- Christmas
- 21st Nov 2025
- 0
- 0 minute
5 easy Christmas canapés
Prawn cocktail lettuce cups
Makes: 14
Time: 10 mins
INGREDIENTS
4 tbsp light mayonnaise
½ tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tsp sriracha (optional)
pared zest and juice of ½ lime
1 x 250g pack J.James frozen cooked and peeled coldwater prawns, defrosted
75g cucumber, deseeded and diced
1 ripe avocado, half diced, half thinly sliced
4 Little Gem lettuces
50g silverskin pickled onions, finely sliced
METHOD
Combine the mayonnaise, ketchup, sriracha (if using) and the lime juice. Season to taste, then stir in the prawns, cucumber and the diced avocado.
Trim the base off the Little Gem lettuces and separate the larger leaves to act as cups; keep the small inner leaves to use in a salad on another occasion. Divide the prawn cocktail mixture between the large leaf ‘cups’ and top each one with a slice of avocado.
Just before serving, scatter with the sliced pickled onions and the lime zest.
Recipe credit: Sainsbury’s Magazine
Figs with goat’s cheese, pistachios & honey
Makes: 14
Time: 10 mins
INGREDIENTS
8 ripe figs, halved
100g log rind-on goat’s cheese
30g honey
20g pistachios, finely chopped
a few small thyme sprigs, roughly chopped
METHOD
0-PArrange the figs on a tray, cut-side up. Slice the goat’s cheese into eight rounds, then cut each round in half.
Gently push the goat’s cheese pieces into the cut sides of the figs, then season with a little salt and pepper, drizzle with the honey and scatter with the pistachios and thyme.
Recipe credit: BBC Good Food
Burrata butternut bites
Makes: 10
Time: 45 mins
INGREDIENTS
500g peeled butternut squash, cut into 2cm cubes
3 tbsp olive oil
5 small slices walnut bread, halved
1 garlic clove, halved
about 10 sage leaves
1 x 150g burrata*, drained
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6. Toss the squash with 1 tablespoon of oil in a roasting tin, season and roast for 30 minutes, or until soft and starting to caramelise. Set aside.
Meanwhile, put the bread on another tray and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of oil. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until golden and toasted. When cool enough to handle, rub each slice with the cut side of the halved garlic clove. Leave to cool completely. See ‘Get ahead’ tip.
Heat the remaining oil and fry the sage leaves until crispy. Spread each toast with burrata, then top with the squash and a crispy sage leaf to serve.
*Use vegan cheese if required.
Recipe credit: Sainsbury’s Magazine
Chicory, blue cheese & candied walnut boats
Time: 15 mins
Makes: 25
INGREDIENTS
100g walnut pieces
2 tbsp clear honey, plus a drizzle
125g vegetarian blue cheese (we used No.1 Colston Bassett), broken into small pieces
100ml single cream
140g red chicory, leaves separated
METHOD
Toast the walnut pieces in a dry frying pan over a medium heat, stirring frequently until they smell toasty and are starting to take on some colour (2-3 minutes). Turn off the heat and quickly drizzle in the honey, stirring continuously until it is clinging to the walnuts. Tip out onto a plate, sprinkle with sea salt, leave to cool, then roughly chop.
Put the blue cheese and single cream in a small food processor and whizz until smooth. Arrange the chicory leaves on a serving platter, then pipe or spoon some whipped blue cheese into each and top with the honey walnuts. Drizzle with extra honey and grind over a little black pepper to serve.
Recipe credit: Waitrose
Smoked salmon blinis
Time: 15 mins
Makes: 20 – 24
INGREDIENTS
20 – 24 ready made cocktail blinis
200 g Crème Fraîche
2 tbsp Creamed Horseradish
1 Lemon
200 g Smoked Salmon
40 g Butter
Salt
Black Pepper
METHOD
Meanwhile, mix the crème fraîche with the horseradish, the zest and juice of half the lemon and season with salt and lots of black pepper, to taste. Cut the remaining half lemon into small wedges to serve. Cut the smoked salmon into long thin strips, then use your fingers to curl the strips into little rosettes to go on top of each blini.
Top the blinis with the horseradish crème fraîche and smoked salmon, then snip over the chives and serve with the lemon wedges for squeezing.
Recipe credit: MOB
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Beth is our Digital Manager and can be credited with how everything at HLN ‘looks’ – from the website to our social media and twice-weekly emails. She’s also the super organised one in the team and keeps us all on-track. A born and bred scouser, Beth moved to Newcastle six…
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