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

Standard Insight T&Cs apply

Pre-prepare as much the night before (esp if you have a buffet).
Lidl, Aldi and Iceland all do a great spread of ready-to-heat canapes that are fiddly to bake from scratch but look fab in a spread.
Top it up with simple help-yourself dishes, sliced meats,cheese board, breadsticks and dips, salads and bread rolls and butter and there will be something for everyone.

And definitely the help-yourself drinks trolley with a bucket of ice.

Make and freeze anything you can in advance.
Have lists of everything you need to do and when.
Store stuff like veggies and drinks in the garage/outside if cool enough to make room in the fridge.

Planning is everything!

Cook as much as you can in advance! A cold starter is always good and a then you just have to worry about the main. Get the pudding cooked in advance too of course!

I save up my nectar points until Christmas then splash out on Christmas party goodies!

I'm lazy these days and want to enjoy Christmas as much as everyone else, so I buy frozen party food and pre-made desserts, which just needs heating in the oven and/or plating up. I look for offers on these products in the run up to Christmas and store them in the spare freezer in the garage. That way it doesn't cost a fortune either.

Start with fancy canapés that taste and sound impressive so you start your party with a bang. Also start with your best booze before cracking out the cheaper stuff later!

Remember that the shops only close for one day (and there are some open even then). No need to stockpile, you can always nip out and pick up some late bargains as and when you need to.
It saves on planning, money and also on food waste.

Keep the food choices simple but luxury - and for a party disposable crockery/cutlery, otherwise I find I spend all day washing up in the kitchen and no time having fun with family & friends!

For an adult drinks party do enough food for twice the number invited. I can't believe how quickly the food disappears when people are drinking.

Make salmon and cream cheese pinwheels the night before. They benefit from the fridge. Make a big tabbouleh too at the same time. And just buy lots of nice cheeses and let them suppurate overnight!

Clear out the freezer during November, so that you can put in lots of canapés and pre-prepared dishes for the holiday period.

Mini sausage rolls (I make my one ones with curry powder/paste added to the sausage meat): can be open frozen uncooked, bagged up and then cooked from frozen as required.

I also make mini spanakopita (spinach rolls) and "Turkey bites" (flattened turkey steaks, covered with a lemon and thyme stuffing, cranberries, rolled up and wrapped in bacon, then cooked before slicing into rounds) both of which freeze well and reheat from frozen as required.

Cooked red cabbage freezes well, as do parboiled potatoes reading for roasting.

Do some part baked rolls and let them fill them with a choice of fillings

Agree don't try to do everything, it's your Christmas too! I realised last year everyone liked the shop bought mince pies as much as my home made ones, that actually the cocktail sausages, cheese board, breads and cherry tomatoes went off the Christmas evening buffet, but after that everyone just ate quality street and nuts, so this year I'm pairing it back.

For drinks on the run up to Christmas, mullied wine makes your house smell very Christmassy, just make sure you don't open the posh wine your DH bought for it and be having a hissed row when your guests arrive

Make as many finger foods as you can in advance then just reheat on baking trays before the party, saves an awful lot of time and hassle on the day. I like to have some mulled wine heating on the stove perfect for arriving guests and makes your home smell very festive, I also like to put small bowls of food throughout the two rooms where people gather so theres plenty to hand for everyone

I buy some ready made good. But prefer to make my own sausage rolls and mince pies. Make in bulk and freeze. Just take a few out as and when needed.

If doing hot food, choose items that cook at the same temperature for a similar amount of time.

The old favourites are favourites for a reason - cheese and pineapple, sausage rolls, mini park pies, quiche - easy to prepare, display and they make people smile.

My tip is to not make too much food. Most snacks/party food can be prepared in a matter of minutes so it's no trouble to quickly make more if stocks run low but it really saves on waste.

Lots of preparation. Lots of cheese!

Cured meats, cheese and crackers! :)

Cranberry sauce with pretty much everything to make it festive

a great dip can be made by mixing dries mint in greek yogurt

Marking place.

We always make home made sausage rolls and mince pies for the festive season. Party food is always bought in bulk so that we have enough left over for new year too

make as may thing self service as possible, tubs with condiments, bowls of crisps - ham on the bone etc and use disposable plates cutlery etc.

Also make sure you've made a list of jobs that need doing before hand and allocate jobs to everyone including kids - that way they are kept occupied and doing something useful.

As adults and children like a bit of everything I try to make most things in bite size pieces. Cuts down on waste and allows those watching the calories to indulge a little without piling on the pounds!