Check out these concepts under, then get extra inspiration from our assortment of Christmas starters. In a rush? Learn our information to 10 fast Christmas starters, all prepared in 20 minutes or beneath.
Our high 15 festive starters
1. Spiced honey-glazed halloumi & fig salad
Juicy baked figs pair superbly with grilled honey-glazed halloumi and ras el hanout spice on this opulent starter. Mixed with salted prosciutto, toasted almonds and peppery rocket, every mouthful delivers multi-layered flavours and textures. You would additionally divide it up into smaller canapés on cocktail sticks for a festive get together.
Spiced honey-glazed halloumi & fig salad
Serve up extra gentle Christmas salad recipes.
2. Cauliflower cheese soup with crispy sage & hazelnuts
This silky easy, cauliflower cheese soup is topped with crispy sage leaves and hazelnuts for a contact of color and crunch. The wealthy, wintry flavours are good to kick off your Christmas dinner.
Cauliflower cheese soup with crispy sage & hazelnuts
Blitz up extra easy and creamy Christmas soup recipes. Our vegan celeriac, hazelnut & truffle soup additionally makes one other luxurious festive mix.
3. Smoked salmon with prawns
Searching for a complicated starter? We have teamed basic smoked salmon with prawns and punchy horseradish cream, drizzled in a zingy lime, honey and ginger dressing. End with just a few handfuls of leafy salad and you’ve got a light-weight, elegant and refreshing appetiser, leaving ample room for the heavier festive fare.
Smoked salmon with prawns, horseradish cream & lime French dressing
Placed on a splendid unfold with extra Christmas smoked salmon recipes.
4. Hen terrine with leeks & apricots
A lighter tackle conventional duck terrine, this spectacular loaf is bursting with fruity flavours. Every slice reveals an attractive mosaic of hen, streaky bacon, apricots and leeks, interspersed with herbs and topped with bay leaves. This terrine is finest chilled in a single day and may be made as much as three days prematurely. Serve with toast and a aspect of yogurt piccalilli & crisp kale salad.
Hen terrine with leeks & apricots
Try extra Christmas terrine recipes.
5. Vegan rainbow spring rolls
Kick off your Christmas dinner with a vibrant choice of vegan spring roll canapés. Peeled carrots, courgettes and spring onions are mixed with juicy mango, salted peanuts and chillies, all encased in delicate spring roll wrappers. Serve with candy chilli sauce for a sensational meat-free starter.
Extra like this
Browse our vegan Christmas starters for extra plant-based concepts.
Not all pâtés should be meat-based. This simple veggie various combines wealthy truffle oil with porcini and chestnut mushrooms, and is topped with a sprinkle of crunchy peppercorns and thyme. Make it as much as a day forward to permit for chilling and luxuriate in served with toast, mini crispbreads or cornichons.
Discover extra good pâté recipes and vegetarian pâtés.
Searching for a showstopping sharing starter? This celebratory tear-and-share brioche with melty camembert centre is an ideal crowd-pleaser. To make it additional particular, every of the person bread buns are full of a alternative of festive flavours reminiscent of quince paste, chestnuts, cranberry sauce and roasted garlic. Make the dough the day forward after which bake till the bread is golden and crusty, earlier than garnishing with herbs and contemporary cranberries.
Festive stuffed brioche centrepiece with baked camembert
Indulge in additional creamy camembert recipes or additionally strive our decadent potted stilton and baked brie wrapped in prosciutto.
Attempt a enjoyable twist on the basic smoked salmon starter with Tom Kerridge’s luxuriously creamy model that includes coddled eggs, capers and gruyère cheese. It may be made in particular person ramekins or a big sharing dish and is right for dunking with crispy sourdough troopers. Prepared in simply half-hour, it is a fast and easy starter which the entire household will love.
Try extra twists on this conventional starter, together with our smoked salmon pâté, smoked salmon fillets and salmon tartare.
9. Griddled pears with goat’s cheese & hazelnut dressing
Impress your company with a easy but fashionable veggie starter, prepared in simply quarter-hour. Griddled pears tackle an attractive caramelised flavour which pairs properly with tangy goat’s cheese and peppery watercress. A light-weight toasted hazelnut dressing brings all of it collectively and provides a satisfying crunch.
Griddled pears with goat’s cheese & hazelnut dressing
Uncover simpler vegetarian Christmas starters.
10. Oysters with apple & horseradish dressing
Fuss-free entertaining at its finest – this subtle seafood starter takes simply 5 minutes to organize however makes an eye catching centrepiece served on a mattress of ice or rock salt. Crucially, oysters have to be opened simply earlier than serving, so watch our video for how you can shuck oysters. The punchy horseradish, apple, peppercorn & honey dressing supplies the right steadiness of sweetness, acidity and spice to go together with the contemporary oysters.
Oysters with apple & horseradish dressing
Have fun the festive season with extra sharing platter recipes.
11. Seafood cocktail platter
Everybody has their very own thought of what makes an excellent prawn cocktail. The simple resolution to this? Rustle up an epic DIY seafood platter. We have included the likes of prawns, white crabmeat, lettuce, cherry tomatoes, avocado and lemon wedges, however the alternative is basically as much as you and your funds. This implies company can create their cocktail in accordance with their very own desire, so everybody on the desk stays completely satisfied.
Discover extra scrumptious prawn cocktail concepts with our prawn cocktail recipes.
12. Honeyed beetroot & carrot salad with feta & hazelnuts
This beautiful winter salad is bound to impress whoever’s on the desk, boasting great seasonal flavours reminiscent of carrot, beetroot and hazelnuts. Merely toss collectively beetroot, carrot, feta, hazelnuts, plus herbs and the zesty orange and lemon on a quinoa and bulgur wheat base. If you have no quinoa or bulgur combine at hand, be happy to make use of couscous as an alternative.
Honeyed beetroot & carrot salad with feta & hazelnuts
See extra seasonal salads with our winter salad recipes.
13. Baked ham hock pots
Set the festive temper with these no-fuss, budget-friendly baked ham hock pots. They’re surprisingly simple to rustle up, plus they make an excellent time and power saver, prepared in all their golden, wobbly glory in simply half-hour. Serve with crusty bread for dunking into the wealthy, creamy combine, when you like.
Take your choose from our assortment of funds Christmas starters for extra fuss-free cooking.
14. Smashed cannellini bean crostini
Catering to veggies and vegans this 12 months? Fret not, this smashed cannellini bean dip will win over the hearts of your plant-based company, and should even fulfill the staunchest of meat-eaters. Utilizing low cost, on a regular basis elements, it makes an excellent funds Christmas starter, served with shop-bought crostini or breadsticks for dipping. Plus, it is prepared on the desk in simply 20 minutes. Simply notice: the extra oil you add, the silkier it turns into.
Smashed cannellini bean crostini
Uncover extra vegan Christmas starter recipes and vegetarian Christmas starters.
15. Cucumber prawn cocktail cups
A speedy no-cook starter helps make your seasonal kitchen a stress-free zone, particularly one which is prepared on the desk in simply quarter-hour. Serving as much as 4, these cucumber prawn cocktail cups are offered on lettuce leaves and topped with crispy shallots, making an ideal festive starter which grants you extra time to give attention to mains.
Browse extra nifty no-cook concepts with our finest no-bake Christmas recipes.
Get extra Christmas recipe inspiration…
10 fast Christmas starters
Christmas canapés you may make in minutes
30 finest ever Christmas recipes
5 methods with baked camembert
Greatest ever Christmas sides
What is going to you be serving as your starter this Christmas? See extra solutions at our Christmas dinner hub.