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Friday, October 9, 2026
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Final Hours to the New Year: Your Festive Spread.

When it comes to hosting parties, people tend to divide into a pair of quite separate categories: those who enjoy doing it, and people that would prefer to do almost anything else. Staying prepared in advance is crucial, and choosing a few tasty dishes to kick off the proceedings will amuse your guests while you aim to manage everything.

Spicy Almonds with Fennel, Lemon & Paprika

Spicy almond snack

These zesty, spiced snacks are a ideal match for the refreshing pink grapefruit mocktails featured next.

Buckwheat Blinis with Ricotta and Salmon

Elegant starter with blinis

A delicious celebration starter that can readily be adapted to offer with a different spread for the kids.

Cardamom-Lime Grapefruit Mocktails

Citrusy non-alcoholic drink

These drinks are a invigorating substitute to alcohol, but also create a wonderful base for a tequila-based drink.

Juniper and Lemon Martinis

Homemade martini cocktail

Handcrafted gin for a special festive martini, ideal for sharing or offering at parties.

Tender Lamb with a Zingy Sumac and Onion Salad

Succulent lamb dish

Enjoy the glory of this impressive centerpiece – your guests will possibly suspect how minimal work was involved.

Festive Chocolate Cranberry Tart

Decadent chocolate cranberry tart

In this indulgent sweet treat, puddles of aromatic cranberry jam are cooked into a chocolaty frangipane for a duo that makes any surfeit of berries to good use.

About the author

Laura Webb

A tech journalist and digital strategist with over a decade of experience covering Silicon Valley innovations and global tech markets.

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