I have waxed lyrical about my love of cocktail hour and the accompanying pre dinner refreshments. This interlude between teatime and dinner not only punctuates the end of the day, it also provides a welcome opportunity to make my favourite savoury treats. In fact, I love the snacks to go with the drinks so much that I’ve been known to serve an entire meal consisting of a selection of dips, sharing boards and canapés.
So for everyone looking for a little last minute inspo for what to serve before your festive meal, a few offering suggestions for the occasional drop in guests over the holidays, or for the main events at your cocktail parties, I’ve got you covered.
My simple version of a grazing board, this colourful sweet and salty pre (or between) meal snack requires no perfectly executed layout of an extensive selection of ingredients. I created (or curated) this for my series of festive recipes for Mud Australia and it was such a treat to be able to roast and serve the grapes directly on their plate, one of the many joys of Mud products
Maybe my most popular, erring on the kitsch, drink companion. I literally cannot make enough of these umami bombs, they fly off the plates faster than I can restock.
Another use for my favourite flavoured butter, once you pop you won’t stop. Don’t miss this opportunity to wow your guests with this show stopping alternative to crisps.
Once you make this (the perfect do-ahead dish) you will never look back. It’s such a fab party treat and your guests will be beyond impressed……..win, win!
Because I have a Green Goddess with everything policy in my kitchen, this is a simple and easy dip to whip up and so brilliantly colourful (a sometimes overlooked but incredibly important consideration when assembling your snacks).
It would be remiss of me to leave you without a new cocktail suggestion to accompany your snacks and dips. Negronis are such a fabulous party staple as they can be mixed in advance, kept in jug and just poured whenever needed. Just don’t forget the ice.
Happy Holidays to all those feasting over the next few weeks. I hope your celebrations are delectably fun filled.
Thank you for all your incredible support and for joining me for another year of culinary adventures. I have loved sharing my recent kitchen escapades with you. It’s been an eventful year with the launch of the new site, I taught over a dozen cooking classes in clouding a sellout night in NYC teaching with Seed + Mill in Chelsea Market. I started my YouTube channel (please don’t forget to subscribe as it helps massively), I saw my first foray into live television and dabbled into a new newsletter format where I share multiple recipes at once.
Your feedback is always so appreciated and I would love to hear your thoughts on these changes so far. I am continuously trying to improve how I deliver my ideas about food, cooking and life in general and your opinions really matter and help. And please don’t forget to send me pictures of your dishes. I absolutely love seeing your creations and feasts.
Much love and wishes for a peaceful and delicious year ahead xxx