Need a 'make-ahead' starter / first course recipe for supper with friends..

[hmc]

I have main course and pudding sorted (chicken pie, with mashed sweet potatoes and green beans in a kind of buttery, lemony dressing for main course, and orange and passion fruit mess - which is a cointreau and orange variant on eton mess for pudd)...but need a 'make-ahead' starter.

I don't want to be fannying around much on the day, so the starter needs to be either really super quick and easy, or something that I can make ahead and refrigerate the day before and cook on the day...iyswim?

Suggestions welcome

Thanks

pate? serve with some rocket/salad, bit of dressing and crusty bread?

rabbit pate is nice. or duck. or even a salmon mousse or something if you dont want to do meat.

soup's a good one. It always tastes better the next day, serve with crusty bread.

Carrot and ginger is nice.

Watercress soup. Absolutely delicious, very quick to make (you only need to peel a couple of spuds and chop an onion or two really, as the watercress can be shoved in as it comes) and summery and seasonal.

Shout if you want a recipe.

(The first time I served this Bloke was initially unconvinced, 'Salad soup, really?'but then conceeded that it was lovely.)

You can make smoked trout pate by just whizzing some smoked trout and softened unsalted butter in the food processor, then mold in ramekins and serve with some brown bread and a few bits of cucumber.

Figs wrapped in Parma ham on a handful of rocket add some chopped chives, torn basil leaves and shavings of parmesan and then drizzle with olive oil and balsalmic vin before serving.

or potted shrimps - if you leave somewhere you can get hold of brown shrimps. Always lovely.

One of my fave easy starters is to tear up some buffalo mozarella, add to a plate with sliced pear, drizzle with good olive oil and sprinkle some chilli and basil on top. It's really delicious served with crusty bread.

If I'm pushing the boat out I make chinese chicken parcels. Whizz up chicken thighs, chilli, coriander, garlic, lemon grass, ginger in a food processor. Take the leaves from a svoy cabbage and stick them in boiling water for a minute or so to soften them. Take them out and plunge them into cold water. Add a teaspoon of the chicken mix to the leave and wrap the leaf round the mix. Put them parcels into a steamer (I use a bamboo one and bring it directly to the table) and they can stay like that until you're ready to cook. Steam over boiling water for about 10 mins. Serve with soy sauce and sweet chilli dips. They're delicious.

Had a similar dilemma for a meal last night. I ended up getting two camembert cheeses. Take them out of box and wrapping. Put them back in box base. Make cuts in one and put garlic and fresh thyme through the holes. In the other one pour over Port and let it soak in. Bake for 10 mins until gooey and runny. Serve with bread for social dipping! It was a big success.

yawn to soup.

Smoked salmon and blinis or asparagus wrapped in parma ham with a little parmesan sprinkled on.

Steam the asparagus for a couple of minutes, shave some parmesan over, wrap in the parma ham and pop in oven for 5 mins - delicious.

Or just do olives/quails eggs and celery salt and some posh crisps for nibbles over drinks.

These are excellent suggestions - feel a bit spoilt for choice now. Thanks all

I had wondered about pate - thinking that might be a good idea. Re the soup - wondering if that might be a bit heavy since I have quite a filling chicken pie for main course...but then, watercress soup would be light. Loving the camembert too (sorry to be dense - do you bake in the box, is it not flammable?)