Best Christmas dinner starters

Here’s the list of the best Christmas dinner starters:

• Prawn cocktail
• Goat’s cheese salad
• Smoked salmon and cream cheese blinis
• Baked camembert and sourdough
• Ham hock terrine
• Mushroom and herb pate

Now let’s find out all about them...

Prawn cocktail

What is prawn cocktail?

Prawn cocktail is one of, if not the, most popular starter for a British Christmas dinner (in fact, as recently as 2019 a survey saw almost a third of people choose it), though it was first popularised in Las Vegas, US, as far back as the 1950s. It is made by adding a Rose Marie sauce to prawns that have been shelled and pre-cooked, and serving them in a glass - sometimes on a bed of lettuce or salad leaves.

Rose Marie sauce is made by combining tomatoes or tomato sauce, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and basic seasonings of salt and black pepper - though some people make a “cheat” version by mixing ketchup and mayonnaise together.

Top tip

Sprinkle your assembled prawn cocktails with smoked paprika for a burst of flavour and festive colour.

Can you make prawn cocktail ahead of time?

A prawn cocktail should be assembled in the glass immediately before serving, but elements of it can be prepared the day before. The ingredients for the Marie Rose sauce can be mixed together and kept chilled in the fridge until needed, and the prawns prepped, cooked and refrigerated.

Allergy alert?

Prawns are a Crustacean, and therefore one of the 14 major food allergens. Rose Marie sauce is made with mayonnaise, which contains Eggs - another major allergen, and Worcestershire sauce, some varieties of which contain Fish (such as anchovies).

Goat’s cheese salad

What is goat’s cheese salad?

Goat’s cheese salad is a salad in which the primary or “star” ingredient is goat’s cheese - it makes a great Christmas dinner starter as it is light but indulgent (goat’s cheese is rich in protein and slightly lower in fat than cow cheese), leaving plenty of room for the main course.

Goat’s cheese salad usually has a combination of sweet and savoury ingredients, as the cheese pairs well with fruits like apples and pears, as well as common salad ingredients like cucumber, leafy greens and green beans. The salad is finished off with a dressing - such as vinaigrette.

Top tip

Goat’s cheese has a rich, strong flavour, and because the rest of a Christmas dinner is also rich and decadent you should be restrained with the other salad ingredients - to prevent the meal from becoming sickly and overwhelming. Avoid adding nuts to the salad, and go for a lemon juice and olive oil-based dressing that doesn’t include any honey or egg yolks.

Can you make goat’s cheese salad ahead of time?

Salads should not be dressed ahead of time - as they will become soggy. However the dressing can be premade and stored in the fridge in an airtight container, and the drier ingredients such as leafy greens mixed together ready to plate up. The whole salad should not be assembled and dressed until the last minute.

Allergy alert?

Goat’s cheese is made from goat’s milk, and therefore as a mammal milk is considered dairy Milk - one of the 14 major food allergens. Some recipes might also include Nuts (e.g. walnuts) and a dressing made with Mustard - both major food allergens.

Smoked salmon and cream cheese blinis

What are smoked salmon and cream cheese blinis?

Smoked salmon and cream cheese blinis are a popular type of canape that are commonly served as a festive hors d'oeuvre or appetiser, and made by layering cream cheese and smoked salmon on a blini and sprinkling with chives or finely chopped shallots.

Blinis are a type of small, yeasted Russian pancake that is firm enough to hold many different types of topping and are usually served at room temperature on sharing platters.

Top tip

Don’t forget a final squeeze or splash or lemon juice on each blini - it will bring out the flavour of the smoked salmon.

Can you make smoked salmon and cream cheese blinis ahead of time?

You can buy premade blinis or make them yourself days ahead of time and store in an airtight container. You can assemble them - putting the cheese, salmon and other toppings on the blinis but it should be done no more than an hour or 2 in advance - and kept chilled.

Allergy alert!

