Garden party starters bit of a challenge!

[Travelcrazy]

I am making dinner for 6 next week for mains I am doing gammon with jersey royals cauliflower cheese and garden peas with fruit crumble for pudding.
They are all over 75 and like traditional food and are all big eaters they like simple food nothing fancy!

I was thinking mini quiche with salad garnish to start but not sure, any ideas please?

Soup?

My dad is mid 80s and eats meat potatoes and 1 or 2 veg for most meals but he does like melon with Palma ham, he will also eat pate.

I would like a mini quiche (or a slice of a bigger one) but it can be a bit stodgy as a starter.

Melon and ham is a good suggestion. The main is quite heavy and if anything like my parents their appetite has decreased, so something light would be perfect - quiche is too stodgy.

Just seen you’re serving a heavy dessert too, are you sure you need a starter?

That sounds lovely. Alternative ideas to consider are

Prawn cocktail
Smoked salmon
Pâté with toast
Small serving of vegetable soup
Croquettes and salad
Breaded mozzarella and salad

Something easy that can be prepared in advance - soup if the weather's not looking great, smoked mackerel and brown bread, a small chicken caesar salad?

Quiche too heavy.

Something really simple - melon is a great idea, with ham as suggested, or a drop of Port

Or just a few picky bits
: pate, Melba toast, olives etc

Brilliant ideas thank you, one of the guests is very fussy and I always make him melon when the rest of us have something a bit fancier so that was genius but I don’t think the others would enjoy it. Will look into croquettes. Any more suggestions welcome thanks

Chicken casserole salad would go down well too, thank you

Caeser not casserole! 🤣

I make a courgette and coriander soup which can be served hot or cold.

Tomato or red salad (red onion, beetroot, orange pieces and radicchio or lollo rosso).

Rather than a quich Delia has a recipe for egg tarts, they are the same size and shape as a jam tart but with a mix of egg and herbs.

Filo parcels I put smoked salmon or mushrooms with cream cheese and bake in the oven for 10 - 15 mins.

Dried apricots soaked overnight fluff up to look a bit like egg yolks. Put some brie in the slit of the apricot, wrap a bit of streaky bacon round and bake for 10 - 15 mins.

Vol-o-vents are IMHO due a come back.

Mini 'kebabs' get a cocktail stick and thread on a square of melon, a mozzarella pearl and a bay leaf, or you could do min meatballs on cocktail sticks.

Cheese straws, get a ready rolled sheet of puff pastry, 'better' with Dijon mustard, score with a knife in to straws and then add a generous amount of grated parmesan. Bake for, you guessed it, 10-15 mins then break in to straws.

Slices of cucumber with cream cheese and smoked salmon or finely chopped ham.

I wouldn't do quiche fir a starter, no. And as gammon in the main I would avoid ham in the starter.

Your thread title says "garden party" but the description sounds like more of a sit-down meal. Will these starters be eaten at a table or not? I think Smoked Salmon is the best idea so far, or perhaps Chicken Liver Paté?

Thanks for the replies, we will be sat at a table outside but if the weather is not good we will have it indoors. They definitely won't eat pate due to the liver and no fish either.
So far I am looking at croquettes(never made them before though) or caesar salad with the dressing on the side, because they are fussy!
They all like soup but trying to do something summery and I know they will turn their noses up at cold soup.
I did chicken satay skewers once and they enjoyed that but I had to put the sauce separate 🙄

Caprese salad is lovely and summery - just tomato, mozzarella and basil.
Devilled eggs are easy to do ahead of time, and I’d serve them with a little watercress or similar to cut through the richness.
It’s asparagus season, so grilled asparagus wrapped in Parma ham is always an option.

Thanks devilled eggs sound good

Bruschetta? Just keep it small.
or garlic mushrooms on crostini

I wouldn't do a starter. In my experience of catering for oldies, not many of them could manage three courses.

Vichysoisse (cold leek and potato soup - but can be served hot if the weather is inclement) served in chilled tea cups.
Ditto gazpacho.

I would do a light soup - not a chunky winter soup.

@AtleastitsnotMonday I did mushrooms a previous time and they all loved them thanks
@DiamondThrone they are all big eaters and will eat it all no problem as long as they like it

My DH has suggested roasted red pepper and tomato soup or pea and mint as a small portion, I have never eaten it before what do you think?

@crumpet would either of the two I said work do you think? thanks for your help

Either of those sound lovely - and the bonus is that you can freeze any leftovers! I would lean slightly towards the pea but both of them are ideal! Good luck and have a lovely day

@crumpet thank you!