Starter Recipes for All Seasons
There is no rule that you have to serve cold starter recipes in the spring or summer and nor is there a rule to say you have to serve thick, warming starters in the winter months. However, it can be nice to match your starter recipes to the seasons as well as to your guests and the main course.
For example, if the weather is warm your guests might fancy something light and refreshing and that goes for the drinks as well as the food. If the weather is cold, a hearty soup recipe or spicy starter might be well appreciated.
Hearty Winter Starters
You can serve soup starters in the autumn and winter, to warm your guests up. What about a hearty Scottish broth or a leek and potato soup with homemade croutons? Spicy meatballs are nice in the winter, as are hot Finnish pasties, chicken sate skewers and warm salad recipes.
Serve warm bread with butter on the side, when you serve these warming winter wonders, so that people can help themselves. Not everyone has a big appetite but some people eat more food than others and serving bread and butter is a good way to keep them full without drawing attention to the fact that they are having extra starters!
Some traditional winter starter recipes are served chilled. Prawn cocktail is a classic dish at Christmas and a lot of people love to enjoy a juicy prawn cocktail recipe before tucking into their roast turkey dinner. Pate and toast is another nice winter starter and you can serve the toast hot, warm or cold. Homemade pate tastes amazing and is not difficult to make either.
Light Summer Starters
If you are making food for a summertime event, you might like to make a chilled soup recipe. Vol-au-vents, tartlets, mini quiches and salad recipes are other good ideas for summer events and parties.
If you are leaving food out at a summer buffet, make sure the food will be all right in the heat. Don't leave delicate fish starters or seafood starters in the sun. Cheese doesn't do so well in the sun either. If you are dining al fresco, perhaps bring the starters out when you need them and not before.
Starters for Any Occasion
Most starters are great at any time of the year and you can pick whichever starters you fancy. As long as you are organised they should be great. First choose what to make, then write a shopping list and buy everything and finally make the starters well in advance of when you need them if they are make ahead recipes. If not, make sure you leave yourself enough time to put everything together before the event kicks off.
If you are serving nuts, olives, cheese, bread and crisps as well as your homemade starter recipes you might like to get those out first, so that if people are peckish and your starters aren't quite ready to serve, they will have something to nibble on while they wait.
