Cocktail comeback
It is a great relief to find that cocktail sausages are firmly back on trend. On a recent visit to London's latest it-pub, The Hero in Maida Vale, cocktail sausages were the first thing in the ‘snacks’ section of the menu, and they were really were a joy – meaty and substantial, but tiny enough to eat in two bites. Serve them with some good mustard and we guarantee they will be gone in seconds.
Gildas – with a twist
Gildas have been the darling of the aperitivo scene for a while now and continue to be a wonderful party food. For the uninitiated (firstly, which parties are you attending?), they consist of a toothpick skewered with pickled chillis (guindillas), briny olives and a ribbon on anchovy threaded in between and originate from the pintxos bars of San Sebastian. The new way to adorn them? Add a creamy butter bean on the end to temper the salty, fiery flavours.
Kimchi cheese toasties
How chic would a platter of little cheese toasties at a party be? We've seen it before and loved it. Who can ever resist melted cheese and toasty bread. It's ideal drinking food – and the addition of kimchi to the mix is both elevating and gut-friendly, if that makes you feel better.
Devilled eggs are back
Everything – or almost everything – comes back into fashion at some point and after a break since the 1970s and 80s, devilled eggs are back. In France, they never went away (or their close cousin, oeuf mayonnaise, prolific on every bistro menu in Paris on a recent visit) but they've had connotations of dusty Abigail's Party scenes here. No longer, as the 70s and 80s in all forms have returned of late and we've been seeing platters of prettily piped devilled eggs at parties galore.
Mini chicken kievs
Ever since M&S added these delightful little bundles to their party food offering this year, we've been unable to stop thinking about them. You can angle it as an adult's chicken nugget, a more elevated version of party food for a more sophisticated crowd – while really just indulging what most good party food does: our inner child.
Anything on a stainless steel platter
Put anything on a big stainless steel or silver platter in a deliberate way and it instantly looks cool, even a pile of crisps and bowl of sour cream, or a pile of fries (both of which we have recently seen). It's still the kitchen material du jour and makes all foods look directional, intentional and delectable – this way you can buy the naffest, most affordable nibbles and magically have a wonderful spread.
Giant cakes and huge dessert tables
If you're wanting to go big, then the way to do it in 2024 and heading into 2025 is via an elaborate, long, preferably undulating table groaning with an array of sweet treats. Think larger than life cakes, decorated to make guests gape in awe, or towers of different cakes and chocolates at varying heights down a table as long as a room. This is high lift, high effort but high impact.
Affogato
The most genius food hack we've seen recently? Buy a load of mini Haagen Dazs vanilla ice cream tubs, make a cafetiere of coffee and pour it over the tubs. Voilà, the easiest affogato you could ever serve, and quite fun too.
Jelly is having a comeback
If you want to get ahead of the curve and be cutting edge, jelly is your friend. It's been wobbling around a few party scenes in 2024 in great retro forms but we're predicting it will become the darling of desserts next year. For extra points, find fun moulds and make a scene of it. Or serve individual jellies in – you guessed it – stainless steel ice cream bowls.
And if in doubt…
A good, generous cheeseboard is always a good idea.
