Easy vol-au-vent fillings

[kitchenplans]

I'm doing a buffet on Boxing Day in addition to hosting on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, so I'm trying to keep it as easy on myself as possible (whilst of course, still being delicious). I'm doing vol au vents - I have 3 packs of 18 in the freezer. What are tasty fillings that can either be bought ready made, or can be made very simply by just combining a few things. I was wondering whether the premade tubs of sandwich fillings might be OK? Maybe prawn mayo, egg mayo and coronation chicken? Or do I need something a bit more special?

Campbell’s concentrated mushroom soup mixed with chopped chicken (or leftover turkey). Sounds vile but tastes wonderful.

I love mushroom vol au vents - cheats - sautee some finely diced onion, sliced mushrooms, campbells condensed mushroom soup. Done.

Philadelphia cheese mixed with crispy bacon and spring onions (and seasoning). For extra convenience use M&S precooked crispy bacon

Following with interest - I've some cases too.

I had these at a party once and they were delicious.
Fruit cocktail and whipped cream. You could also use fresh berries and whipped cream.

I melt cheese into crème fraiche, then when it starts to set add an oven roasted herby cherry tomato on top.

Can of chicken in white sauce [Sainbury's does it] run through a blender, but not for so long it turns to puree/baby food. Fine hot or cold.
Prawns stirred through taramaslata.

Sorry for shouting but WHERE DID YOU GET THE VOL AU VENT CASES?? Year I've been looking, years. I'd given up hope. And now you dangle this in front of me ...

@AutumnCrow i got some in Aldi on Monday, Kevin the carrot and reindeer shaped ones. They were in the specials aisle (and not fridge/freezer sections were I spent ages looking for them… 😂)

Thank you, @Christmas789 - the buffet gods are strong tonight

@AutumnCrow Tesco have Jus-Rol ones in their freezer section.

Egg mayo
Tuna mayo
Coronation chicken
Variants of the above with paprika etc to change them up a bit.

Cream cheese mixed with scraps of smoked salmon. A sprinkle of chives on top to make them look fancy.

Also cream cheese mixed with smoked mackerel or tuna.

Brilliant! Honestly, we've been looking for years but they seemed to have stopped stocking them.

Haha. Came to say this. Parents favourite in the 80s/90s.

Smoked salmon, horseradish, dill.
Mushroom, garlic, cream cheese.
Ham, mustard and honey.
Prawn, garlic and butter.

Mushrooms, very finely chopped, cooked in butter on low until they are delicious, salt, pepper, cream, fresh parsley. Delicious.

Campbells condensed soups are very difficult to find at the moment.
I'd like prawns in Marie Rose sauce, please.

Brie and cranberry sauce

I got them from Iceland. And I got them in early, as last year I saw them in October or something, then when I tried to get them in December they'd disappeared! Mine are JusRol.

So many amazing suggestions for fillings! Keep them coming!

Second/third Campbells condensed mushroom soup, however there are supply issues at the moment and you may not be able to find any. There are tins for sale on Ebay for £30, I have a few tins and would charge you £10 (very lighthearted joke). I have also filled them with a bechamel sauce cooled and filled with prawns. Absolutely love a vol au vont and make a few extra so that I can have them cold the next day for breakfast, but then I am a bit special. Hope that you find a filling you love!

Love a vol au vent.

Cream cheese whipped with pesto and chopped sundried tomato (top tip: use a plain nozzle if piping this, the tomato gets stuck if you use a star one!)

Feta crumbled with sautéed pepper and onion.

Cream cheese blended with smoked salmon and dill, or whipped with finely chopped cucumber and dill.

Red cabbage and pulled pork.

If you want easy though, do fillings you can pipe! Spooning red cabbage into 50 vol au vent cases whilst constantly watching the clock wondering if I'd manage to get changed before people arrived was an evening I really don't want to repeat.

I love a mushroom vol au vent!
I finely chop mushrooms, fry in butter then add a lid to the pan and leave them a bit until they’re quite wet, add seasoning and some flour, stir until it starts to bind and then add a bit of milk. Delicious simple and creamy mushroom filling.

I too stocked up when I saw Tesco had the Jus Rol frozen ones in. Last year I had to go everywhere to find them.

@AutumnCrow …I have been looking for vol au vent cases for months,have been to every big supermarket in the SE 🤦‍♀️My children take the piss but absolutely love them on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day …anyway I finally found them in Morrisons Crowborough last week. I was so happy and announced it on family WhatsApp group 😂

My DP has just confessed that he actually saw vol-au-vent cases in Iceland last week and didn't buy them. Or tell me. Apparently a fleeting thought went through his mind and then, gone, vanished in a cloud of stress about Haribo nut-free selection boxes.

He's going there at 9am

(He's fine about it - he loves a good food treasure hunt. I'll get him onto the Campbell's condensed mushroom soup next.)