Skift Take
You can never have too much food so we decided to share some more examples of delectable finger foods and canapes you can incorporate into your event menu.
Canapes and finger foods can be a fun way of diversifying your food options and menu without committing on a larger scale. Offering a greater variety and several servings of each item will allow you to offer a good selection of bite-sized morsels to satisfy even the most fussy attendees. These can be an interesting catering alternative for events and ensure the food options are conducive to networking and movement.
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Crab Rolls
These beautifully presented crab rolls are a treat and definitely worthy of sophisticated evening events. The herb breadcrumbs add texture to mix things up a little!
https://twitter.com/SweetTweetSHG/status/853264236222533636
Credit: Sweet Hospitality
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Korean Fried Shrimp
Shrimp is a staple option for canapes but adding the fried element along with some Korean spices and flavouring can present them in a totally different light to spice up this traditional event dish. Plus they are small and cost effective if you are catering to a larger crowd too!
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Mini Beef Yorkshires
Who doesn’t love a roast dinner? Catering and planning a full sit down roast at an event can be costly in both time required and price per head. These delicious looking alternatives have all the essentials and taste without any of the extra hassle!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BUFNYMcgnFd/
Credit: Speckmobile
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Ham Fruit Wraps
Tapas can be another option to inspire your food choices as it is based on smaller servings of different dishes. These twist canapes contain melon wrapped in ham for a cold serve to your attendees and a taste of Spanish cuisine.
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Mozzarella & Guacamole Crostini
Make finger food easy but well presented like these beautiful and no-doubt delicious crostini variations with mozzarella cheese and guacamole.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BRk7f7kg4yj/?taken-by=twb_catering
Credit: The White Boutique Catering
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Wraps
Perfect for lunch or daytime events, wraps can always go down a treat! They are easily customizable in terms of fillings and perfect on a budget while actually being quite satisfying too.
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Polenta Cakes & Roasted Tomatoes
These tiny combo brunch cakes are full of flavour and quite filling with their cheese and roasted tomato toppings. Plus they look inviting, cheerful and colourful too as they are being circulated!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BUc3gqwAzXr/
Credit: CaptureWithChris
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Greek Meatballs
Try these miniature meatballs, which are seasoned and combined with mint and spices, to create a unique flavour combination. Pork and beef options will be well received by the carnivorous attendee!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BUggVSIjXAE/
Credit: A Cut Above Catering
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Salmon Tartare Bites
For something simple but sophisticated these salmon bites served on cucumber are small and bite size for easy consumption. They are gluten free too, making them accessible to more of your guests.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BUgzp2ZgPK9/
Credit: Figmint Catering
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Zucchini Parcels
These would be a great suggestion for your event caterer and can be combined with a number of different filling ideas inside the parcel itself. These contain cheese and are lightly baked so would be a warm, accessible option for your guests.
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Smoked Cheese Bites
This is an example of excellent canape presentation and would be perfect to serve at evening functions. The combination of fish, cheese and vegetables with a smoky flavour are definitely worth sinking your teeth into.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BUhC92SAHZe/
Credit: Restaurant O Nysted
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Basil & Roast Cherry Tarts
Pastry based finger foods, like these savoury tarts, go down well and can be quite filling too. The addition of the basil and tomatoes keeps them simple but still delicious with minimal mess (which can be an issue with shortcrust pastry sometimes!)
https://www.instagram.com/p/BUgRf9bD1tz/
Credit: Hannah Sykes
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Fried Biryani, Raita Cups
For a taste of indian cuisine, these cups are an excellent idea and each attendee gets a portion to dip into so there’s no nasty double dipping occurring! The raita also acts to combat the heat of the biryani too to suit attendees who are not accustomed to spicy food and according to individual preference.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BUmSUlvgU8o/
Credit: The White Boutique Catering
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Edible Florals
An excellent presentation idea that can spice up any dish – a pretty dressing that can be eaten! It will also go down well with the eco friendly conscious attendee who doesn’t like waste, as no real flowers were harmed in the making of these canapes.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BUm5YHeAt98/
Credit: Cake + Cucumber
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Seared Scallops with Smoked Pancetta
Gourmet food and presentation like this will go down a treat at a formal function and the combination of scallops and pancetta, along with the pea puree, will provide a combination of flavours that will resonate with attendees and shows you put thought into the catering.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BUpA8g1FNpb/
Credit: Marvellous Medicine Ltd
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Bacon Croquettes
Quick, easy and delicious, these are great examples of how you can spruce up classic comfort food to suit an event or menu. Although not particularly healthy, these are likely to be well received.
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Canape Cups
For catering options that are harder to handle with hands but you don’t want to organise an entire buffet for, individual serving cups, complete with cutlery, are the perfect fit. Plus this would work for canapes or desserts and minimize the mess.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BUmyHs0AE_l/
Credit: Jo Biddles
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Caramelized Onion Brulee Tarts
These beautiful tarts are a savoury brulee option which is hard to master but would look amazing at your event. They would also be quite filling and flavorsome so would be an interesting heavier but mini option to fill guests.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BUnOi-pA3yl/
Credit: D’Vine Catering Hunter Valley
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Mini Dippers
This idea is a fun option to allow attendees to pick their fancy, along with dipping, individual sauces. Each of the items are also on a stick for ease and reduces the need for cutlery too.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BUG5IMHg6T9/?taken-by=twb_catering
Credit: The White Boutique Catering
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Bacon & Plum Skewers
Bacon can act as a tasty wrap and can be diverse when coupled with an array of other exciting flavours. These plum skewers add a sweet and savoury combination to tantalise the tastebuds!
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Fried Sage Tarts
Gourmet cheese tarts are a staple favourite and the caramelised onion have lots of flavour! Garnishing with fried sage also finishes it off perfectly and really adds to the aesthetic.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BUnYmczj6Co/
Credit: Kristin Wursthorn, Farm Cafe
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Prawn Cocktail Lettuce Cups
Combining salad into a canape can be clever because it is not only filling but adds colour to otherwise plain dishes, such as this traditional prawn cocktail, served on lettuce.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BUovaDIFNb3/
Credit: Chris Edge
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Gourmet Sushi Sticks
The options for sushi is limitless and has the added benefit of being colourful and aesthetically pleasing too. This combination of tuna, rice and wasabi pea sauce creates a burst of flavour and looks elegant on the plate too!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BQ1crprDtcE/
Credit: Forks & Fingers Catering, Manny Vargas, Mark Mckinley
In Conclusion
Ultimately the ideas for finger food and canape at your event are limitless, you just need a little creativity and imagination. If you are stuck try thinking about larger meals that you can scale down into bite size portions and you will have a great place to start. If in doubt, we have given you plenty of foodspiration to see you through! Hungry for even more? See our earlier post with canape and finger food inspiration.
