NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY FOOD IDEAS


Get a few ideas for New Year’s Eve party food that will feed a few or a lot before the party begins!

Out goes the old and in comes the new. How will you be celebrating when the clock strikes midnight tonight? Throwing a wild party or entertaining a few close friends at home? Either way, we’ve got some great foodie ideas that can be served in small amounts or will adapt to feed a crowd.

BIG DISHES

A great idea for a party of any size is to make a big pot or dish of something to fill the belly before the partying begins. Choose best Irish minced beef for Chilli con Carne or Lasagne, served with crusty bread and a winter mixed salad. Irish Stew or a Hungarian Style Goulash feature Irish lamb and pork. These go best with buttery mashed potatoes. For non-meat eaters, a vegetarian bake with pasta, tomato sauce, pesto, creamy cheese sauce and topped with Irish Toonsbridge Mozzarella is absolutely divine.

SUPER SARNIES

Sandwiches may sound boring but it’s what you put in them and how you present them that really counts! Rare roast Irish beef and horseradish, smoked salmon and cream cheese, Irish farmhouse cheese of choice and chutney are all great served in crusty baguette. Buy large baguettes. Cut in half lengthways without cutting right through. Fill the whole baguette then cut into manageable sized chunks that can be held easily in one hand, with a drink in the other, heap onto a platter and scatter over some fresh herb sprigs to serve!

EXOTIC BUFFET

Oriental style noodle salads with prawns, chicken satay sticks and spiced cold rice and seasonal veggie mixes make an exotic cold buffet your guests can browse.

FONDUE REVISTED

For a more intimate dinner party, a fondue is so very seventies but enjoying a revival! Bring the foundue back into your life this New Year’s Eve! For four people, rub a cut garlic clove around the inside of a fondue pot or heavy cast iron pan. Pour in 300mls dry white wine. Heat gently. Add 450g Irish mature hard cheese like Mossfield Organic and stir to melt. Mix 1 tbsp cornflour with 2 tbsp Kirsch or cognac and stir in.  Beat smooth and season with freshly ground black pepper. Serve melted, with some crusty bread chunks to dip in.

Another addition or alternative to this on the cheese theme is to bake a whole soft cheese like Cooleeney Camembert. Slash the cheese across the top three times without cutting right through, stuff in some rosemary sprigs and season. Bake in a large ovenproof dish in a pre-heated oven till the cheese begins to run. Serve with bread and crackers for scooping.

SWEET THINGS

Desserts can be fiddly things at the best of times. If you are feeding a crowd you probably won’t want to make one. So use your initiative instead and half dip seasonal fruits like quartered fresh figs and whole clementine segments, with soft marshmallows, and any other dunkable sweet things you fancy, in melted chocolate from one of our superb Irish chocolatiers. Skewer the pieces onto cocktail sticks to make it easier to dip them.

If all else fails, a platter of warm mince pies never goes amiss! Here are some different mince pie recipes from our Good Food Ireland chefs. Serve warm with rich and flavoursome Clotted Cream from Glenilen for a serious festive treat.