Finger lickin' good: Nibbles for parties

It’s party season and planning ahead can take the stress out of organising festive activities. And whether it’s drinks for four or a party for 20, the amount of food served should balance the beverages. As a guide, serve a selection of four to five nibbles during the first hour of your party plus four pieces each hour after that.

Finger foods are fun to serve at any time of the day and can often be prepared in advance.Serve a combination of hot and cold nibbles offering the hot choices at intervals rather than all at once.

The menu should offer a balance of tastes and textures. Sliced fresh vegetables, such as capsicums, cucumber and snow peas, add healthy, colourful crunch and make excellent scoops for dips and hummus.

Consideration of guests dietary requirements — such as food allergies and religious customs — should also be taken into account. I like to prepare as many gluten-free options as possible as many of our friends are gluten-intolerant.

Also offer some interesting non-alcoholic drinks for the dedicated drivers. Barkers of Geraldine have just launched an interesting range of squeezed fruit cordials. They’re not too sweet and combined with chilled tonic or soda water, they are refreshingly different. Look out for the Squeezed Lemon with Lime, Cucumber and Mint that makes delicious non-alcoholic mojitos.

Mini lasagnes

Double the meat recipe and use half as a meal. The wrappers can be pre-baked and stored in an airtight container in a cool place for 2 days. Get the recipe

Fish and avocado spoons

The fish can be marinated for up to 12 hours. Get the recipe

Strawberry gazpacho

Chill for up to 24 hours. Get the recipe

Gluten-free paprika pastry olives

These nibbles can be prepared ahead and refrigerated or frozen in an airtight container. Reheat briefly in the microwave. Get the recipe