As the festive season gets underway and our diaries fill up with countless drinks parties, Christmas themed workshops and endless weekend entertaining, we often find ourselves madly wracking our brains for what party food to offer and how to decorate our homes for that Eggnog fuelled Christmas party. So we asked Social Pantry to share some inspiration and a recipe or two with you.
We love the Christmas period, not only for spending time with friends and family but when it comes to decorating, we LOVE nothing more than putting on some festive tunes, sipping on eggnog and dressing our homes in everything Christmassy.
This year, when it comes to decorations we're going for minimal but making those we have impactful and always using lots of foliage where we can, including a traditional tree (real or artificial), opting for some delicate white fairy lights and some pretty hanging decorations, avoiding lots of colour.
If you’re going to struggle for space on your table come Christmas day, but want to bring some festive cheer to it, this wonderful hanging fir tree branch looks stunning with decorations hanging from it.
Tea lights always look lovely and make the space feel cosy and warm when intertwined with long strands of ivy and holly along mantel pieces, down the middle of the table or to fill deep windows. We keep to the same theme throughout so it doesn’t feel too busy.
The Perfect Christmas Canapés
We recommend using some holly or eucalyptus leaves to decorate your serving platters alongside your canapés, they will bring extra cheer to your party and add colour.
A Social Pantry favourite are these buckwheat shortcake canapés, topped with whipped goats cheese and decorated with caramelised figs. The perfect bite to make an impact and wow your guests, and always delicious when washed down with a glass of bubbly.
Salmon is a Christmas classic and no Christmas party is complete without it. These little bites, coffee cured salmon with confit yolks served on a black quinoa cracker will make your party… you’ll be sure to have guests filling up on these bad boys.
London eel is cool - you heard it here first. We're huge fans of eel, which was once one of London's original fast foods and is now so rarely seen on a menu. This eel tartar canapé on pumpernickel and garnished with cornichons and dill really is impressive and one of our go to canapés when entertaining at home.
Ever feel bad when throwing away the herbs stalks? We did so we created this fantastic little recipe to make use of all those offcuts. It’s great for drizzling over roasted carrots or using as a dip for a variety of crudités, it’s our zero waste chimichurri.
Ingredients
30g leftover herb stalks
1⁄2 pack of coriander
1⁄2 pack of parsley
8 mint leaves
1 small red onion
2 small red chilli’s
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
5 tbsp olive oil
Maldon sea salt
Cracked black pepper
Method
- Finely chop the stalks and herbs, chilli and onion.
- Mix all the ingredients together and add in the oil and vinegar.
- Season to taste.
And finally, our highly rated Christmas cocktail.
What’s Christmas without a really brilliant cocktail or two to offer your guests? Not your typical English cocktail but a recipe that's made it all the way from the other side of the pond and been embraced by Europe - a nutty and warming cardamom concoction. That’s right it's Eggnog, trust us, it's a great addition to your drinks tray and a sure-fire way to get your friends in the festive spirit.
Ingredients
700ml whole milk
200ml double cream
2 cinnamon sticks
5 cardamom pods
1 vanilla bean pod, split and seeds removed
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, plus more for garnish
6 Organic eggs, separated
150g cup golden sugar
100ml Dark Bourbon
Garnish
Nothing beats a combo of pistachio, hazelnut and almonds - all you need is a handful topped off with a dusting of ground cinnamon.
Method
- In a saucepan bring the milk, cream, vanilla, nutmeg and cardamom to the boil over a medium heat.
- Once boiling take off the heat.
- Whisk the eggs and sugar until thick.
- Gently pour in the milk and whisk until combined.
- Add in the bourbon; this will keep in the fridge for 3 days.
- Before serving, beat the egg whites in a bowl until soft peaks form.
- Gently fold into the eggnog mixture.
- Garnish and serve in some beautiful glasses.
So, there you have it. Everything you'll need to create the most beautiful Christmas party celebrations. Now all you need is a venue...
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