Christmas dinner starters

Always fish, usually prawn cocktail which this year I’ve ordered from M&S. I’ll have to pep up the flavour by adding a dash of brandy etc, not exactly taxing 😂
But I couldn’t make my mind up starter wise so I decided to also order the little pots ‘Lobster, Smoked Salmon and Prawn Towers’ and a whole side of smoked salmon. The blurb even says they come in “Table presentable packaging”

The tradition seems to be I sort out the starter and about an hour before I’m going to dish up everyone decides as breakfast was filling it’s too much and we’ll have the starter later.
Often on Boxing Day before the bubble n squeak and cold cuts.
We’ve been doing that dance for years 😂
The year I didn’t do a starter there were complaints that it didn’t feel like a proper Christmas without a prawn cocktail 🤣

View attachment 121605
Too pretty not to give them a go. It’s watercress mousse and garlic mousse in-between the layers.
They work out at £6 each which I thinks not bad value for the amount of work that’s gone into it.

Just had a look and the things I’ve ordered are sold out already. I can only guess M&S shoppers sort their Christmas stuff out pretty early!

:hungry:
 
Always fish, usually prawn cocktail which this year I’ve ordered from M&S. I’ll have to pep up the flavour by adding a dash of brandy etc, not exactly taxing 😂
But I couldn’t make my mind up starter wise so I decided to also order the little pots ‘Lobster, Smoked Salmon and Prawn Towers’ and a whole side of smoked salmon. The blurb even says they come in “Table presentable packaging”

The tradition seems to be I sort out the starter and about an hour before I’m going to dish up everyone decides as breakfast was filling it’s too much and we’ll have the starter later.
Often on Boxing Day before the bubble n squeak and cold cuts.
We’ve been doing that dance for years 😂
The year I didn’t do a starter there were complaints that it didn’t feel like a proper Christmas without a prawn cocktail 🤣

View attachment 121605
Too pretty not to give them a go. It’s watercress mousse and garlic mousse in-between the layers.
They work out at £6 each which I thinks not bad value for the amount of work that’s gone into it.

Just had a look and the things I’ve ordered are sold out already. I can only guess M&S shoppers sort their Christmas stuff out pretty early!

I ordered this just for me on Christmas Eve. Plus some fresh oysters.
 
It's quite possible to make pastry tart with beetroot and vegan nut based cheese instead. Beetroot simmered in red wine and thyme could be just as good and has the same aesthetics
It’s too many steps away from the real thing to hit the mark.
One component being slightly different is passable and sometimes undetectable but once you’ve ditched the onion, are using gluten free pastry and vegan cheese (no nut based ones due to the youngests nut allergy) you’re so far removed from a cheese and onion tart as you know it you don’t really enjoy it as much because it’s not really what you were hankering after.

But thankyou, I will bear it in mind next time I’m loving on beetroot, which happens often!
 
It’s too many steps away from the real thing to hit the mark.
One component being slightly different is passable and sometimes undetectable but once you’ve ditched the onion, are using gluten free pastry and vegan cheese (no nut based ones due to the youngests nut allergy) you’re so far removed from a cheese and onion tart as you know it you don’t really enjoy it as much because it’s not really what you were hankering after.

But thankyou, I will bear it in mind next time I’m loving on beetroot, which happens often!
I mean it's just as good a dish, not that it's the same ;)
 
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