Little Bites, Big Flavour: New Year’s Eve Made Easy

New Year’s Eve is all about good food, great company and a little sparkle.

Did you know it’s one of the biggest party nights of the year, with more than a billion people around the world tuning in to watch the midnight countdown? In many cultures, certain foods are believed to bring luck for the year ahead, from grapes in Spain to noodles in Asia for long life. But wherever and however you celebrate, one thing stays the same: everyone gathers around the food.

That's where our drizzles come in, they are designed to make hosting easy without compromising on flavour. With real ingredients and bold, vibrant taste, they turn simple nibbles, party platters and sharing dishes into something special without hours in the kitchen. So you can spend less time cooking and more time clinking glasses, catching up with friends and welcoming the New Year in delicious style

Here's a selection of some simple tasty bites for the big event...

Cajun Nachos

Super tasty and a great addition to any New Years Eve buffet table. Serve with some salsa and guacamole.

Ingredients

2 red peppers, seeds removed and diced

Lincolnshire Drizzle Cajun Sauce & Marinade

1 large red onion, finely chopped

2 x 400g tins black beans, drained and rinsed

400g tin finely chopped tomatoes

180–200g/6–7oz lightly salted tortilla chips

125g/4½oz mature cheddar or dairy-free alternative, grated

2 red chillies, thinly sliced

15g/½oz fresh coriander leaves, to garnish

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.

Place the peppers and red onion in a roasting tin, coat well with a good drizzle of Cajun Sauce. Season with salt and pepper and toss well together. Roast for 20 minutes.

Stir in the beans and tomatoes and return to the oven for 10 minutes until piping hot.

Tip most of the tortilla chips into the tin and gently stir in.

Scatter the remaining tortillas on top, sprinkle over the cheese, chillies and remaining red onion and return to the oven for 5 minutes until the cheese has melted. Scatter with the coriander leaves and serve.

Cranberry & Soy Chicken Wings

A festive twist on Chinese style chicken wings and a real crowd pleaser.

Serves 8

Ingredients

1kg chicken wings

3 tbsp soy sauce

6-7 tbsp Cranberry & Orange Balsamic Dressing

1 tsp dried oregano

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tsp ginger paste or freshly grated ginger

2 tsp vegetable oil

Method

Pat the chicken wings dry using a clean tea towel or kitchen paper (this helps ensure the wings crisp up). Heat the air-fryer to 200C. Combine the soy sauce, cranberry dressing, oregano, garlic and ginger in a small bowl or jug. Put the chicken wings in a large bowl, then spoon or pour over the cranberry mixture.

Toss everything together and mix well so the chicken wings are well coated. The uncooked wings will keep frozen in an airtight container for up to three months. Tip the wings into the air-fryer basket and cook for 15-20 mins at 200C (or 20-25 mins at 180C from frozen), turning halfway through until cooked through and beginning to brown at the edges. You may need to do this in two batches depending on the size of your air-fryer.

Mozzarella sticks with sweet chilli tomato sauce

Everyone loves a breaded Mozzarella stick, and this chilli tomato sauce makes a great accompaniment.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

30g plain flour

1 egg

beaten

100g dried breadcrumbs

pinch of dried oregano

pinch of garlic granules

250g block firm mozzarella (not in water), cut into 1cm-thick finger-length strips

about 500ml vegetable oil for frying

For the dipping sauce

2-3 tbsp Sweet Chilli Dressing

2 garlic cloves sliced

400g can chopped tomatoes

1 tsp sugar

Method

Put the flour, egg and breadcrumbs into three separate bowls, seasoning each. Stir the dried oregano and garlic granules into the breadcrumbs.

Coat the mozzarella sticks in the flour, dust off any excess, then dip into the beaten egg. Gently shake to remove the excess egg, then turn in the breadcrumbs until well-coated. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with baking parchment and arrange in a single layer, then freeze for 1 hr until completely solid.

To make the dipping sauce, heat the Sweet Chilli Dressing in a saucepan, and fry the garlic for 2-3 mins on a gentle heat until fragrant. Tip in the tomatoes, sugar and some seasoning. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 12-15 mins until thick and saucy. If you prefer a smooth sauce, blitz with a stick blender. Season to taste, you may need to add a little sugar or seasoning. Leave to cool. Will keep, covered in the fridge, for up to three days, or the freezer for up to three months.

Fill a heavy-based saucepan no more than a third full of oil and heat to 180C, or until a cube of bread sizzles when dropped into the oil, and browns in about 30 seconds. Gently lower in the frozen mozzarella sticks – you’ll need to do this in two batches to ensure the temperature remains high – and fry for 2-3 mins until the cheesy middle is melted and the outside is crisp and golden. Drain on kitchen paper. Serve straightaway, or leave to cool. Will keep, covered in the fridge, for up to three days, or the freezer for up to three months.

To reheat, heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7 and bake on a tray for 8-10 mins until heated through. Season and serve with warm dipping sauce, or simply drizzle with some Sweet Chilli Dressing and serve with more on the side.

Sweet Chilli Tomato Crostini

A firm favourite, Crostini can be topped with any of your favourite toppings. Try this blend of sweet tomatoes and slightly bitter olives spiced up with our Sweet Chilli Dressing. If you don't want chilli, use our Balsamic Dressing instead.

Makes about 12, depending on the size of bread.

Ingredients

20 cherry tomatoes

1 handful black or green olives

A generous drizzle of Sweet Chilli Dressing

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

A little dried chilli, crumbled

Crostini

baby basil leaves

Method

Cut the cherry tomatoes into quarters. Remove the stones from a handful of good-quality black or green olives and chop them up. Toss in a bowl with the tomatoes, and a generous drizzle of Sweet Chilli Dressing and season carefully with salt and pepper. (Some olives are salty, so go easy.) Spoon over each of your hot crostini and sprinkle some baby basil leaves over the top.

To make crostini: Grill slices of ciabatta. While they're still hot, rub them gently with the cut side of garlic and drizzle with good-quality extra virgin olive oil. Now finish with our Sweet Chilli topping.

There are more great party food ideas here: https://www.thelincolnshiredrizzlecompany.co.uk/post/simple-christmas-fair-drizzled-with-deliciousness.

Wishing you all a Happy New Year.