New Year dinner - starter ideas, lots of restrictions

[HalloumiFries]

Help. I have the in-laws coming round for dinner on New Year's Day. Main is fine - we're scottish so going traditional with steak pie. Dessert will be a cheeseboard - FiL is diabetic but refuses to eat a sensible diet. He has a very sweet tooth so it's easier not to offer any type of pudding otherwise he'll have about 4 helpings and arguments will ensue.

I'd like a fairly light starter as the following courses are quite heavy but I'm stuck.

I'm allergic to shellfish and the in-laws don't do fish of any sort. MiL also won't eat mushrooms and FiL won't have anything made with cream or yogurt, anything obviously "foreign" or anything spicy. Obviously I can't do anything with pastry or cheese as these feature prominently in the rest of the meal. This pretty much knocks out my entire repertoire of starters.

I'd happily go without but they are also sticklers for tradition and very clearly expect three courses when they come for dinner.

Ideas gratefully received. Thank you.

Soup?!

Melon and Parma ham?

I'd second the soup suggestion.

Oh and FiL won't eat eggs either.

Soup is an option but I often find it quite heavy. Any particular ideas/recipes? Most soups which appeal to me involve cream or a yoghurt swirl, or have chilli in them.

Fig and walnut salad with balsamic dressing

Or possibly griddled peach salad

Or a simple tomato and caper salad

for soup, a light clear minestrone ?

Or pea soup doesn’t have to be heavy

Pate on toast

Pate?
Bruschetta with olive tapenade or tomato and basil

Grilled asparagus with lemon, black pepper and hollondaise.

Roasted red pepper, tomato and olive bruschetta

Mushroom pate on melba toast with a salad garnish

Bruschetta - or is that too foreign?

Pâté and toast?

Tomato and basil soup?

But I'd probably get some supermarket nibbles. Sounds like hard work!
Or dips with veggies. Probably too healthy

Oh yes, pea soup could work but, more importantly, the fig and walnut salad is a very good shout! In fact I want this right now.

Or french onion soup with optional gruyere/crouton

Something like this - could omit the cream from the horseradish sauce
www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/beetroot-squash-salad-horseradish-cream

Grilled artichokes

Salad with apple for some sweetness and vinaigrette for contrast. Make blue cheese crumbles available on the side for people who want them.

Would second the French onion soup idea! If they're v traditional melon and Parma ham is pretty easy to prepare.

Forgot to mention MiL won't do olives in any form either - or sundried tomatoes. Far too foreign.

I'm half-Cypriot so what I want to cook vs what they are willing to eat has been a long struggle. I'd love a selection of dips or antipasti/mezze type platter but they would be horrified.

A light lemon soup like this one

www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/yellow-squash-soup/

I usually omit the pepper sauce and use a little less squash to stock to get a thinner soup for a dinner party.

Expect 3 courses and won't eat anything 'foreign'?! Why on earth are you pandering to this bullshit??

Citrus and bitter leaf salad, use a couple of different types orange, maybe also pink grapefruit, and leaves like endive, watercress, rocket, all with a simple dressing, you could add some walnuts if liked. Will look pretty on small plates.

Avocado vinaigrette.

Diced black pudding and diced bacon quickly fried and spooned over a mix of leaves. You only need a small serving of this, as quite rich, but looks as though you've made an effort.

Fresh figs and parma ham.

Grilled grapefruit halves served hot.

I had considered French onion soup - it's one of my own all-time favourites - but really wanted to avoid more cheese - and I don't think I could face it without a gruyere crouton - it's the best bit.

MiL does love melon and parma ham but for that reason, I seem to do it all the time when they come over. Should have mentioned that too, sorry - don't mean to drip feed, there's just so much to remember.

Thanks for all the ideas, so far I'm tempted by the fig salad (or maybe baked figs wrapped in parma ham?) bruschetta, or good old melon and ham.

We had similar problems catering for my Dad this Christmas. In addition he doesn't really like salad or soup or anything with liver. Ended up doing a chicken terrine with melba toast and it went down a treat.

some kind of avocado salad or caesar salad?

Both staples in the 1970s so shouldn't be too foreign.

Walnut salad with crispy bacon. I'd add toast and goat cheese but sounds like you don't want t anymore cheese