Easy Christmas Party food: please share your top tips with Lidl #SchoolofChristmas: chance to win one of 5 £50 vouchers NOW CLOSED

[ZaneMumsnet]

Ahead of the festive season the Lidl team at #SchoolofChristmas would love to hear your top tips for tip top Christmas party food - what lessons have you learnt for hosting parties at Christmas that you can share with Lidl and MN?

VDd28

Please share your tips which can help make hosting a Christmas party (for kids or adults) a dream - whether an amazing recipe, short-cut, or your nod-and-a-wink trick to ensure you get to spend less time in the kitchen, and more time enjoying the party.

Everyone who posts their tip on this thread will be entered into a prize draw where 5 Mumsnetters will each win a £50 Lidl voucher.

Thanks and good luck
MNHQ

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Lots of native food from my country of origen. Long preparations of different types of corn bread and sugary dairy-free sweets. Everything very yummy but hard work. To be eaten on Christmas Eve and repose on Christmas Day as it is traditional in my house.

all vegan - to suit everyone.
keep it simple - snacks, crisps, dips and pastries.

Plan well to avoid waste. Use up the things that will spoil soonest first - for example trifle, rather than items that will last a while like christmas pud.

A semi-cheat I use is to buy shop made plain things, and add to them to make them my own (ish) - cheesecake with your own topping, cake covered in your own decorations, even just sprinkling a plate of mince pies with icing sugar or edible glitter looks like you've made more of an effort than packet to plate.

I bought a Panini maker from Lidl last year and used it on boxing day to make delicious paninis with the leftover meat, stuffing, some cheese and cranberry sauce. Last year they went down a treat following our traditional family dog walk.

Make as much as you can beforehand so that you are not stuck in the kitchen - and don't be afraid to ask for help! Hot canapés are great to have first so that all of the cooking is done and these can be followed by cold canapés or even better - a buffet so that people can just help themselves.

Little desserts are great because then guests can sample a few different ones and fruit and cheese are good alternatives for those who want something a bit different.

I keep drinks outside if there isn't enough room in the fridge.

If guests ask to bring food - give them a specific item otherwise you will end up with a lot of the same thing.

Prepare as mush as possible in advance so that you can enjoy the party with your guests

Buy in a few frozen things to accompany the Christmas meals. It'll save room in your fridge and won't get wasted if you over buy.

Buy your veges, slice/chop blanch and freeze them ready for the day

I quickly Blanche my Brussels in the week before Christmas and freeze them.
I also buy frozen mash potato as there's never enough room on my hob for a pan of potatoes

I stick to nibbles and drinks when entertaining, keeping it simple. Olives, decanted dips, posh looking crisps and a couple of plates of warm nibbles and bobs your uncle.

Oh, and make cocktail sausages look posh with a drizzle of honey and a few sesame seeds for the last minute of cooking.

dont buy sandwhich fillers , make your own egg mayo tuna etc

I make everything in advance, well as much as possible. My Christmas cake is made & is being fed weekly & I have made all my pies for our buffet

I always serve a couple of old fashioned "hedgehogs" - half an orange studded with cocktail sticks with cubes of cheddar, chunks of pineapple and a pickled onion. It makes everyone laugh and feel like they have been transported to the 1970s (but there's never any left at the end!).

lots of finger foods but keep it healthy!

We buy a gorgeous profiterole cake from M&S which can be defrosted the night before.

Buying nibbles is definitely the way forward - then you can relax and enjoy the party!

prepare things in advance and freeze them, then it is just a case of defrosting and warming up :)

Utilise the freezer & prepare as much as possible in advance.
Take advantage of using supermarkets party range to supplement your own.
Enjoy a glass of wine with helpers while preparing so it is more fun than a chore.
Make lists & use them.

It's all about being organised and preparation

I work a lot in the run up to Christmas Day so have to be on the ball

Most gifts already bought and wrapped. Working on a menu and shopping list as we speak. Got a stash of stollen, gingerbread, biscuits etc as I've been picking these up with my weekly shop.

Will prepare as much of Christmas lunch as possible the night before and DH can get up early to stick the turkey in the oven Christmas morning yet to tell him this bit

Get prepacked stuff where possible, I hate giving myself too much to do as I don't enjoy myself. It's reasonably cheap to by everything prepared anyway!

use proper sausagemeat to make your own stuffing and then use some of the stuffing mix for sausage rolls

Keep it simple and have lots of fresh vegetable nibbles and dips to balance all the rich food eaten over Christmas

Less is more, don't panic about it all being perfect as you are the only one who will notice. It is ok to cheat.

Cook whatever you can in advance & then freeze. Involve the kids in the baking - mince pies are easy & fun, pep them up a bit by cutting out pastry shapes to top them with, rather than traditional lids. Stained glass biscuits are also really easy to make, fun for kids & make fab decorations - a somple biscuit recipes - cut out shapes & then make a small hole in the middle & fill it with crushed boiled sweets, these will melt & create the stained glass effect when cooked! Don't forget to make a hole through the top before cooking so you can thread with ribbon to hang on the tree!

stock up on a bunch of party snacks from iceland, lidl, asda etc. Cook some of them so people can nibble as soon as they get there and then cook more throughout the night