Starter for baked ham

[Carrie76]

I’m having a dinner party in a few weeks, am planning on glazed ham with fancy salads and new/dauphinoise potatoes. Will do lemon mousse and brownies for pud. Any ideas for a starter? I’d like something I can prep in advance, there’ll be 12 of us.

These should be served at room temperature so can be made beforehand. www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipe/tomato-tarts-roasted-garlic-goats-cheese

I make these at Christmas, but they’re not festive in any way www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/onion-goats-cheese-tarts-0

Asparagus with hollandaise or a twice-baked soufflé.

Soup and good bread. If it's hot you could do chilled soup, e.g. gazpacho or vichysoisse.

Or small portions of a fish mousse or pate with a salad garnish and bread or toast. Dressed crab, prawn cocktail, smoked salmon, smoked trout - all would work well. If you've got two filling courses to follow portions can be small, as the first course is really just an appetiser.

On the other hand, if you're happy to go with something more filling, a Greek/Middle Eastern/Mediterranean type selection of mezze would be lovely. Spanakopitta cut into small squares or made up in little triangles, hummus, taramasalata, tzatziki, olives, stuffed vine leaves, those lovely giant beans you can buy in tins, baba ganoush, pitta or sesame bread. In my book it would be fine to buy almost all of that, so not that much work.

I'd go for something light as your main course is quite substantial, also for twelve people you want something easy to prepare and serve.

Perhaps slices of a couple of different types of melon, you could garnish with pomegranate seeds and small cubes of feta and offer a choice of dressings.

Flakes of poached salmon in a mayonnaise dressing served with slices of avocado, perhaps with prawns to garnish it.

I'm a fan of chilled summer soups, which would be prepped in advance of course, gazpacho, vichyssoise, pea & mint would all work well with your menu, and are an economical choice for a large gathering too.

This is amazing

www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fruit-recipes/the-easiest-sexiest-salad-in-the-world/

www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fruit-recipes/the-easiest-sexiest-salad-in-the-world/

Sorry if there's no link, its Jamie oliver fig mozzarella and prosciutto salad.