents! Creamy chicken or mushroom are favourites but I love the idea of coronation chicken. How about chilli, vegetable balti or marsala khema.

DS2 will be a year old and eats anything as long as it's come from someone else's plate. Except peas.

The party is just me, DP, DS1(11) and the godparents and partners. What do you mean by "classic" chicken etc. Is there a sauce? Is it condensed soup?

You used to be able to buy tins of creamy chicken, sure they still do in M&S, that's what I used to use.

I mix chicken into Campbell's mushroom soup.
The mushroom soup as a filling on its own for veggies.
Tuna, mayo and sweet corn.
Mince and onion

DP & i were reminiscing about vol au vents yesterday and I decided to buy some. I am making the tinned creamy chicken if I can get it & tuna & sweet corn in mine.

Pretty sure my mother fills them with some sort of mushroom soup. They are her go-to.

You could put anything that would go in a sandwich in them though I reckon.

Any particular reason for vol-au-vents. Are you looking for finger food / vegetarian friendly....?

I think I would just go with soup, bread and cheese followed by a pudding. Vol-au-vents feel a bit more like a starter than a main course to me.

I absolutely LOVE vol-au-vents. One year I spent ages looking for them at Christmas (I bought frozen ones) and for some reason I ended up putting ackee & saltfish in them. They were one of the best things I have ever eaten in my life - and you've just reminded me to add them to my Christmas prep list.

I'm doing soup (lentil, roasted red pepper & harissa) because they're all coming straight from work and will arrive, ravenous, at different times from 6pm until 9pm. Also the PiLs will be calling at about 5, so everyone can eat immediately.

The vol-au-vents? I thought they'd be a bit party-y, substantial and can be eaten with hands.

The soup sounds excellent! I understand the thinking behind the vol-au-vents better now. You could also do crudités & dips, olives etc that can be in bowls in advance, left in the fridge and served cold so you can focus on guests & baby. I don't eat meat myself but freshly cooked cocktail sausages always go down well if I serve them. My children are obsessed by vegetable samosas (but they are all a little older than yours!)

Mushroom goop. Haven't had a vol au vent in years!

Depending on how long you want to spend, I've done things like:

-Chicken and mushroom in a white sauce (made with half milk half stock)
-Creamed sweet potato and pulled pork
-Smoked salmon, cream cheese and dill
-Feta and roasted veg
-Cream cheese with pesto and sun-dried tomato

Do you have a wide nozzle? If the filling is smooth, piping is definitely the way to go!

It does seem a bit of a weird combination tbh. Might sausage rolls be an acceptable replacement for the vol au vents? You could do a couple of different kinds - eg with chutney, with mushrooms?

If you insist on vol au vents, fried mushrooms mixed into garlic and herb cream cheese would be my filling of choice, but only if served hot.

I always put strawberry jam or lemon curd in mine.

Garlic mushroom
Prawn cocktail
Cheese & leek (thick cheese sauce)
Chicken & bacon

Do you have a wide nozzle