Ideas for make-ahead vegetarian and vegan finger food | Kitchen aide

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Ravinder Bhogal's devilled eggs.
Ravinder Bhogal’s devilled eggs, because ‘1980s retro is having a revival’. Photograph: Laura Edwards/The Guardian. Food and prop styling: Kitty Coles. Food assistant: Clare Cole.

Keep things simple, outsource and prep ahead where you can, and never forget the golden rule of canapes …

My daughter is getting married: what vegetarian and vegan canapes can I make at least a day ahead?
Sue, by email
“Canapes need to be no more than two mouthfuls,” says Barney Desmazery, author of One Dish Four Ways, “unless you’re going to provide something to eat them from, but in my book they’re then no longer canapes.”

You’ll not want anything too labour-intensive. “Sue is going to be making them tens or hundreds of times over, so outsourcing some work with store-bought ingredients is an easy win,” says Richard Makin, AKA School Night Vegan and author of Stress-Free Dinners. Also remember that, as with most things in life, less is usually more: “Good ingredients always triumph over complicated recipes,” says Desmazery, who recalls a wedding he once attended in Liguria, Italy: “There was a round of aged parmesan with knives for guests to break off shards, and that was great.” Granted, parmesan isn’t one for Sue’s vegetarian/vegan spread, but you get the idea.

An overriding theme might be one nice starting point. “Eighties retro is having a revival, so you could have some fun with that,” says Desmazery, who might kick off proceedings with devilled eggs. And vegans needn’t miss out there: “Replace the boiled eggs with halved boiled potatoes,” says Makin, who then pipes in vegan “mayo” mixed with paprika and turmeric for that yolky colour.

Or how about vol-au-vents with a creamy, mushroom and tarragon filling? “Take the chill off [on the day] in a microwave, then spoon the filling into the cases,” Desmazery says. And, while you’re about it, knock up some Waldorf salad cups for good measure. “The only problem with going retro is the risk of your guests just thinking you’re old-fashioned,” he warns, so, if there’s any danger of the irony being lost, he’d be inclined to go down the crostini route instead: “Do three toppings, which can all happily be made ahead: a minted pea or broad bean smash, which can be kept vegan or topped with cheese (vegetarian feta, say); sliced figs with soft cheese drizzled with honey; and white bean hummus with sliced artichoke hearts.” On the big day, that leaves just a simple assembly job.

On a similar get-ahead vibe, Georgina Hayden, author of MEDesque, says, “It might sound simplistic, but a selection of bowls filled with various dips, gorgeous crudites and gildas [of sorts] is a glorious thing. Make the dips in advance, prep the veg [cover with damp kitchen roll to stop them drying out], and stud small skewers [or toothpicks] with olives, antipasti and pickles.” You won’t need to put down your drink for Makin’s go-to, either: “Panipuri are perfect because you can buy the crisp shells ready-made, they’re usually served cold and they’re packed with flavour.” A spicy potato and chickpea filling is traditional, but you could happily go rogue and spoon in whatever takes your fancy: “Just have the coriander pani ready in shot glasses for guests to pour in themselves.”

Some say that smoked salmon is the ultimate party food, and Makin pulls off a vegan version with thinly shaved carrot or beetroot. “Boil them for 30 seconds to take the crunch out, then plunge into cold water.” Once drained, submerge overnight in a mix of smoked paprika, lemon juice, black pepper, dill and white-wine vinegar, then serve on crackers with vegan cream cheese. That’s just the ticket for a wedding breakfast, too.