Balmy, nuts and crackers

I'm still in Mediterranean mode.

This despite the rain and wind back here in the UK- where I've swapped balmy evenings for barmy dashes through the hailstorms to get a pint of milk!

One thing I really enjoyed whilst in Provence was eating a main meal at midday- and then having a light 'apero dinatoire' (or nibbles with drinks) in the evening. I imagine this is similar to the pattern in other Mediterranean countries- tapas in Spain, Middle Eastern meze or Italian antipasti (although  the name does suggest here that there is something more substantial to follow!)

The idea is a lovely one though- a plate of gorgeous-y, nibbly things with lots of different tastes to set off your glass of rose or Muscat or Pastis.

It's not practical of course if you follow an uncivilised work pattern with no lunch hour or lunchtime spent eating a sandwich hunched over a keyboard or in the car. But that's not for another week- like I say, for now I'm still in Mediterranean mode.

I've got some suggestions here for aperitif platters- but what you have is entirely up to you and what you like- and more importantly for this blog- what you have in your fridge.

You could go with the Mediterranean theme and have figs, olives, vine leaves and saucisson as here:

Or  add melon, parma ham and bread and butter:

My hostess here laid out a couple of platters of bruschetta with various toppings- see blog post 'Nibbles from nothing' for ideas- and 'spoons' with individual salads. In this case they were filled with coleslaw, which I wasn't so keen on, but they are a popular idea and I was served them elsewhere with tabbouleh or pea puree with prawns and that was a delicious mouthful:

Anchovies wrapped round olives, ham wrapped round prunes, frankfurter sausages with mustard dip,  cheese and pineapple on sticks, cherry tomatoes, radishes, cubes of cheese or ham, breadsticks with hummus or salsa, leftover pastry rolled with cheese or anchovy (or both) to make savoury straws, little toasts with cream cheese or tapenade :

Any of the ideas in  blog pages 'Cupcakes and canapes' or 'Nibbles from nothing' would go well here. The principle is just - have a variety of different colours, textures, tastes and shapes- and see what the fridge can offer you up.

You can of course always add a bowl of nuts or cheese crackers too, if you want.