What are you doing for a starter at Christmas that's different. I would love some ideas please?

Question

I always end up doing prawn cocktail, but even a variation on this would be good.

Oh my God,I love reading about everyones different ways of what to do. It will be hard to choose. Thanks.

Answer 1

My favourite starter - and the most simple to prepare - is the following:
asparagus spears individually rolled up in a slice of ham each, laid out in a flat dish and smothered in cheese sauce. Simply heat it up and serve it.
(The cheese sauce is just a white sauce with cheese in, you can put a bit of white wine in it too.)

Another simple dish:
take white bread slices and roll them as thin as they can go with a rolling pin (no crusts).
Then take smoked salmon slices (the very thin ones) and layer them onto the bread. Then spread with mayonnaise and roll them up to form a sort of swiss roll. Then slice the rolls and serve the little salmon/bread wheels with a garnish. Very tasty!

Good luck!

Answer 2

Its not different - more like traditional, but I always end up going to my dads for Christmas (he loves making the Christmas dinner) and ever since I can remember the starter has been turkey soup, made from the stock from the turkey, with rice, carrot, swede and leek in it. Fantastic!

If you have time, then do a festive prawn cocktail - get a small christmas tree cutter and cut out shapes from red and green peppers and scatter these in the salad leaves. Sorry can't think of anything more inspirational on a Sunday morning.

Answer 3

Being Italian we get ready for each meal with typical antipasto. Ours consists of thinly sliced semolina bread, proscuito, cappicola, salami, dried sausage, variety of cheeses, artichoke hearts, marinated red pepper strips, olives, pepperoncini, etc. This sits out an hour or so before dinner actually starts.Then we move to the first course which is always some kind of soup. We usually have french onion soup but sometimes it will be a tortellini soup. Next is some type of seafood, either mussels, clams casino or bacon wrapped scallop basted with bbq sauce. We move on to several more courses which I wont bore you with since you are looking for starters but it is always quite an event! If you usually do prawn, I would try the scallops for a change . I have never served them once when we didn't get oooh's and aaahs. ! Enjoy!!!!

Answer 4

My mum makes a delicious salad - I think it's a Jamie Oliver one.

Lay a bed of salad leaves out on a big serving plate. Tear up some mozzarella into bite-sized chunks and place over the leaves. Then, pop on some peeled peach slices and some prosciutto (sorry if spelled incorrectly!) ham. Add some torn mint leaves and drizzle the whole thing with a good olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice. Serve it with some warm crusty bread. This one's good as it's quite sociable, what with being on one plate! It's also fairly light so won't ruin the main event.

Easy as pie - no cooking and it takes only minutes to put together. Hope you like it!

Answer 5

use ramekin bowls and mash up some potatoes add butter. Then put a selection of mixed seafood cocktail (prawns, calamari,crab,mussels ) - you get these cheap at Tescos mixed tog at fish counter. Put the fish at the bottomeof the bowls, add a bit of salt and pepper, put the mash on top, then a sprinkling of cheese, grill for a few mins until cheese has melted and gone golden brown. serve with a small side salad . Enjoy!

Answer 6

as a variation why not do king prawn cocktail, with maybe bruschetta instead of buttered brown bread.
still use seafood sauce but serve it seperate as the prawns are big enough to dip it.
maybe add some fresh herbs to your lettuce mix to give it a rise
lime instead of lemon

Answer 7

We usually have smoked salmon .. I make a cream cheese and horseradish mix ... a tub of cream cheese (philidelphia) and about a tablespoon of horseradish, a squeeze of lemon, black pepper! Blend it all ... then take a slice of salmon, spread a little of the mixture on, and roll up! I put two or three on a plate, and then throw a handful of prawns over .... the prawns I usually mix with a little olive oil, lemon juice, and chopped spring onion! We have had this for years!

Answer 8

Well, down here in Louisiana...we like to start with sausage balls. Just mix 3 cups of biscuit mix with a pound of hot sausage and a pound of good extra sharp shredded cheese...mix together with hands until everything seems to be mixed together, (it will look dry)...Then form into little balls by pinchin up some of the batter and rolling in the palm of your hand. Place on non-greased cookie sheet...bake in a preheated oven of 400 degrees for about 10 minutes. These things are awsome!

Answer 9

Vol-u-vents are popular here. I fill them with asparagus and cheese, salmon and dill, chicken mornay, prawn mornay, ham and asparagus or vege mornay.

I get prunes without the seeds and wrap each one in a strip of bacon and secure with a toothpick and cook in a hot oven for 15 minutes and serve.

I make mini dill scones and serve with cream cheese and a prawn on top.

Get sliced white bread, take the crusts off the slices, roll them out thinly, spread with cream cheese, place a little sausage diagonally on the slice and bring 2 corners up and secure with a toothpick and cook for 15 minutes.

Make a cob loaf dip. Buy a cob loaf and take the top off, scoop out all the bread and tear it into dipping sized pieces. Mix together cream cheese, bacon, onion, grated cheese, a tub of sour cream. put all this into the cob loaf put the lid on and bake for about 20 mins until hot. Cook on another tray the bread pieces until lightly toasted. Use the bread pieces to dip into the loaf. It is delicious. I don't have exact quantities, I just make it to my taste and enough to fill the cob loaf.

These are all recipes that have been passed on to me.

Answer 10

We always have smoked salmon. Always just very simply served, with brown bread and butter, and some lemon. It's nice and light, doesn't fill you up too much that you can't eat the turkey, and the lemon gets the juices flowing so you're ready for the rest of the meal.