Individual smoked salmon terrines

37 Christmas starters

Janine Ratcliffe

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Start your Christmas meal with our fuss-free festive starter ideas, from smoked salmon tartare to posh prawn cocktail, filo-baked figs and duck terrine

Looking for Christmas Day starter recipes? We have plenty of ideas to try, from smoked salmon Christmas starters to easy vegetarian ways to kick-off the meal. Take a look at our effortless starter ideas which require 20 mins or fewer of prep thanks to shop-bought ingredients and no fiddly techniques, including our bloody mary prawn lettuce scoops and crab and prawn cocktail rolls.

Check out these easy Christmas starters, then also browse our Christmas pâté recipes, Christmas terrine recipes and ham hock recipes for more inspiration.

Plus we've got impressive Christmas buffet ideas, Christmas centrepieces, Christmas hams, Christmas trimmings to try and four festive entertaining ideasfor more inspiration. Don't forget to finish off your festive feast with an indulgent Christmas dessert and one of our showstopping Christmas baking ideas...

Best Christmas starters

Whipped feta with apricots, olives and oranges

This savoury dip is great to kick off a party – loaded with festive dried fruits and nuts. The pomegranate drizzle adds an extra puckering twist.

Whipped feta with apricots, olives and oranges on a platter

Individual smoked salmon terrines

These individual smoked salmon terrines make a stylish Christmas starter – easy to serve and perfect for scaling up or down depending on your guest list. Discover more smoked salmon recipes.

Individual salmon terrines on small plates with glasses and candles on the side

Christmas cheeseboard

Wow guests or family members this Christmas with this impressive no-cook spread, packed with cheese, meat and fruit.

A festive cheeseboard filled with figs, cheese, meats, bread and pickles

Smoked salmon tart

Make this colourful tart for a simple yet impressive festive starter. The combination of soft cheese, salmon, sweet pickle and dill gives the flavours of a deli bagel in tart form.

A salmon tart sliced into squares on a wooden serving board

Giant sausage roll

This showstopping party sausage roll is a star addition to any festive grazing table. A glossy tamarind glaze brings a hit of tropical tang while pistachios add a perfectly nutty crunch.

A giant sausage roll cut into slices

Giant champagne and lemon prawn vol-au-vents

Take your Christmas dinner starter to the next level by adding champagne to your king prawn vol-au-vents. Don't let any champagne go to waste – see our 10 champagne cocktail recipes.

Prawn Vol Au Vents Recipe with Champagne

Smoked salmon and cream cheese galettes

Try our next level twist on the smoked salmon blini. These sesame seeded galettes are topped with herby cream cheese and delicate smoked salmon. Serve with some salad leaves and lemon slices for a light starter.

Smoked salmon and cream cheese galettes on plates surrounded by cutlery and a napkin

Sweet potato and cranberry fritters with nuoc cham

These Vietnamese-inspired sweet potato fritters have a festive twist with dried cranberries. The tangy-sweet-salty dipping sauce is a great one to have to hand for the festive season.

Sweet potato and cranberry fritters with nuoc cham on a serving plate

Fig and goat's cheese filo parcels

Our vegetarian baked fresh figs makes an awesome little nibble or Christmas starter that’s really easy to make. See more crispy filo pastry ideas.

Goat's Cheese Filo Parcels Recipe with Figs

Bloody mary prawn lettuce scoops

Make this simple and effortless, no-cook starter for a great alternative to the classic prawn cocktail on Christmas Day.

Easy camembert toppers

Jazz up baked camembert with one of these smart toppings. Four simple yet easy Christmas starters for entertaining over the festive season. If you love camembert, try our camembert and cranberry pithvier next.

Easy Baked Camembert Recipes

Scampi with soured cream dip

This is a really easy way to offer people a bite with drinks without going to too much effort. You can swap the soured cream for mayo, if you prefer.

A plate of scampi with a bowl of dip and lemon wedges on the side

The smörgåsbord

Make this Swedish-inspired sharing feast for an impressive Christmas spread – it's a great alternative to a buffet if you're feeding a crowd at a gathering.

A smörgåsbord with cheese, pickles and fish on a white table

Baked feta board

This sharing board, where a block of salty feta is baked with sweet, sticky honey, will be the centrepiece on Christmas day. Slather the smooth cheese on crackers and top with gooey roast figs and crunchy almonds.

If you love this, try our baked feta pasta recipe next for an easy midweek meal.

A baked block of feta on a board with figs, crackers, almonds and sliced cucumbers

Crab and prawn cocktail rolls

Fans of prawn cocktail will love the look of these rolls at your festive spread. They're simple to whip up thanks to shop-bought prawn cocktail and brioche buns.

a tray of finger rolls filled with prawn cocktail next to a scattering of crisps

Winter panzanella

Ideal as a starter for a festive meal, recreate this winter version of panzanella using root veg with rich, tangy blue cheese.

A Citrus, beetroot and blue cheese panzanella salad on a brown bowl with a green background

Pork and duck rillettes

The perfect Christmas dinner starter, or just a special lunch, this velvety French dish is made with pork belly, goose fat, white wine and thyme. Serve with buttered toast, cornichons and pickled onions.

Pork rillettes

Harissa lime prawn cocktail

An absolute classic, made that bit more exciting by adding rose harissa paste and plenty of fresh lime to the mix. With only 15 minutes prep time, this is the perfect dinner party starter. See more prawn recipes.

Harissa lime prawn cocktail

Duck, chicken and sour cherry terrine

This terrine makes the perfect make-ahead starter for a festive dinner party.

Easy Terrine Recipe with Duck, Chicken and Sour Cherry

Fig, mozzarella and serrano ham salad

Check out our easy fig recipe with creamy mozzarella, salty serrano ham and peppery rocket. These easy pickled figs make a simple recipe for your next dinner party with friends. Discover more juicy fig recipes.

Figs, mozzarella, and serrano ham salad on a plate

Beetroot soup

Need a vegetarian Christmas starter? Get your festive feast off to a vibrant start with our creamy beetroot soup topped with crunchy, cheesy mini sourdough toasts. More beetroot recipes here...

Two bowls of beetroot soup, topped with sourdough toast and blue cheese

Blinis with a selection of toppings

Make the blinis and whipped ricotta cream ahead, then add your choice of toppings for the perfect festive party snack. We've got some inventive ideas including fig, dolcelatte and truffle honey, plus pastrami pickle.

Dozens of blinis with different toppings on them on a serving platter

Ham hock rillettes with pistachio salt

Want an easy cold Christmas starter idea? Try ham hock rillettes with pistachio salt for fuss-free entertaining.

Ham Hock Rillettes Recipe

Bread sauce and stuffing croquettes

These crispy balls are easy to make and great at keeping a hungry crowd happy over the festive season, try them for an easy Christmas starter idea. We love our ham hock croquettes too.

Stuffing Croquettes with Bread Sauce

Scallop shell pies

We serve these pretty pies in their original scallop shell and top with flaky puff pastry, a perfect Christmas dinner starter which will impress festive friends. Plenty of easy ways with scallops here...

Scallop Pie Recipe

Salmon tartare with lemon and capers

If you love serving smoked salmon for a Christmas Day starter, this is a great modern twist. The salmon is finely chopped and tossed in a fragrant dressing of lemon, shallots and capers. Serve with thin slices of melba toast.

Salmon Tartare Recipe with Lemon and Capers

Rarebit mushrooms with pickle dressing

Flat mushrooms topped with mustardy rarebit and served with a quick red wine vinegar dressing makes for an ideal veggie starter. It's gluten free, too!

Rarebit-stuffed mushrooms with pickle dressing

Grilled scallops with ’nduja butter

Start Christmas dinner with a bang and serve these flavour-packed, spicy scallops in their shells. Use up the rest of your 'nduja with our best 'nduja recipes, from quick pastas to spicy mussels.

Grilled Scallops Recipe with ’Nduja Butter

Beer and rock salt pretzels with camembert dip

These impressive pretzels are big, soft and doughy. They are made with beer rather than water, and topped with a sprinkle of rock salt for crunch – the perfect showoff, make-ahead Christmas starter.

Soft Pretzel Recipe with Cheese Dip

Homemade charcuterie

Want an impressive yet achievable make-ahead Christmas starter? Check out how simple it is to make your own cured meats, including a seriously moreish duck ham, beef jerky and a stunning bresaola.

Charcuterie Meats for a Cold Meat Platter

French onion soup

This deep beefy onion soup is topped with bubbling cheese melts, ideal for a comforting winter warmer or Christmas starter idea. Discover our best-ever cheese recipes here...

Two bowls of French onion soup, topped with cheese toastie

Smoked black pudding croquettes with apple sauce

Packed with smoky black pudding and creamy blue cheese, these crispy ball make for an easy yet indulgent canapé or Christmas dinner starter recipe.

A pile of black pudding croquettes on a plate

Classic manti

Our classic manti are the perfect festive dinner party starter to impress guests.

Manti Recipe

Warm hummus with pine nuts, raisins and olives

Turn a storecupboard staple into this vibrant mezze dish and sprinkle with jewel-like pine nuts, raisins and olives for a quick and easy Christmas starter.

Easy Hummus Recipe Topped with Pine Nuts, Raisins and Olives

Duck samosas

Check out our impressive samosa recipe packed with tender duck, wrapped in super flaky pastry and served with a fresh coriander chutney – perfect for entertaining over the festive season.

Samosa Recipe with Duck

Mozzarella sticks with spicy dipping sauce

Try our gooey mozzarella sticks with a punchy dipping sauce for an easy yet indulgent Christmas starter idea. Blocks of mozzarella stand up better to deep-frying and will still give you that cheesy, stringy ooze.

Mozzarella Dippers Recipe with Spicy Dipping Sauce

Baked berbere chicken wings

Do you love chicken wings? Check out this easy recipe with a fiery Ethiopian twist. Packed with punchy flavour, these wings make the perfect snack for any dinner party or Christmas feasting.

Berbere Spice Chicken Wings Recipe

Authors

Janine Ratcliffe in a short sleeved long dress sitting on a chair beneath palm trees on a balcony

Janine RatcliffeFood director

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