Well you have done all the hard work running around doing the food and present shopping, writing the cards and organising your christmas feast, so lets finish off the setting and nibbles so you to can enjoy your christmas!

Creating the scene for your table can be as simple or complicated as you like. Some of the best set festive tables are made simply from twigs. So here are a few of my tips. Try wrapping ivy around plain napkins for elegant place settings. Space it a crutial part of your christmas table, as when everyone is seated and the foods set upon it, space becomes very limited. So if this is you, your table centre piece needs to be slim but tall. If you have the space make a quick centre piece using holly, mistletoe and ivy tucking elegant coloured pillar candles amoung the foilage, and finish with glitter or even sugar coating for a snow effect. You can create a stylish centre piece by using a cake stand and placing coloured baubles and ribbon curls on this with ivy, which look’s terrific. Or take a tall vase and fill with glass beads or even fairy lights then fill with long stemmed twigs or branches which you can spray with snow or glitter and hang glass baubles and ribbon on; or you could hang your christmas biscuits from my earlier blog ready to be eatten later.  Make sure always though that you have the space for your guest and all your food and more importantly that your guests can see each other to keep conversation flowing and you can’t go wrong.

Effortless canapes, for you to serve your guests :

Seafood Bites - Take a couple of packs of garlic flatbreads and warm through as instructions, then simply slice up into bite size pieces and top with a generous amount of smoked salmon pate, prawns ground black pepper and snipped salad cress and serve.

Pancetta Breadsticks - Why not wrap pancetta rashers around some breadsticks and warm at 180c/gas 4 for about 5 mins for a great canape.

Smoked Salmon Nibbles - Take some potato slices which you have roasted and cooled, pile cream cheese on top and a piece of smoked salmon and dill to finish and serve delicious.

Stuffed Mushrooms - Take 12 mushroom caps and fill with  a mix of crabmeat, mayonaise, chopped celery stick, 1/2 chopped small onion, 2 tblsp breadcrumbs, 1 tablsp lemon juice, 1 tblsp dry sherry, dash of tabasco sauce. Then simply microwave these on high for 5 minutes and serve.

Quick Nacho Bake - Prepare a simply nacho bake for all the pick at by making a mix of 115g double gloucester cheese, 115g cheddar cheese, 1/2 diced red onion, 2 tblsp of diced jalapenos peppers and 4 tblsp fresh chopped coriander in a bowl.  On a microwave safe plate arrange a third of a big bag of tortilla chips and top with a third of the cheese mix and continue to layer finishing with cheese mix layer. Then cook on high for 2 to 3 minutes until cheese melts and bubbles and serve with sour cream and taco sauce, everyones favourite.

Savoury Spirals - take 225g puff pastry, 100g pitted finely chopped green olives, 1 crushed garlic glove, 25g parmesan grated, freshly ground black pepper, 1 egg beaten and paprika to dust. Simply roll out your pastry to 20 by 25 cm approximately and mix together olives, garlic, parmesan, pepper together in a bowl. Brush the pastry with the beaten egg and spread the olive paste all over the top. Then tightly roll up to form a swiss roll from one long side to the other and place this in the frige to chill for about 30 minutes. Using a sharp knove cut in to thin slices and place on a baking tray and dust with paprika. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes at 220c/425f/gas 7 until golden and cool on a wire rack and serve.

Stilton & Mushroom Pate - Heat 1 tblsp olive oil in a frying pan and cook 75g sliced chestnut mushrooms and 1 tblsp chopped fresh sage for about 4 minutes until soft, drain and put on one side. Beat 100g crumbled stilton, 40g butter, 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, 1 tblsp brandy and seasoning until fluffy (use your electric whisk). Then fold this into your sage and mushrooms. Line 2 ramekins (non-pvc cling film) and divide mixture between the two. Smooth top and chill for at least 3 hours. Turn out to serve with toasted foccacia or a selection of crackers.

Whats your favourite party nibble? Send in your favourite nibble to tempt us all?

May I wish you all a terrific Christmas and Keep reading the blog to get through New Year and another great 2009 full of great Food and great company! Best Christmas Wishes Jacqui X