The perfect party bites: Festive recipes for a memorable celebration

The secret to exceptional hosting lies in irresistible canapés, says Gurdeep Loyal. These festive recipes – devilled eggs, cheese straws and devils on horseback – deliver bold flavours, effortless style and unforgettable first impressions for your Christmas celebrations

A trio of bold and beautiful party bites guaranteed to steal the show at your festive gathering (Borough Market)

Being a good host is all about knowing what your guests might desire before they’ve realised it themselves.

With this in mind, greeting them with a seasonal tipple and astonishingly delicious nibble at the door is the definition of festive hospitality!

With canapés, the golden rules are: offer something that’s easy to hold with one hand only; that is two satisfying bites large; and that packs a punch of uncompromisingly loud flavour that gets the palate party started.

These three party bite recipes do just that…

Sizzled spring onion and Togarashi devilled eggs (vegetarian)

Devilled eggs were a well-loved party favourite in the Seventies and Eighties, that have had something of a revival in recent years – with all sorts of global iterations perking up this joyful classic.

This Japanese inspired take brings in Asian flavours with unapologetic gusto and will go down a storm at any New Year’s Eve or seasonal bash.

It’s always essential to use good eggs when they are the star of a canapé – and 13 Acre Orchard have the perfect organic eggs for these. Laid at Haresfield Farm, these eggs are both award winning and fresh from the nest – with golden sunshine yellow yolks thanks to the range of grasses their free roaming chickens feed on.

For the Japanese flavour flourishes head to Spice Mountain who sell powdered miso and mustardy wasabi that both add pleasing punches of flavour. But it’s their Scichimi Togarashi Japanese 7 spice mix that is the true hero of these mini bites – combining white and black sesame seeds, sancho pepper, orange peel, chillies, seaweed and ginger. It’s best to make a double batch of these from the get go – as these really are a party on the palate!

Nothing says retro revival like devilled eggs with a Japanese twist to get the party started (Borough Market)

Makes: 12

Ingredients:

2 whole spring onions, finely sliced

2 tbsp olive oil

6 large eggs

1 tsp wasabi

1 tsp English mustard

½ tsp toasted sesame oil

2 tsp soy sauce

3 tbsp Kewpie mayonnaise

2 tsp juice, 1 tsp zest lemon

2 tsp Togarashi Shichimi (Japanese 7 spice), plus extra to garnish

Method:

1. Place the eggs in a large saucepan, with 1 tablespoon of vinegar and 1 teaspoon of salt. Pour over boiling water, then bring to a rolling boil on the hob. Cook for exactly 7 minutes, then remove the eggs from the boiling water, and plunge into cold water. Leave for 1 minute, then carefully peel them all.

2. Whilst the eggs are cooking, heat the olive oil in a frying pan – then add the finely sliced spring onions and sizzle for 3-4 minutes until they just start to take on a little colour. Spoon them out of the oil, and keep to one side.

3. Cut the eggs in half and scoop out the yolks – putting them into a mixing bowl. Arrange the whites onto a serving plate.

4. Use a fork to break up the yolks, then add the soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, English mustard and wasabi. Mix well, then add the mayonnaise, lemon juice, lemon zest, togarashi and most of the sizzled spring onion – keeping some behind to garnish. Mix again, then check for seasoning adding more soy, mustard or lemon if needed.

5. Use a pipping bag with a large star nozzle to pipe the filling into the cavity of each egg white. Garnish with the remaining spring onions, and a sprinkle over more togarashi. Enjoy with drinks.

Zhoug cheese straws (vegetarian)

The only thing more suited to a celebratory martini than a briny olive or cured anchovy from Brindisa, is a home baked cheese straw – always far superior to those you can buy in shops.

These crumbly, savoury biscuit batons are perked up with zhoug – a fiery Yemini chilli paste that has a powerful zing! The fresh verdant green zhoug from Arabica is rich in coriander, green chilli cumin, clove and cardamon. Alternatively, you could use fresh harissa from Borough Olives – made with hot chillies, garlic, caraway, paprika and rapeseed oil.

Equally delicious would be to give these an Argentinian twist using the Chimichurri Sauce from Portena which is herby, vinegary and deliciously warming. Sparkenhoe Red Leicester from Borough Cheese Company is a great base cheese for these straws, but why not add in something like the Red Cow Parmesan from Bianca Mora which is heavenly incorporated here – aged for 24 months with a rich savoury flavour.

For an extra touch of spice, add in some smoked paprika from Spice Mountain which has an earthy, toasty flavour and brick red colour. Serve standing tall in large glasses. You can even make the dough, cut into straws and freeze these ahead of time so they can be freshly baked any time. Just add an extra minute to the cooking time if baking from frozen!

