Buy a packet of dehydrated French onion soup mix. Stir it into 200gnatural yoghurt and leave for an hour to allow the soup mix to soften. Whiz with a block ofPhilly cream cheese in a mini blender,stir in a handful of finely choppedspring onion greens and spoon into a serving bowl. Refrigerate for a few hours to let flavours permeate the cheese. To serve,scatter with more freshly chopped spring onions,and surround the bowl withcorn chips to create the appearance of a Christmas star.

Party tarts

Start with a pack or two of crisp pre-mademini savoury tart cases. Fill withtaramasalata and top withYarra Valleysalmon caviar and feathers ofdill. Or fill the tart cases with home-made or store-boughtchicken liver pâté,smooth the top with a knife until even,and top with a little plop ofOcean Spray cranberry sauce. If you’re going for a seafood vibe,then a little Thai salad ofpicked crabmeat tossed withlime juice,chilliand a touch ofcoconut cream will hit the spot.

Quick pickle

One can ofpickled beetroot= one quick,vibrant,sweet and tangy pickle forduck,turkey and roast pork. Great withcheese on crackers and especially good with theChristmas ham in a Boxing Day sambo.

Whiz 150g canned,pickled beetroot slices (drained) in a mini food processor for a few seconds. Add 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar,1 tbsp olive oil and sea salt and pepper to taste and whiz again until smooth.

Heaven on a stick

Gildas are the famous pintxos snacks of the Basque region of Spain. Salty,strong and sharp,they are best served with a cold beer or a vermouth-based aperitivo,but are also very delicious with a glass of bubbly.

To make a batch of gildas,pick up some fancycocktail sticks,goodanchovies in oil,a jar ofpickled guindilla chillies and large pittedgreen olives. Thread the stick through one or two of each,and set out on a tray.

Or play with the gilda theme the way chefs do;layering the ingredients on fingers ofhot toast,usingwhite (marinated) anchovies as well as salted ones,or even flashing them over a hot grill before serving. At the Trader House group’s Apollo Inn cocktail bar,chef Andrew McConnell reinvents the gilda by laying a whole anchovy fillet and a red piquillo pepper on a halved length of garlicky dill pickle. Genius move.

Pretty petits fours

Sometimes Christmas pudding is just … too much. Instead,buy littlepre-made sweet shortcrust pastry cases and fill with store-boughtlemon or passionfruit curd. Top each one with a singleraspberryand dust with icing sugar.

Boozy Christmas coin coffee

Buy a bag ofSanta’s gold-foiled chocolate coins. Unwrap,and scrunch the gold foil around the handle of each coffee cup. Make a batch of strong,sweet espresso coffee,spike it withwhisky,brandy oramaretto, and fill withcoffee.Float the coins on top and serve hot,as the chocolate melts into the coffee.

Quick and easy ham glaze

Leave the hard work to Bonne Maman. For a glistening golden ham glaze,whisk one jar ofBonne Maman Orange Marmalade with 1 tablespoonDijon mustard and thejuice of half an orange. Place preparedham(for example,5kg half-ham,bone-in) in a large baking tray lined with baking paper,and coat with ¾ of the glaze. Bake at 160C fan-forced (180C conventional) for 1½ hours,basting occasionally with remaining glaze.

To prep your ham,cut through the rind at the base of the shank,then run your thumb underneath the rind to lift it away from the ham. Push in under the rind,using your fingers to separate it from the layer of fat beneath. Lightly score the fat underneath before coating with the glaze.

Teeny weeny blini

Pick up a couple of packs ofOcean Blue blinis;they’re life-savers. Warm the blinis quickly in the oven or in a dry frypan (no need for oil) to freshen them up,then top withcreme fraiche,smoked trout orcuredsalmon anddill. Little baubles of salmon caviar make it even more delicious.

Hack your panettone

Panettone is a lovely,light Italian yeast cake,often studded with candied fruit or chocolate. To turn it into a summery dessert or festive cake,cut the panettone crosswise into three rounds. Sandwich each round with whippedmascarpone cream topped withmixed berries,dust with icing sugar,and it’s ready to take to the table in 10 minutes flat.

To make mascarpone cream,beat 300mlthickened cream with 250gmascarpone,3 tablespoon caster sugar and a dash of vanilla extract until soft and pillowy. Refrigerate until needed.

Jazz up Jatz

SpreadJatz crackers (Savoy crackers,if in Victoria) with a littlesmashed avocado then top with a fold ofsmoked salmon,a littlehorseradish cream and some jewelledpomegranate arils. That’s as simple as it gets – but make plenty,because they’ll go off like Christmas crackers.

Sponge finger sangers

Grab a packet ofsponge finger biscuits and cut each one in half lengthwise so you have a top and base. Spread the bases with a littleraspberry jam and top withmascarpone cream (see recipe with panettone). Add a fewraspberries,and replace the tops,gently smooshing the berries and cream together. Dust with icing sugar and serve.