Easy Christmas Treats

Recently a friend and I held a Christmas coffee morning to raise money for a charity.  We had the usual mince pies and mulled wine but wanted to offer some other tasty treats.  These are a few of the quick and easy morsels we had on offer.  Most were just foods you can assemble, some were ready made bits that we embellished and others were quick to assemble and cook.

 This cheese board was my favourite, it was so simple but really affective.  I had the christmas tree chopping board but it can easily be put together on a rectangular base.  The added herbs and grapes give it a bright fresh feel and make it even more inviting.  Having the cheese cut into cubes makes it so much easier for everyone to nibble at too.  The finishing touch was the mini babybel on top, I used a tiny cutter to remove the wax star.

This mince meat wreath was great to prepare in advance and bake just before everyone arrived,  I used a 500g Block of Puff Pastry.  Divide in two then roll out one on a floured surface into a rectangle measuring roughly 35cm x 25cm.  Spread with 300g Mincemeat then roll up into a swiss roll using the long edge.  Brush the edge with a little milk to seal then cut into slices about 3cm wide.

Place the slices onto a baking sheet lined with parchment and arrange into a wreath shape leaving a slight gap between each one so it has room to grow.  You can either make a small one or repeat with the rest of the pastry to make a larger one as I did.  Now bake at 180C fan for 20-25 minutes till lovely and golden.

To finish, toast 20g of Sliced Almonds in a dry pan.  When the wreath is cooked,  drizzle a little icing made with icing sugar and lemon juice then scatter on the toasted almonds.

These are so cute and brilliant for kids to do.  They are Tunnocks Tea Cakes topped with a little icing and some sprinkles to look like christmas puddings.  Genius!