Elevate your martini game with these flaky, spicy cheese straws that scream sophistication (Borough Market)

Makes: 30-40 straws

Ingredients:

365g plain flour

½ tsp baking powder

200g salted butter, cold and cubed

1 tbsp coriander seeds, crushed

1 tsp English mustard powder

1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

1 tsp paprika

150g vintage Red Leicester, finely grated

60g parmesan, finely grated

2 large egg yolks

60g zhoug or green harissa

Method:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the plain flour, baking powder, coriander seeds, English mustard powder, paprika and black pepper.

2. Next add the cubes of cold butter, and use your fingers to rub this into the flour mix fully until you have the texture of fine breadcrumbs. Next add the grated Red Leicester and parmesan cheeses, mixing through evenly.

3. Whisk the eggs yolks, then pour them over the flour mix, using your hands to start bringing everything together as a dough. Add 2 teaspoons of cold water – continue to work to bring together – and add 1-2 more teaspoons of water if absolutely needed.

4. Press together into one tight ball, then flatten out into a tight square – pressing together any cracks. Wrap in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for 45 minutes.

5. Pre-heat the oven to 185C fan.

6. Take the chilled dough out of the fridge, divide in half and roll out one half into a large rectangle with a 0.5cm depth – again pressing together any cracks. Use a ruler to cut out x15 cheese straws measuring 15cm x 1.5cm x 0.5cm – or larger if you prefer them bigger. Spread out across lined baking sheets – then generously brush with the zhoug. (Either repeat with the other half of the dough to use it all up, or you can keep this in the fridge for another time.)

7. Bake in the oven for 14-15 minutes until they have risen and are golden on top. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack – they’ll go flaky-crispy as they cool. Brush with more zhoug if you like, and enjoy with drinks.

Feta and thyme honey devils on horseback

The ultimate party bite is something that hits every taste bud at the same time – something sweet, savoury, salty and crunchy all at once.

These Devils on Horseback do just that! For the fruit element, Date Sultan is a treasure trove of wonders. Their Jordanian Premium Medjool dates are succulent and juicy, perfect for baking with. For something a little chewier, the Supreme Safawi or Marvellous Mabroom – both from Saudi Arabia – have a toffee caramel flavour and rich dark colour. Alternatively, you can use dried apricots or dried figs.

For the oozy filling Blackwood Cheese Company’s signature cheese Graceburn is perfect for these – a British made feta-inspired cheese that has a creamier, more buttery texture, and which is marinated in cold pressed rapeseed oil infused with thyme, garlic, bay and pepper. These canapés are also a nice time to use a unique honey – like the Great Taste Award Winning Wild Flowers honey sold at Oliveology, from hives on the mountains of Greece.

Ginger Pig’s smoked streaky bacon – marbled with fat that crisps up perfectly – and flavourful walnuts kernels from Grenoble at Food & Forest finish these morsels off a treat. Serve warm from the oven with Champagne, Crémant, Franciacorta and anything else suitable effervescent that’s in a corked bottle – ready to pop throughout the night!

A perfect pairing of sweet and savoury – these devils will have your guests coming back for more (Borough Market)

Makes: 12

Ingredients:

12 large Medjool dates, destoned

100g feta

6 tbsp runny honey

1 tbsp thyme, very finely chopped

1 tsp lemon zest

50g walnuts, finely chopped

12 smoked streaky bacon rashers

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 190C fan.

2. Add the runny honey to a small saucepan, along with a pinch of fine salt, the lemon zest and finely chopped thyme. Warm over a medium heat for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and leave to infuse for 5 minutes.

3. Cut a slit into your first date along its length. Brush the inside liberally with thyme-honey, then sprinkle in some of the chopped walnuts. Stuff the inside fully with a piece of feta, then encase with the sides of the date.

4. Brush over a little more of the honey, then wrap with a rasher of streaky bacon. Use a large cocktail stick to pierce through the centre of the date, securing everything together. Place on a lined baking sheet. Repeat until you have 12 feta-stuffed bacon wrapped dates, well spaced apart.

5. Bake in the oven for 16-18 minutes, turning every 5 minutes, until the bacon is cooked through and slightly crispy, and the feta is starting to ooze from the sides.

6. Remove from the oven, place on a serving plate, drizzle over more of the thyme-honey and enjoy with drinks (careful, they will be hot inside if served straight from the oven!).

For more tips, recipes and information on what you can find at Borough Market, visit: boroughmarket.org.uk