Party food Jo Pratt Add some pizzazz to your party food this Christmas - we've got tips for working out how much food you'll need, cheat's tips and a selection of tasty recipes for inspiration.

In this article

Where to start How much?

Serving ideas Cheat's corner

Recipes

A little pre-planning is the secret to success. The key to successful party food is to make your creations look as stylish as possible but, at the same time, keeping the ingredients and techniques simple. Here are some ideas to get you started.

• Try to avoid anything too complicated and don't try things you haven't practiced before.
• Finger food - food that is just one or two bites per item - is best served for parties. Anything bigger becomes too messy.
• Serve finger food that's a combination of prepare-ahead and last-minute assemblies. Anything that can be made well in advance and stored in the freezer or fridge is always a bonus.
• Start with light nibbles, and then move on to something more substantial.
• Aim for a good mix of hot and cold foods.
• Do a balanced combination of fish, meat and vegetable items, including some filling bread, pasta or pastry items.
• Include at least two hot items for a winter party.
• For a long party, try to stagger serving the food throughout the evening rather than serving it all at once.
• Don't forget some sweet things (even if it's some bought chocolates on a platter). As soon as the sweet things come out people will know the food is coming to an end.
• Take into consideration anyone with special dietary requirements. Ask in advance what they are.

• The golden rule is to keep things manageable. Don't try to prepare and serve more food than you and your kitchen can cope with.
• If you're short of space, serve just a few substantial items rather than lots of dainty canapés that take up a lot of space and require a lot of preparation.
• If you want to play it safe, buy some good-quality ready-made nibbles and keep them in the fridge-freezer as back-up.
• Try using our Cook's calculator to work out how many nibbles you'll need for your party.

The more attractive the presentation, the more delicious the food will appear. You can use fresh herbs, thin slices of lemon and lime or colourful salad leaves for garnish to add some colour.

Here are some tips:

• Arrange just one or two items in neat, evenly spaced rows.
• Odd rather than even numbers arranged in diagonal lines somehow look far better than straight lines.
• Keep garnishes simple.
• Ensure there's somewhere to put used shells, cocktail sticks or skewers.
• Place the food in areas you'd rather people eat (not where your white rug is!).
• Make sure you have plenty of napkins.
• If you have lots of people coming, look into hiring some simple white crockery (which fits into your dishwasher) and cutlery rather than scrambling together lots of odds and sods.
• Let people know where to put their empty plates so you don't have mess scattered everywhere.

Ideas for serving on:

• Teaspoons or Chinese soup spoons: for serving a mouthful of something special.
• Little paper cones: good for crisps, nuts, chips, fried things.
• Shot glasses: good for cold soups, iced things and jellies.
• Espresso cups: great for hot soups, no spoon needed.
• Skewers and cocktail sticks: for holding together or picking up.
• Small bowls: for little portions of noodles, pasta and salads.
• Bamboo steamer: to arrange oriental-style canapés in.
• Banana or palm leaves or a sushi mat on a flat plate or platter.
• Small picture frame or mirror as a plate or platter.
• Unusual chopping boards or a flat piece of clean wood.
• Solid place mats, pieces of slate or marble.
• Candelabras for nightlights: perfect for individual canapés.
• Use your imagination. Look around your house and you'll be amazed what you can use.

If cooking really isn't your thing or you just don't have the time, then add a few finishing touches to some bought canapés or nibbles.

• Add a herb sprig, some lemon zest, drizzle of olive oil, sprinkle of cayenne/paprika/ground spices, twist of pepper or scattering of sea salt.
• Garnish with a bunch of watercress or scattering of small rocket leaves or baby spinach.
• For sweet items, add a dusting of icing sugar, cocoa powder or cinnamon, scatter chocolate shavings, top with fresh fruit or berries or add a few subtly placed strings of redcurrants.

• Mozzarella and red pepper toasts by Merrilees Parker
• Mini parma ham and tapenade bruschetta by Ross Burden
• Skewers of baby mozzarella, cherry tomatoes and melon wrapped in parma ham by Patrick Williams
• Devils on horseback by Keith Floyd
• Mini crab tortillas by Sea Fish Authority
• Spring rolls by Ken Hom