Cold starters for Christmas dinner

[ImNotReallyHere]

I’m hosting Christmas dinner this year and struggling to think of cold starters for 2 people. The rest of us will all be having Prawn cocktails.

However DB is vegetarian.
DD is fussy and doesn’t like prawns (or pate or tomatoes). She will be happy to have a veggie starter though as is trying to cut down on meat.

Also don’t want it to be cheese based as we will be having a big cheeseboard.

Totally stumped. Any suggestions?

Very retro but melon balls in Port is a favourite or melon with prosciutto. Smoked mackerel pate is lovely and very easy to make.

You could do melon balls in a Marie Rose sauce (assuming you make a vegetarian version), with shredded iceberg on the bottom - so it looks like what everyone else is having? And less extra work for you

I'd rather have a glass of champagne with some nuts and olives than a formal starter, but if I had to I'd have mozzarella or burrata with tomato and basil, or avocado, or some sliced pear with blue cheese on some salad leaves.

I love pear, halved, filled with mixture of marscapone, dolcelatte, walnuts, dates and honey. Cooked in apple juice. Delicious. So easy to prepare too.

Sorry. You wanted cold. I serve this hot or the next day, I serve cold.

I do prawn cocktail as the Christmas starter for the majority. I only offer melon or fruit juice as an alternative. This works for us as mainly it's the children who don't want the prawn cocktail. Nice and light so the eat their main meal 😃 Any adults not having the prawn cocktail deem quite happy with that. Keep it simple op there is enough to do on Christmas day without doing extra starters. Or maybe buy a starter in.

Avocado vinaigrette, quick and easy.

Salad of fennel, (cut in to matchsticks) bitter leaves eg rocket or endive, pink grapefruit segments, with a fruity dressing.

Waldorf salad. (Can be prepared the previous day)

Egg mayonnaise! Slice the eggs into quarters, don't chop them up as for sandwiches.

Vegetarian pate with little bruschetta breads went down well with my lot. There are recipes online

Garlic mushrooms for everyone

Veg soup

Mozzarella sticks with a sweet chilly dip

When we stayed at a fancy chateau many years ago, the hostess used to give DD a grated carrot salad as a starter each night. It was yummy.

I do something similar with shredded red cabbage & carrot and Nigella does a nice Vietnamese shredded chicken salad (swap the chicken out). All these benefit from sitting in the fridge for a bit and last for a few days.

M&S do some lovely German Rye Bread which is fab sliced and spread with butter or cream cheese with smoked salmon. It goes well with Champagne!