HEARTY MEALS ...IN A MOUTHFUL!

Beef Wellington. Chicken Kiev. Fish pie. Mini versions of classic dishes are all the rage as canapes – our blind taste test reveals the yummiest for New Year’s Eve

WhaT should you serve your guests this new year’s eve? Traditional classics like beef Wellington, Chicken Kiev, casseroles and pies are the height of party food fashion — but with a nifty little twist.

These hefty, filling dishes have all been turned into tiny canapes — a single mouthful that conjures up a whole hearty meal.

‘people like these mini dishes because they are instantly recognisable,’ says Caroline hall, who knows a thing or two about canapes.

she is the co-founder of rocket Food, a company that regularly serves small bites to the great and the good at venues such as the british museum and Kensington palace. This month, their smoked Trout royale was awarded Canape of the year by Country life magazine.

but given that most of us will be serving shopbought rather than chef-crafted canapes at our parties, can the cheat’s version measure up? how easy are they to prepare? and are you paying big bucks for petite portions?

We asked Caroline to blind taste test canapes from the biggest supermarkets.

BEEFY BITES

Waitrose 12 Mini Beef Wellingtons, £7 Cost per 100g: £3.04 Full-size comparison: Waitrose Easy To Cook Beef Wellington, £12.99 Cost per 100g: £3.71 Claire Coleman says: These are super-easy to prepare — just bung on an oven tray — and hurrah to Waitrose for designing all their canapes to be cooked at the same temperature. experT Caroline’s blind TasTe TesT: The pastry is good, really crispy, but there’s not enough filling. is it beef? it needs more of it. a beef puff? a beef pie?

oh, i wouldn’t have had it down as a Wellington. There’s none of the pate or mushroom, and no real depth of flavour. VERDICT: 6/10

BABY BURGERS

Waitrose 12 Cheese Burgers in Brioche Bun, £7 Cost per 100g: £2.69 Full-size comparison: Heston from Waitrose Brioche Burger Buns, £1.39, and Waitrose Aberdeen Angus beef burger, £1.69 Cost per 100g: £1.92 Claire says: i was really surprised that these said microwaving gave best results. The buns tasted soggy, there wasn’t enough relish and it was all a bit average. Caroline says: i think it’s meant to be a burger but it’s really quite bland. it needs something stronger, or the acidity of a gherkin. i would be really disappointed if i’d bought these. 4/10

FISHY FLOURISH

Waitrose 12 Fish Pies in Charcoal Pastry, £6.50 Cost per 100g: £2.40 Full-size comparison: Waitrose Fish Pie, £3.99 Cost per 100g: £1 Claire says: These are the star of Waitrose’s show this year on the canape front — and they certainly look striking, if only because the grey pastry (it contains charcoal, an ingredient said to have detoxifying properties) stood out from the rest of the beige food. Caroline says: This is a take on fish pie, isn’t it? The middle is really quite nice. but the pastry’s a bit bland and hard. i’d never have guessed it was charcoal pastry. What will they think of next? it’s a good size, though. it can be eaten in one, and they look good. 6/10 PULL OF PORK Co-op Irresistible Hirata Buns with BBQ Pulled Pork, £4.50 Cost per 100g: £2.45 Full-size comparison: Co-op Mexican Pulled Pork, £4 and Co-op Burger Buns, £1 Cost per 100g: £1.29 Claire says: although these were done in the microwave, it was quite a faff. you had to heat the buns, then heat the meat then combine and drizzle with sauce. Tasty, but tricky. Caroline says: barbecue? barbecue pork? i like the bun, it’s really soft, and the pork flavour is good with the sauce, but they just need a little something to lift them. if this had a bit of sliced spring onion inside, you’d be away. 7/10

QUICK QUICHE

Tesco Finest Vintage Cheddar And Onion Mini Pies, £5 Cost per 100g: £1.39 Full-size comparison: Tesco Cheese And Onion Quiche, £2.20 Cost per 100g: 55p Claire says: another one that was easy to pop in the oven. They looked a bit anaemic but i liked the fact that the cheesy mixture was soft at the bottom but there was a bit of crispness to the top. Caroline says: i’m getting crispy pastry and cheese. Vintage cheddar? it’s simple, the flavours are lovely, although a touch of mustard would be good. it’s pretty substantial — you need two or three bites at it, but it’s delicious. 8/10

PINT-SIZED PIE

Tesco Finest 12 Steak And Tribute Ale Mini Pies, £5 Cost per 100g: £1.39 Full-size comparison: Tesco Finest Steak And Ale Pie, £3.10 Cost per 100g: £1.24 Claire says: i quite liked the look of these. They’re almost rustic enough that you could get away with saying that you made them yourself. and there was no faffing around. Caroline says: is this a steak and kidney pie? oh, steak and ale. it’s very good pastry — possibly the best of the shortcrust pastry that i’ve tasted, but the ratio of filling to pastry isn’t quite right. 7/10