Christmas starter

Gonegirl, it does help with little ones, tiding them over till lunch is ready.

But Newatthis, please don't do as I did one year, preparing a lovely starter, then forgetting all about it and leaving it in the freezer.
We had it next day.

soup?

What a good idea Maggiemaybe. Your group sounds just like mine. We have 3 veggies,a pregnant mum and 3 who are under 7. I am not sure what pregnant ladies can't eat especially one who is unable to tolerate the smell of much of the food.

Who wants a starter with Xmas dinner. Spoil your appetite.

Definitely canapés with a glass of fizz- blinis with a variety of toppings, crudités and dips. Something for people to nibble an hour or so before. Something for everyone. Easy.

My suggestion probably isn't much help either, but here goes! I'm not doing starters this year - with a couple of veggies, a pregnant lady, two who can't/won't eat fish and 4 six and unders I've decided just to provide a selection of canapes with the fizz in the front room before we get around the table. And this is the year I've finally decided to make life simple for myself, so there'll be no poring over cookbooks, they'll be carefully selected from one of the local supermarkets.

Years ago, I used to make a gratefruit starter, very seventies.
Half a grapefruit, cut into the segments sprinkle with brown sugar, add a touch of butter and grill, until the grapefruit carmelises.
Absolutely delicious, totally unhealthy and calorific, but a rare treat!
Probably not much help!
I'm sure someone will come up with a great idea.

What about something light like a goats cheese salad? It needs to be very small before a trad Christmas meal.