Festive party snacks

It's well into the party season and Merry Christmas to you all! I had my festive party at the weekend so thought I'd share a few snack ideas which are easy to make and should satisfy your guests! The centrepiece is a Croquembouche or profiterole pile - that's more tricky so I'll cover it in another episode!

Mince Pies

So many people say they don't like mince pies because they've only ever eaten those Mr Kipling-types with thick claggy pastry and mincemeat that tastes of nothing! A really good mince pie should have crisp pastry and a really rich flavoursome filling, oozing festive cheer.

I've already covered my mincemeat recipe, which is rich and zesty with citrus. And rum. I won't reinvent the wheel by giving you a pastry recipe, Paul Hollywood's sweet shortcrust pastry recipe is what I used and it's great. Some people like big deep-filled mince pies, but for parties I prefer smaller, bite-sized ones you can just pop into your mouth. I use tart tins, a dozen to a tray. With nice thin crispy pastry, Paul Hollywoods recipe makes several dozen.

Crostini

I covered crostini in my Summer party recipes. You can make these bits of crunchy toasted bread several days before, then top with anything you fancy: cream cheese, Stilton, roasted cherry tomatoes, roast vegetables: go wild. I topped mine with mushroom paté, with a grating of nutmeg just to keep it festive.

Palmiers

Palmiers look so pretty on a plate and people assume they're complicated with their pretty swirls, but actually they're really quick to make! If you're pushed for time buy sheets

of pre-rolled shortcrust or puff pastry.

This time I lightly blitzed a mixture of sundried tomatoes, olives, rosemary and goats cheese into a thick chunky paste, and spread it evenly over a rectangle of pastry. Take one side of the longest side and roll it up tightly, like a Swiss roll, until it reaches the middle. Turn and do the same the other side, so you have two rolls next to each other. Pop in the fridge for half an hour to firm up, cut into slices, pop them onto a backing tray and cook in a hot 200C hot oven for about twenty minutes until golden.

Dips

Dips are an essential part of any buffet, great with corn chips, crisps and sticks of carrot, celery and cucumber. Plain yoghurt is an exellent base for dips: I often mix it with fresh herbs, especially mint or dill, garlic, maybe lemon juice and a sprinkling of salt.

Tomato salsa is always a crowd pleaser but the stuff you buy often seems a bit funny to me and goes off quickly. I use half a tin of tomatoes, a handle of cherry tomatoes, a couple of spring onions, a few small fresh or dried chillis, a little bit of garlic, salt, possibly a splash of wine vinegar, and chop them all up together. Make it as chunky or smooth as you like.

Cucumber bites

These are really the easiest thing in the world. Top and tail a cucumber, slice it in half and use a teaspoon to scoop out the centre of each half. Fill the scooped core them with a topping: cream cheese, hummus, paté, anything you fancy, then chop into finger-width slices. Arrange on a plate and dust with black pepper, cayenne or herbs for that final touch. Simple!