Good quiches made with well-flavoured pastry and a moreish savoury egg filling are hard to beat. These bite-size versions come from Donald Russell - Royal Warrant holders who send supplies to the Queen - and a tray of them offers a highly agreeable mix of veggie, fish and meat.
 

Donald Russell canapé quiches, around £13.50 for a tray of 25, donaldrussell.com

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What makes the best ready-made party nibble? Something that looks chic, but would be a fiddle to prepare yourself, and tastes delicious. These Thai bites tick all those boxes. Flavoured with coconut cream, lemongrass and kaffir lime, the prawn balls are teamed with a bundle of noodles, then parcelled up in a banana leaf.
 

Taste the Difference Prawn Noodle Skewers in Banana Leaf Cones, £4 per pack, Sainsbury’s

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Cupcakes may have stolen the limelight this year, but we still hold a special place in our hearts for brownies. And as for fudge brownie cake pops from celebrated chocolatier, Paul A Young? They’re luxury on a stick. Small squares of his famous chocolate treat is hand-dipped in carmelised milk chocolate. Yum!
 

Fudge Brownie pops, £2.50 each, Paul A Young

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These are the perfect crowd-pleasers. Sinach pastry surrounds the salmon and smoked haddock filling, with a smattering of Cheddar and breadcrumbs on top. Perfect.
 

Waitrose mini fish pies, £5.99 for a pack of 12, Waitrose

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Before fridges, the creative culinary way to preserve meat and fish was to cook and shred it, then pot it under a layer of butter. These spreads from Potted Game are delicious and a knifeful just requires squishing onto hot toast to serve. 
 

Potted meat and fish, £3.50 each (minimum order 10), The Potted Game Company

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Olives are the foundation of a healthy Mediterranean diet, rich in good fats, vitamin E and iron. They’re also the symbol of peace - a fitting treat for Christmas - and these piri piri are gorgeous! Hand round as they are or use to make a tapenade. Discard any stones first then blitz to a paste in a food processor and serve with crudités.
 

Unearthed olives, including Piri Piri, Rosemary & Black Pepper and Harissa & Lemon, £2.69 for 150g, discoverunearthed.com

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This fabulous selection of mini cheesecakes will have everyone fighting over it. All the best Christmas flavours are here – mandarin, mince pie, gingerbread and snowball - plus a couple of crowd-pleasers, too.
 

Festive Mini Cheesecakes, £36 for 12, The English Cheesecake Company

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Sandwiched with buttercream, ganache or simply jam, macarons are the sweet delicacy du jour. These pastel-coloured gems from award-winning Parisienne chef Pierre Hermé, come in a fabulous variety of flavours including rose, milk chocolate and passion fruit and, wait for it, salted butter caramel.
 

Selection of macarons, £33 for 16 pieces, pierreherme.com

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These fishy pots offer a suitably traditional way to kick off a meal. Prawn cocktail, smoked trout and smoked salmon sit atop layers of avocado, beetroot and horseradish and cucumber mousse. Simply serve up with a spoon or with thin, oiled and toasted baguette slices to dunk.
 

Smoked trout and horseradish, Prawn and avocado cocktails, Smoked Salmon and horseradish pots, £4 for a pack of two, Morrisons

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Christmas wouldn’t be the same without the obligatory bowl of crisps passed round in an attempt to soak up the fizz. These crisps are made from potatoes grown in Essex then pan-fried with their skins to give an crunchy texture at the edge. And they come in Sea Salt and Aspall Vinegar and No Salt flavours as well as delicious Butter & Mint,.
 

Fairfields Farm Crisps, from 70p for 40g bag, fairfieldsfarmcrisps.co.uk

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