christmas starter

For a mouth-watering starter, you can't go past these sticky pork belly bites. Best of all they only take 15 minutes to make!

Sticky pork belly bites

olive oil

pkt Coles Pork Belly Bites

soy sauce

sweet chilli sauce

honey

garlic

ginger

spring onion, thinly sliced

red chilli, thinly sliced (optional)

Gooey, melted cheese and crispy, golden bread make a stunning centrepiece to share with friends over drinks or as a dinner party starter – make ahead for fuss-free entertaining

Baked camembert with bacon-wrapped breadsticks

strong white flour

sachet fast-action dried yeast

tsp English mustard powder

golden caster sugar

tsp thyme leaves,plus extra sprigs for the cheese

light olive oil,plus extra for greasing

whole camembertin a box

pancetta

Mix together the flour, yeast, mustard powder, 11/2 tsp fine salt, the sugar, thyme leaves and 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper. Stir in 250ml lukewarm water, use your hands to bring together into a dough, then knead for 10 mins on a clean surface until it is smooth and elastic. If you have a tabletop mixer with a dough hook, use this instead and ‘knead’ for just 5 mins. Sit the dough in a large, clean bowl, cover with oiled cling film and leave at room temperature for about 1 hr until doubled in size.

Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5 and line your largest baking tray with baking parchment. Sit the lid of your boxed camembert in the centre of the tray.

Knead the dough back into a smooth ball, then use your fingers to make a hole through the centre. Steadily stretch the doughnut shape into a large ring until the centre hole is large enough to fit around the lid. The best way to do this is to swing the dough around your fingers, then hand, like a hula-hoop.

Sit the dough ring on the tray around the box lid. Use kitchen scissors to snip the dough ring into 20 strips, from the outside in, but leave a few millimetres of dough still connecting the strips together around the lid in the centre. If using the ready-to-eat pancetta slices, halve each one lengthways. Twist one of the 20 dough strips to make it longer and thinner like a breadstick, then wrap a pancetta slice in a spiral around it. Repeat with all the dough strips.

Your breadsticks might look a little higgledy-piggledy at the moment, so use kitchen scissors to snip the ends off any that need it to make an even, round shape, if you like (see tip below). Brush with a little light olive oil and bake for 15 mins.

Meanwhile, unwrap the camembert and top with the thyme sprigs. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with a little more black pepper. Remove the breadsticks from the oven and sit the cheese inside the box lid, then bake for another 5 mins until the bread is golden and crispy, and the cheese molten.

Need a quick starter? Having friends over and want to impress them with canapes? These easy Roquefort &amp; peach bruschettas are dead simple and very tasty  

Roquefort and peach bruschetta

peaches

French bread stick

Roquefort cheese

This sumptuous - yet understated - dish is the perfect way to start your festive celebrations.

Prawn cocktails with smoky mayonnaise

(375 grams) whole-egg mayonnaise

tsp smoked paprika (pimenton) (see note), plus extra to sprinkle

lemon juice

salt

(about

avocados,

Lebanese cucumbers, peeled, halved, seeds removed, finely chopped

spring onions, thinly sliced on an angle

Impress guests with this deceptively simple starter, made with pears, goat's cheese, watercress and hazelnuts. It's ready in just 15 minutes, and perfect at Christmas

Griddled pears with goat's cheese & hazelnut dressing

toasted hazelnuts, finely chopped or crushed

tbsp balsamic or red wine vinegar

pears, cored

goat's cheese, crumbled

Combine the hazelnuts with the oil, vinegar and a pinch of sea salt flakes. Slice each pear into six wedges.

Heat a griddle pan over a high heat and griddle the pear wedges until slightly charred. Arrange three in a line on each plate. Tuck some watercress around the pears, then crumble over the goat’s cheese. Dot over the hazelnut dressing.

Enjoy smoked salmon with coddled eggs, capers and gruyère cheese for a Christmas starter. It’s also great for breakfast or brunch over the festive holidays

Smoked salmon coddled eggs

butter, melted

eggs

double cream

capers,

hot-smoked salmon, flaked

gruyère cheese, grated

sourdough

Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Brush the insides of six or eight ramekins (depending on how many you’re serving) or one 25 x 30cm ceramic pie dish with the melted butter. Crack one egg into each ramekin (or all into the dish), being careful not to break the yolks. Drizzle over the cream. Season. Scatter over the capers, salmon and cheese. To serve six, use the minimum stated amounts.

If using ramekins, put on a baking tray. Bake for 10 mins (or 12 mins if using a large dish) until the eggs are just cooked but the yolks runny. Meanwhile, toast or grill the sourdough and cut into soldiers. Remove the eggs from the oven and serve with the soldiers for dipping.

Serve this smoked salmon dish as a starter on a special occasion such as at Christmas. With beetroot, rocket and walnuts, it‘s full of colour and texture.

Hot smoked salmon & beetroot platter

natural yogurt

beetroots,

tbsp extra virgin olive oil

maple syrup

coriander

½ lemon, juiced

rocket

salmon

walnuts, roughly chopped

Combine the yogurt with some seasoning, then spoon into the middle of a double layer of muslin. Bring the corners up and tie together into a parcel, then hang over a bowl to catch any liquid. Leave to drain for 1 hr. After this time, the yogurt should be firm but spreadable. Tip the beetroot into a bowl.

Mix together the olive oil, maple syrup or honey, coriander seeds and lemon juice in a small bowl. Season, then stir this into the bowl with the beetroot. Will keep chilled for up to a day. Spread the yogurt cheese (labneh) over a large serving platter or four smaller plates. Top with the beetroot mixture, then the rocket and flake over the salmon. Season with black pepper, scatter over the walnuts and serve with crusty bread, if you like.

Serve a festive, bright green bowl to kick off your Christmas meal. Kale is sweetened by the addition of peas, and lifted with a squeeze of zesty lime

Easy kale soup

tbsp extra virgin olive oil oil

onion

kale leaves

potatoes

vegetable stock

frozen peas

coconut yogurt

desiccated coconut or pumpkin seeds, toasted

lime wedges

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium-low heat and cook the onion, garlic, kale stalks and a pinch of salt, covered, for 10-15 mins until softened. Remove the lid, add the potatoes and cook for another 5 mins. Pour in the stock, bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 mins. Add the kale leaves and peas, and cook for another 5-10 mins until the kale has wilted and softened. Remove from the heat, leave to cool and blitz using a jug or hand blender. Once cool, will keep chilled for up to 48 hrs or frozen for three months.

Reheat in a clean pan over a low-medium heat until piping hot, then ladle into bowls. Serve topped with a swirl of coconut yogurt and some toasted desiccated coconut or pumpkin seeds, with lime wedges on the side for squeezing over.

Top 8 christmas starter recipes from across the web

The most viewed christmas starter recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

Sticky pork belly bites

Baked camembert with bacon-wrapped ...

Roquefort and peach bruschetta

Prawn cocktails with smoky mayonnai...

Griddled pears with goat's cheese &...

Smoked salmon coddled eggs

Hot smoked salmon & beetroot platte...

Easy kale soup

Top 8 christmas starter recipes from across the web

The most viewed christmas starter recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Sticky pork belly bites

Baked camembert with bacon-wrapped ...

Roquefort and peach bruschetta

Prawn cocktails with smoky mayonnai...

Griddled pears with goat's cheese &...

Smoked salmon coddled eggs

Hot smoked salmon & beetroot platte...

Easy kale soup

The most viewed christmas starter recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine