Christmas starter recipes

A show-stopping layered fish centrepiece with cream cheese and lemon filling, flavoured with dill and chives

Your guests will snap up these cubes of crispy belly pork in sticky, sweet whiskey marinade with soy, anise and honey flavours

A simple, stylish canapé of shellfish with Dijon mustard and lemon, served in individual lettuce cups

Try a Scandinavian approach to your smoked fish by adding dill, horseradish, lemon and red onion - great as part of a sharing platter

A luxurious seafood soup that is rich in flavour, perfect for formal entertaining and low in calories too

These super-sized buckwheat pancakes make a great dinner party or festive starter for sharing

This Ukrainian dish is traditionally eaten at Christmas - serve on toasted rye bread for a crostini-like starter or party canapé

James Martin's stunning seafood starter is guaranteed to impress at any dinner party - layer with beetroot, orange and tangy horseradish cream

This sumptuous salad is perfect for a group starter and can be whipped up the night before

Cheaper than smoked salmon, this smoked trout dip makes a smart party nibble or simple starter

This wonderfully light salad is packed with easy-to-find seasonal ingredients and makes a great Christmas starter

Creamy and low-fat aren't words you often hear together, but that's exactly what you get with this freeze-ahead starter

A simple starter, fresh and rich, that makes a bit more of a pack of smoked salmon - serve instead of pâté on rye or piled into chicory leaves

This simple starter is a great way to use up leftover ham and you can freeze it ahead

A quick but impressive starter of plump scallops scattered with toasted breadcrumbs

Scented truffle oil and fresh parmesan make humble parsnips the star in this tasty Christmas canapé

Baked cheese gets even more indulgent. A layer of quince or cranberry jelly adds an extra dimension to this group-sized starter

These versatile crab tarts are perfect for Christmas or celebratory meals

A light, elegant make-ahead starter to ease you into the Christmas Day blow-out, or to kick off a dinner party menu

Crack the buttery crust to reveal delicious blue cheese flavoured with sherry and green peppercorns – it's great on toast

Spruce up a salad with a rosemary, honey and hazelnut crumb to accompany Spanish cheese, sweet fruit and bitter leaves

These soufflés may take a while to perfect but once mastered, they'll be a starter you return to time and again

With a double layer of goat's cheese and a coating of cream, these bistro-style bakes are authentically rich

Bypass bread croutons and a heavy cream dressing and instead serve up a crispy, fruity salad with shellfish