Drinks and nibbles can be a slightly sticky time if you’re trying to avoid the starches. The reason? Bread. It’s the standard fodder we lean on to help fill a hole before a meal commences; whether grissini with olives, pita with dips or charred bruschetta. Yet as soon as you start thinking outside the box you’ll discover a wide arena of alternative snacks and starters.
Whether it’s a whole steamed artichoke which starts as a table decoration before being slowly dismantled petal by petal and dragged through aïoli, or the perfect recipe for kale crisps (which really became that popular for a reason), you’ll be set.
As for us, if it’s just a Friday night at home celebrating the close of a long week The Hungry One will usually open the canisters of five-spice soy almonds and spiced chickpea bombs which live in the pantry while he cracks through a beer. If we’ve got guests gathered around the barbecue then it’s roasted tomato and halloumi skewers and some cannellini bean dip with crudités. And if I’m feeling cheeky and festive, then it’s hard to walk away from a platter of pigs in kimchee blankets. As long as there’s a mix of bright spice and crunch (and something cheerful in a glass to go with it), we’re happy.