Blinis are traditionally made with Eggs, Milk and flour (Cereals containing Gluten) - all among the 14 major food allergens, and cream cheese is also a Milk derivative, and salmon is a type of Fish.

Baked camembert and sourdough

What is baked camembert and sourdough?

Baked camembert and sourdough is a dish consisting of a soft cheese that has been baked in the oven in a wooden or ceramic dish or casing and slices of toasted sourdough bread - usually served communally to be shared by multiple people. The bread can be dipped into the camembert directly or attached to a fondue spear.

Camembert is a a soft, cow’s milk cheese with a harder rind, that becomes gooey and thick when baked in the oven - it has a distinctive earthy flavour that goes beautifully with tangy sourdough.

Top tip

Did you know you can bake camembert in an air fryer? Well, you can, and doing so will save you time and remove the need to preheat the oven to the specific temperature needed for the camembert - leaving it free from interruption for the main course dishes.

Can you make baked camembert and sourdough ahead of time?

No - you’ll want to serve your baked camembert when it’s fresh from the oven and perfectly gooey, and your sourdough has just been toasted - so it’s firm but not tough. The good news is the whole process is quick - the cheese doesn’t need to bake for longer than 15 minutes, and cutting up and toasting bread takes only a couple of minutes.

Allergy alert!

Camembert is a type of cheese, made from Milk - one of the 14 major food allergens, and most sourdough is made from wheat flour. Wheat is another major allergen, a Cereal containing Gluten.

Ham hock terrine

What is ham hock terrine?

Ham hock terrine is a combination of meat and savoury jelly, set in a covered “terrine”, a pottery mould that gives it a loaf shape.

It is served chilled and dressed with salad leaves, alongside crusty bread or melba toast - it is rich and can be split up and shared as a starter, making it a popular choice to kick off a Christmas dinner. It is made by shredding and chopping cooked ham into chunks and adding seasonings such as parsley and black pepper, and combining with a gelatinous hot stock (traditionally made from trotters and veal bones but now often from store-bought gelatine and other stock ingredients) before pressing into a terrine and chilling to set. It should have a meaty flavour and melt-in-the-mouth texture.

Top tip

Chop up some baby gherkins and add to the shredded ham - their tanginess complements salty ham, and will also cut through the fatty stock for extra texture.

Can you make ham terrine ahead of time?

A terrine is best made the day before it is needed - at least 3-4 hours in the fridge are required before it is ready to serve after making it, and preferably overnight.

Allergy alert!

Ham hock is not itself an allergen, but depending on the individual recipe there might be allergen ingredients in the terrine - namely Mustard and Celery (particularly via the stock).

Mushroom and herb pate

What is mushroom and herb pate?

In today’s culinary landscape it’s become customary to have a vegan option - look no further than this plant-based take on a traditional pâté.

Pâté is a type of spreadable paste made from fat, seasonings and meat - typically meat coming from a fattened animal liver, and mushroom pâté imitates much of the richness and texture. It is made by blitzing mushrooms, diced onion, olive oil spread or margarine, garlic, lemon juice, breadcrumbs and herbs such as rosemary and parsley in a food processor or blender until the mixture becomes smooth and spreadable but not runny.

Pâté is served with melba toast or crunchy vegetables such as celery.

Top tip

Don’t use white mushrooms - they can be too bland and pâté is meant to be flavourful. Instead, opt for a blend of darker mushrooms, such as portobello.

Can you make mushroom and herb pate ahead of time?

Mushroom and herb pate actually tastes better the day after it’s been made - as the flavours have time to develop and deepen, therefore it’s a great choice of starter if you intend to do most your prep work a day or 2 before Christmas.

Allergy alert!

Whilst it varies from recipe to recipe, many vegetarian and vegan pates are made with breadcrumbs, which in turn are usually made using wheat flour - a Cereal containing Gluten and one of the 14 major food allergens. Some varieties are also made with another allergen, Nuts.