Post Christmas get-together nibbles ideas

A veggie option? Old fashioned vol au vents with creamed mushrooms? Small tomatoes stuffed with pate.

The filled vol au vents are available in Aldi but in the freezer. You can buy empty vol au vents cases and just heat up some filling at the last minute.

Love the sound of those, gbatty but doubt i will be fit to make them.

How about small fruit skewers? Hope the op goes well.

I’d choose one of two options -

1. Ask everyone to bring a dish or two

2. Order in from Waitrose

It's really not that big a thing, LucyAnna Our children and families having a drink together because we missed the usual Lester Christmas.

Soor if I wasn't clear.

Ready made sandwiches? Mini sausage rolls?

Hope you’re not left in limbo too much longer Kitylester. In the circumstances I think asking people to bring something with them is the best idea. Even small operations can leave you feeling whacked for a while after so I would make it as easy as possible for yourself.

M&S has lovely party things. They're on special offer right now so its a pity your freezer is full just now.

Pick your M&S party bits with care.
I am usually a fan but this years offerings seem not so good, the fish and chips were particularly horrible to us.
The fish bits have pieces of thin potato sticks stuck on the side with peas on top.
Not at all appealing.
I can’t remember what else we tried, very old memory but those stand out.

Before the DDs had the little ones, they always came here on Christmas Eve for fizz and nibbles at 10pm and stayed over. M&S ‘party food’ carefully selected to have the same cooking time in the big oven, plus copious amounts of pigs in blankets and oven chips in the fan oven.

Lidl sell a good range of party foods some of which do not need to be kept in the freezer. The cheese and onion potato skins are particularly tasty.

Mini Yorkshire puds filled with a dollop of mushy peas and half a cocktail sausage.
Fried Hallumi with a melon cube or grape on cocktail sticks.
Croustades filled with haggis (vegetarian haggis) topped with scrambled egg.
Blinis with smoked salmon and cream cheese.
Good olive oil and balsamic with bread to dip.
Bruschetta with pesto, tomato and mozzarella etc.

For something sweet, Lidl usually do very good frozen macarons as well as their chilled ones. I hope they're available this year as we love them.

I suggest you organise a delivery of items you know your family will enjoy. Your visitors can unpack and arrange on the table after they arrive.

Don’t fret kitty, the family want to spend time with you and each other, not criticise the food! It’s a rotten time of year to be anticipating surgery.

If it were me and freezer space allowed I’d stash some good quality sausage rolls, ready filled vol au vents, and tempura prawns. All easy to heat through with the pigs in blankets. If a step too far for the freezer I’d add them to a grocery order for delivery as close as possible to the day. There would also be some small cakes (lemon and chocolate as ours love both) or posh biscuits for our awkward squad who won’t eat mince pies. I’d be thinking very, very simple, but then no one expects complexity here . .

Good luck with the operation , hope all goes well.

I’d book a delivery now, there will be many offerings for NYE available, unspecified as yet.

J52

How about small fruit skewers? Hope the op goes well.

Thank you J52. I half expected you to have an op lined up too.

Can’t you scroll through the M&S Christmas food ordering service?

Oh sorry been suggested😊

Blinis? The Holy Trinity of Fat ,Sugar and Salt usually hits the spot.