Dinner party starters

Blend smoked mackerel with soft cheese, horseradish sauce and lemon juice to make this easy paté. Top with a sprinkling of cayenne and serve with toast

Gather your friends for a relaxed evening – these baked red onions are special but simple to prepare, so you won’t be stuck in the kitchen

Try these Chinese dumplings filled with juicy pork and fresh Chinese chives. They’re easier to make than you think and fun to assemble as a group activity

Christmas is the perfect excuse to cook venison. Serve with sprout and apple slaw as a dinner party starter or festive light lunch to treat your guests

Enjoy baked feta with roasted cherry tomatoes and honey. It's an ideal starter for a dinner party – serve with a green salad and crusty bread

Warm up on a cold day with our carrot soup, spiked with ginger, garlic and curry powder. A dollop of chilli coriander pesto gives the soup an added kick

Combine creamy goat's cheese, crisp apple and earthy beetroot for a simple salad that's bursting with flavour and colour – and it looks impressive plated up

Serve this smoked salmon dish as a starter on a special occasion such as at Christmas. With beetroot, rocket and walnuts, it‘s full of colour and texture.

Add vibrant colours and fresh flavours to your plate with this blush red grapefruit salad, with prawn, avocado and tamarind. It's a lovely lunch or starter

Make cheese straws with the added flavours of sesame and poppy seeds, dried onion flakes and sea salt. They're great snacks to serve with cocktails

Make these moreish rice balls with spicy nduja sausage, gooey mozzarella filling and crunchy breadcrumb coating for a Valentine’s Day nibble

Make cauliflower centre stage in these flavourful bang bang tacos. Pack into tortilla wraps, or have guests assemble their own

Save time and energy with these easy, no-fuss baked ham hock pots as a starter. They’re great to begin a Christmas menu and set the festive mood

Serve these padron peppers as a side dish or starter as part of a Spanish-inspired feast. They're simple to make, require little prep and take five minutes to cook

Use ready-to-roll puff pastry in place of shortcrust as the base for this quiche and top with smoked salmon trimmings and leeks

Bring a Spanish touch to scallops using smoky chorizo and a picada made with hazelnuts, sherry and rustic bread. A vibrant starter or indulgent summer lunch

Make this speedy, cheesy veggie treat for a light supper, or starter. It only needs five ingredients and you can have it on the table in 15 minutes

Rustle up these cucumber prawn cocktail cups for a speedy starter. Ideal at Christmas time, they‘re served on lettuce leaves and topped with crispy shallots.

Impress guests with this vibrant vegan starter. Plant-based soft cheese, herbs and beetroot combine to make the terrine, topped with a walnut brittle for texture

This broccoli and feta dish makes a great vegetarian starter with a pinch of warming chilli. The preserved lemon yogurt is seriously addictive

Use larger slices of sourdough in these tartines for an impressive-looking lunch or starter that's deceptively easy