Christmas starter

or even simpler, houmous for those who don't want smoked salmon.

I'm another who never does a sit-down starter - light canapes & champagne suffices!

Apparently some cheese harbour Listeria bacteria which can cause miscarriage or birth defects and some cured meats can cause Toxoplasma which is also dangerous for an unborn child and can be fatal also. I know when I had mine in the 80's we were warned against smoking and alcohol. Thank you so much for all the suggestions. Canapes and Fizz in the living room sounds great.

My must have stater for Christmas meal is seafood bonbons.
Prawns (shrimp) and scallops poached for a minute or so and then marinaded in cream, garlic, salt and pepper. Place about a tablespoon of the mix onto a phillo pastry sheet, that has been folded in half , and roll up. Tie the ends with chives softened by putting in hot water for a few seconds. Bake in a hot oven for about 10-15 minutes. Serve with a lemon sauce made with lemon, egg yolks, cream and some stock from the prawns and scallops. Add some chopped chives and season with salt and pepper.
The bonbons can be made ahead and frozen then bake for when needed.
You can substitute the seafood for chicken or when my DI was pregnant I made them with salmon.

This is the must have for our Christmas meal and the AC's would happily forgo any other food and have only these.

I would love to know which one of our ideas you choose Newatthis ?

Back in the 1960's my parents always gave us tinned grapefruit and tinned mandarins with a cherry in the middle for christmas starter. Very easy to do, little prep. and quite light before christmas dinner. When I took over family christmas I followed this for some years, then started to try other things, one year prawn cocktail (at request of one of my g.children). Also had chopped liver (homemade). or smoked salmon.
No problems these days, always go to one of my children for Xmas dinner (and Boxing day), and I am usually pretty easy and will eat happily whatever is put in front o fme

This year I found a recipe for sweet potato and red lentil soup on the BBC food pages which is absolutely amazing. It tastes very different to every other soup I have made and by omitting the milk is even suitable for vegans.
Do give it a try, if not for Christmas then sometime soon.
P.S. No need to grate the veg. as it is being blended once cooked.

We have twelve coming to us on for lunch on Christmas day. As I am acting as "Head Chef" I have decided on a starters choice of pate' with thin triangles toast, or prawn cocktail on a light salad bed.

You can get some excellent pate' in lovely china dishes in supermarkets which can be placed on the table, and the toast can be made and cut in to triangles well in advance as being dry it does not need to be hot.

The prawns can be mixed with the sauce well in advance and just spooned onto the salad base as they are served.

The above I did last year, and as we always ask all the quests to arrive at least an hour in advance of the start of the lunch for "mingling" and a couple of glasses of fizz, by the time they all sit down they are merry enough to not notice or care if my starters or anything else served up is not perfect. ?

I always do canapes with fizz when we open the presents around midday or 1pm. Sometimes it is antipasti with crusty bread, other times party food from M&S or Sainsburys. We have the Christmas dinner late afternoon.
There's enough to do without cooking and serving a formal starter. Puddings are all from M&S or Sainsburys as well. None of the family like Christmas pudding.