Festive Canapé Tips From Chef Ben Purton

Christmas canapesPanicked about Your Christmas Party? Think you’ve got too much on your own plate with the catering?

Ben Purton, Executive Head Chef of Lancaster London Hotel on Hyde Park, has kindly shared his top tips for making sure your Christmas bash goes without a hiccup (apart from the mulled wine induced ones of course!)

It’s fair to say Ben knows a thing or two about catering for large parties of people – as he will be coordinating the serving of over 10,000 canapés at Lancaster London this Christmas.

Ben says: “The festive season is a time for family to get together, celebrate and relax so the food should follow suit.”

  • Don’t over complicate the process and choose a few easy winners that you can bring out as and when needed.
  • I love…love…love pigs in blankets and eat them in excess at this time of year. They make the perfect canapé simply roasted off and drizzled in a mix of honey and grain mustard and served on a skewer.
  • Simple smoked salmon served on crisped up rye bread (you can use other breads too) and finished with a dollop of soured cream and a sprinkle of chives always goes down well. If you’re feeling like a bit of luxury – add a little caviar!!
  • Turkey leftovers are a great thing. Try frying off some finely shredded onions and a little curry powder and adding the turkey (small diced) and a few sultanas and combining well. Leave to chill and mix in a bit of mayo and serve on a crisp baby gem leaf garnished with coriander.
  • For a sweet fix – make a great flapjack (or buy some) and when baked and cooled top with dried cranberries and roasted pumpkin seeds that have been bound together with a little reduced orange juice – yum!

Lancaster London, Lancaster Terrace, London W2 2TY, Tel:020 7551 6000. Nearest tube: Lancaster Gate

  • Belinda Wanis, aka Miss B, is a Belle About Town who likes to bring a little bit of style into every aspect of her life. An experienced journalist with over 20 years in the industry she turned to the web, creating Belle About Town in early 2010, to fill a gap for tech-savvy stylish women who want the best life has to offer at their fingertips. She loves a decadent cocktail bar, a beautifully cut dress, cultural getaways, quality over quantity and is partial to Asian-fusion food. A globetrotter, who has lived in Australia, the UK and Denmark, she enjoys holidaying in the sun and you can often find her on a beach in Thailand or on shopping breaks in Sydney or New York. But her first love is, of course, London!

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