This is a collaborative post.
With summer fast approaching and Britain enjoying unusually warm spring sunshine, you’re probably already dreaming about all the garden parties you’ll be holding this summer. Before you even start thinking about your garden party menu, however, spend some time ensuring your garden is in tip-top condition.
Once you’ve finished pulling up the stray dandelions, pruning the hedge and – if you’re lucky enough to have one – spring cleaning your summer house, give the lawn a good trim with a lawn-mower (unless you’re lucky enough to have artificial grass for your garden, of course!) and tidy up the flower beds. Your guests will appreciate knowing you’ve taken the time to tidy up your garden ahead of their arrival.
Now, it’s time to turn your attention to your garden party menu. Rather than serve up the usual suspects, like cheese and pineapple on sticks, platefuls of bland, cheap crisps and mini sausage rolls, why not get a little creative in the kitchen and come up with some unusual foods to add to your garden party menu?
5 Creative Foods For Your Garden Party Menu
Here are some of my top recommendations for garden party menu ideas a little less ordinary to wow your guests with this summer.
1. Quesadillas
Quesadillas are a cheap, quick and easy snack to add to any garden party menu and best of all, you can vary the fillings to cater for different appetites and dietary preferences.
As long as you don’t mind eating your quesadillas cold, you can even prepare them in advance and cut them up on plates, ready to serve up to your party guests.
Get my garlic chicken quesadillas recipe here. For a veggie alternative, consider using a garlic mushroom filling instead.
2. Spicy Roasted Chickpeas
Once your garden party guests sample these crunchy, fiery little morsels, they won’t be able to hold back. Spicy Roasted Chickpeas are another cheap and hassle-free savoury snack to add to your garden party menu.
Before cooking the chickpeas, dry them thoroughly to ensure they crisp up nicely during roasting. You may wish to remove the skin to encourage them to crisp up even more.
You can roast your chickpeas with all kinds of herbs and spices, but popular choices include cumin, cayenne, chilli powder and salt.
Check out this handy recipe and video to find out exactly how to make spicy roasted chickpeas.
3. Vegan Aubergine and Walnut Wraps
Originally featured in my popular Eat Like a Local guest post series, these vegan aubergine and walnut wraps come all the way from Tbilisi in Georgia, courtesy of fellow blogger Baia Dzagnidze of Red Fedora Diary.
Consisting of thinly sliced strips of aubergine stuffed with walnuts and jewelled with pomegranate seeds, these mouthwatering meat-free wraps will go down a treat with meat-eaters and veggies alike.
Here’s the full recipe for these tasty eggplant and walnut wraps. Thank you Baia!
4. Homemade Empanadas
Also featured in my Eat Like a Local series, Puerto Rican Empanadas will be just as popular with your garden party guests as they have been with my readers.
These gorgeously golden, bubbly Latin pastries are filled with meat, veg, fish and/or cheese before being baked in the oven, or fried.
Contributed my solo female travel blogger, Jen Ruiz from Jen on a Jetplane, this recipe uses frozen Goya Discos, available for purchase throughout the US and parts of Europe. If you’re based in the UK, rest assured that you can still make these empanadas for your garden party, however – you’ll just need to make the empanada dough from scratch beforehand!
Get Jen’s recipe for Puerto Rican Empanadas here.
5. Bacon and Asparagus Tart
I recently rustled up this bacon and asparagus tart as part of an ongoing partnership with north Wales-based butcher’s shop and wholesaler, Edwards of Conwy.
Loaded with quality dry cure bacon, fresh British asparagus, goat cheese, broccoli, honey and pine nuts, it’s guaranteed to tantalise the tastebuds!
If you use a ready-rolled puff pastry to make your tart, it’ll be ready in no more than 45 minutes including preparation time, making it ideal for a last-minute garden party menu or unexpected guests!
Find my bacon and asparagus tart recipe here.
Do you have any favourite foods to serve on a garden party menu? Feel free to share your recommendations in the comment box below.
This is a collaborative post.
Oh that bacon and asparagus tart looks so good, I can’t wait for the nice weather to stick around and to eat outside more. Mich x
Thanks Mich! I love that tart, I’ve made loads of variations on it too and all have tasted wonderful!
Empanadas are something I know very well, but have never actually made them! I like the aubergine wraps too, they’re light yet tasty.
I haven’t made them before but they are one of my favourite savoury snacks. I love the look of these aubergine wraps too.
I am a huge fan of quesadillas so they sound great. and the tart looks lovely x
Me too! I love how quick and easy they are to make – not to mention extremely cheap!
I have never tried spicy roasted chickpeas, that is definitely something unusual and new for me.
Omg, they’re so good! I love them as they’re so cheap and easy to make, and they are delicious. It’s important to dry them off thoroughly so they crisp up properly though.
Mmmmmmm bacon and asparagus tart sounds amazing and definitely too good to have just at a garden party 😉 we’d happily eat this all year round!
I know what you mean. Whenever I make this tart, it never lasts more than a few days – I take it to work and eat it for lunch and dinner, hahah. SO good!
Lovely selection of food for a garden party. The bacon and asparagus tart looks and sounds delicious. Love the rustic style of the tart which is making my mouth water.
Thanks Elizabeth! I love this tart too.
I love both bacon and asparagus but I’ve never had them together before. That pie looks delicious!
They taste delicious together on this tart.