It’s Party Time with Annabel Karmel

Get the party started with a table spread like no-other. Here’s some of Annabel Karmel’s best party snacks.

Liven-up the offering with a colourful display of foods that are fun, exciting and nutritious. Kids love to do-it-themselves so have a station for making your own wraps or dunking veggies into dips. If you’re looking for inspiration, check out some of my most memorable party food recipes that everyone will love.

Octopus Dip

Ingredients

100g roasted red peppers (from a jar)
150ml sour cream
100g light mayonnaise
1½ tbsp tomato ketchup
A pinch of sugar
1 red pepper, deseeded
2 small slices mozzarella cheese
2 black olive slices

Method

1. Put all the ingredients (except the pepper, mozzarella and olive) into a bowl. Using an electric hand blender, whiz until smooth. Transfer to a small serving bowl.
2. Cut 8 slices of pepper for the legs, and use the remaining pepper for the body. Arrange in the dip to make the octopus
3. Add the mozzarella and olive slices for the eyes.
4. Serve with pitta bread.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Makes 1 caterpillar

Ingredients

For the sandwiches
6 slices medium sliced brown bread
6 slices medium sliced white bread
3 tbsp cream cheese
3 tbsp mango chutney
¼ cucumber, thinly sliced
A little softened butter
3 large slices Edam or Swiss cheese
1 large tomato, thinly sliced

To decorate
1 medium tomato
Cucumber
1 cooked pea
Edam or Swiss cheese

Method

1. Make the brown sandwiches. Spread one side of the bread with a little butter, top with Edam and sliced tomato. Sandwich together.
2. Make the white sandwiches. Spread one side with 1 tablespoon of cream cheese. Spread the other with mango chutney. Top with cucumber then sandwich together.
3. Cut out three rounds from each sandwich using a 3cm round cutter.
4. Arrange the sandwiches in an “s” shape to make the body of the caterpillar and arrange on a board. Make the face of the caterpillar by making eyes from slicing the pea in half and sticking onto the tomato with cream cheese to make the eyes. Make a mouth out of cheese and stick to the tomato.
5. Make ears out of thin strips of cucumber and push into the top of the tomato. Slice chunks of cucumber and use to make the feet.

Jelly Boats

Makes 16 boats

Ingredients

4 large oranges, halved
2 x 135g packets of jelly
4 sheets of rice paper
16 cocktail sticks

Method

1. With a sharp knife, remove the flesh of the oranges and carefully scrape out the membrane – take care not to pierce the skin.
2. Make up the jelly according to the packet instructions, but using about 80 per cent of the recommended amount of water so that the jelly is a little more concentrated.
3. Put the orange skins in muffin or bun trays to keep them steady, then fill them with jelly, right to the top. Refrigerate until set.
4. Trim the orange skins so that they’re level with the jelly, then cut in half again with a sharp knife.
5. To make the sails, cut out triangles from the rice paper and secure with cocktail sticks.

And don’t forget the birthday cake – a special treat for your entire party!

Pirate Ship Cake 

Makes 6 – 8 portions

Ingredients

2 x 20cm chocolate or vanilla cake layers, from 500g cake mix
I x 400g tub bought chocolate buttercream (Or make you own with 200g butter, 100g icing sugar, 2 tbsp cocoa powder and ½ tsp vanilla)
Chocolate Fingers
Large white chocolate buttons for portholes
Kit Kats
6 mini chocolate Swiss rolls
Maltesers for cannonballs
Wrapping paper and skewers for the sail

Decoration for the cake board
Blue bubble gum sweets
Blue and green M&M’s

Method

1. Sandwich the cake together with a thin layer of buttercream. Cut the cake in half. Stack one half on top of the other with buttercream. Trim a thin section away from the curved base of the cake and turn the cake so that it will sit on the slightly flattened edge on a board. Cover the cake with chocolate buttercream.
2. Decorate the base of the ship with large white chocolate buttons and Smarties as port holes.
3. Decorate the deck with Kit Kats, Mini Swiss rolls with white chocolate buttons and cannons made from Maltesers and chocolate fingers.
4. Make sails from rectangles of wrapping paper attached with skewers and you can attach little flags to the top of the skewers.

Keep little ones busy with Annabel’s brand new Family Cooking App. As well as lots of simple, tasty recipes, it includes a special Kids Rule the Kitchen cooking course designed to feed young imaginations whilst teaching essential cooking skills. Available via the App Store or visit www.annabelkarmel.com for more information.