So, what will I be serving on New Year’s Eve?
For me New Year’s Eve food should be light, simple and prepared in advance; it should be served by a glamorous host (glass of champagne in hand) who makes the whole evening look effortless and classy!
I’ll start the evening with a grazing board which will be ready and waiting when my guests arrive (and is easy to prepare in advance): cheeses, meats, olives, radishes and some homemade hummus with crackers and toasted pittas. If you want to really impress your guests, throw a cooked ball of beetroot, or an avocado, into the blender when you make your hummus for a twist on a classic!
I’ll also serve a wreath of sausage rolls with a jar of salsa for dipping. I’ll make this in the morning and then pop it in the oven so it is still warm when my guests arrive.
🍶 1 tbsp oil
🧅 1 onion (finely diced)
🧂Salt
🧂Freshly ground black pepper
🌱 2 tsp dried sage
🌭340g sausage meat
🧀 50g Wensleydale (crumbled)
🍅 2 tbsp salsa (plus the rest of the jar for dipping!)
🥄 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
🫓 1 sheet of ready roll puff pastry
🥄 1 tbsp mustard
🥚 1 egg, lightly beaten
🥄 ½ tsp sesame seeds
🥄 ½ tsp poppy seeds
- Heat some oil in a frying pan; add the onion; season with salt and pepper and soften (8 min)
- Add the dried sage and fry for another minute.
- in a large bowl combine the softened onion with the sausage meat and Worcestershire sauce; stir to combine
- Lay your pastry out on a baking tray. Cut in half lengthwise. Spread mustard along all long sides.
- Separate the sausage meat into two and lay in a long ‘sausage’ down the centre of each pastry piece.
- Fold over the edges so that the sausage is encased in the pastry and then flip so that the seam is on the bottom
- Brush ends of rolls with egg wash, then join and pinch ends together to form a circle. Refrigerate for 25 minutes
- Preheat the oven to 180°
- Using a sharp knife, make 1″ long cuts in the roll every 1.5″, leaving the bottom piece of pastry connected. Twist each cut section sausage side up. Brush with remaining egg and sprinkle with sesame and poppy seeds.
- Bake for 40 minutes rotating part way through so it is evenly golden
- Transfer to a platter and pop your jar of chutney in the middle
And then, later on, I’ll bring out my prawn and fennel wreath. There is no cooking involved and it can be prepped in advance and popped in the fridge for when you are ready to serve: minimal effort and maximum effect!
🥬1 medium fennel bulbs (trimmed)
🍋 1 lemon (juiced)
🥭 1 mango
🥬100g Iceberg lettuce (shredded)
🧅 2 spring onions (thinly sliced)
🥒 1/2 cucumber
🍅10 radish (thinly sliced)
🍤 500g cooked medium prawns (peeled and deveined)
🍶 100ml mayo
- Use a mandolin to thinly slice the fennel into a large bowl. Pour over the lemon juice, season with salt and pepper. Stir to coat Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Remove the cheeks from the mango. Carefully scoop out the flesh, thinly slice
- Drain the fennel
- Combine the lettuce and spring onions, arrange in a wreath shape on a large board or platter
- Top with fennel, cucumber, radish, prawns and mango
- Drizzle over the mayo
Alongside the prawn wreath, I’ll serve a selection of filled flatbreads – prepped earlier in the day – just fill the breads, cut into quarters and serve on a board with some mayo. Try salmon and cream cheese with a squeeze of lemon or some beef, mustard and sliced pickles or tuna mayo with finely chopped cucumber.
And then a simple dessert: how about turning some of that leftover Christmas chocolate into a batch of rocky road?
Happy New Year!
Claire x
