Starter for dinner guests?

Day Lewin

Hi foodies

What do you recommend as a starter for an evening dinner?
I'd normally go with soup but the main dish is beef stew which is also kind of soupy.
I don't know these guests very well...but they are not posh, I do know that. Just a simple friendly couple.
Do I even really need to serve a "First course" at all?
There is a likewise fairly simple dessert - Simnel cake and ice cream.

Opinions/suggestions/advice?

Thanks in advance... :-)

georgina toadbum

Smoked salmon with a nice brown bread?

GingerLily

I always like an antipasti style board. Less formal and you don't have to 'serve' it!

Meats Cheese Dips bread crackers etc.

Dizzyblonde

+1 for the antipasti. I love it because it's such an informal, shared starter.

Cork Boy

+2 On the informality and communal nature of a shared starter. Sets the tone nicely for the evening.

DavyD_83

GingerLily wrote: »

I always like an antipasti style board. Less formal and you don't have to 'serve' it!

Meats Cheese Dips bread crackers etc.

If they're super "not posh" even this could cause some confusion;

We once passed a cheese board around, a guest looked confused then picked up the triangle of brie, passed the board on and took a bite out of his cheese. He gradually munched his way through the whole block over next while .

My father in law would still look at a plate of cured meats (or any cheese other than cheddar) suspiciously.

wexie

There's a good few selection packs of nice cured meats available in places like Aldi/Lidl/Tesco
Some finish off in the oven bread.

Olives, maybe some humus or tapenade, few grapes on the side.

If you want to prevent confusion on the sharing you could always do some easy homemade garlic bread or bruschetta?

Zulu

This:
Can use salmon instead
Simple and never fails to impress.

twignme

Thin slices of ripe melon with prosciutto.
Sliced ripe tomatoes with good mozzarella cheese,basil and a drizzle of olive oil.

I'm getting hungry now ..... :-)

Dial Hard

Personally I prefer cheese after the meal rather than before it, but +1 on a sharing starter.

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rubadub

DavyD_83 wrote: »

We once passed a cheese board around, a guest looked confused then picked up the triangle of brie, passed the board on and took a bite out of his cheese. He gradually munched his way through the whole block over next while .

reminds me of this


Woman orders cheese and biscuits at hotel - and gets this instead

Mystery Egg

Smoked salmon pate.

100g smoked salmon
100g cream cheese
100g creme fraiche
Squeeze lemon juice
Grind black pepper

Whiz together in a food processor. Serve cold with crusty bread. Takes five minutes and always impresses.

blindside88

Scotched quail egg on a small bed of salad. You could do scotched duck egg either but it’s a bigger starter

tickingclock

rubadub wrote: »

reminds me of this


Woman orders cheese and biscuits at hotel - and gets this instead

Absolutely priceless!!

Graces7

rubadub wrote: »

reminds me of this


Woman orders cheese and biscuits at hotel - and gets this instead

Love it! Why stay with tradition? Branch out!

Day Lewin

Thank you all for the lovely suggestions. Some keen foodies here - going to try the recipes, too!

I went with a sharing platter of antipasti - ham, salami, smoked salmon, olives and hummus: with lettuce, and crackers to dip.

Then rich beef-and-kidney stew with mashed potatoes (scallions and yogurt) and tender shredded cabbage (butter and garlic.)

Finally, Simnel cake with ice-cream and the last of the Easter chocolate.

Everyone is happy!

:-)