12 Traditional British Appetizers and Irish Starter Recipes
In Britain, appetizers are usually called starters and this collection offers 12 very different ways to begin a meal. These traditional British appetizers and Irish starter recipes include chilled seafood, hearty soup, battered onion rings, cheese on toast, stuffed mushrooms and savory pastry dishes. They’re organized in four groups, with three recipes each from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
I grew up with prawn cocktail as the familiar first course at Christmas and restaurant meals, although British and Irish starters go far beyond that retro favorite! Cock-a-leekie soup, Welsh rarebit, smoked salmon on soda bread and Guinness-battered onion rings bring very different ingredients and cooking methods to the table. These recipes give you chilled, warm, vegetarian, seafood and meat-based British appetizer ideas in one place.
Traditional British Appetizers at a Glance
- Regions represented: England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales
- Course: Appetizer or starter
- Preparation: Chilled, stovetop, oven, grill and deep-fryer recipes
- Main ingredients: Vegetables, cheese, bread, pastry, seafood and meat
- Dietary choices: Seafood, meat and vegetarian options
- Storage: Refrigerate perishable dishes promptly and follow the recipe-specific advice below
Why This British Appetizer Collection is Worth Exploring
A British appetizer can be as simple as smoked salmon on bread or as involved as a soup made with chicken, leeks, bacon and prunes. Grouping the recipes by country makes it easier to compare the ingredients and traditions behind them. You can also choose a starter that suits the rest of your menu instead of serving something too similar to the main course.
- Plenty of choice: There are salads, soup, toast, fried snacks, stuffed vegetables, seafood and pastry-based recipes.
- Hot and cold starters: Several are served chilled, while others come straight from the oven, stove or grill.
- Different levels of preparation: Smoked salmon on soda bread takes minutes. Cock-a-leekie soup and the savory tarts need more time.
- Great for themed menus: The recipes suit British-themed dinners, Burns Night, St David’s Day, Christmas meals and other celebrations.
What are Appetizers Called in Britain?
British people usually call the first course a starter. “Appetizer” is understood, although it appears more often in American English. A starter is normally smaller than the main course and may be served at the table, while canapés and other finger foods are often offered before guests sit down.
Popular British appetizers include prawn cocktail, sausage rolls, soup, smoked salmon and Welsh rarebit. They aren’t limited to old-fashioned dinner-party food. A well-chosen starter can introduce regional produce, add a hot dish to a cold-weather menu or give guests something light before a filling main course such as British fish and chips.
3 Traditional British Appetizers from England
Spinach, Pea and Feta Salad
Spinach and garden peas make a fresh first course with lemon, olive oil and crumbled feta cheese. It needs very little preparation and works well before a richer main dish.
Prawn and Tomato New Potatoes
Cooked baby potatoes hold a prawn and tomato filling with green onions. Goat cheese and Greek yogurt make the topping creamy before the potatoes are heated until the filling’s hot and the cheese melts.
Anglicized Rarebit with Guinness and Thyme
This English interpretation of rarebit combines mature cheddar, thyme, English mustard and dark ale. The cheese mixture is heated in a saucepan, spread over bread and placed under the grill until bubbling.
3 Classic Starter Recipes from England
Ingredients
- 10 ½ ounces (300 g) spinach
- 4 tablespoons (60 ml) olive oil
- 5 ¼ ounces (150 g) fresh garden peas or frozen peas
- Juice of 1 ½ lemons
- 3 ½ ounces (100 g) feta cheese, crumbled
- 3 ounces (85 g) cooked and cooled baby potatoes
- 12 ounces (340 g) chopped tomatoes
- 1 to 2 teaspoons tomato paste (concentrate)
- 5 green onions (spring onions), chopped
- 3 ounces (85 g) goat cheese
- 2 ½ tablespoons (37 ml) Greek yogurt
- 6 ounces (170 g) peeled cooked prawns (shrimp)
- 4 slices bread
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
- 8 ounces (230 g) mature English cheddar, grated
- 3 ½ tablespoons (52 ml) dark ale
- 2 tablespoons English mustard
Method
- Blanch the peas for 1 minute, then drain and cool.
- Put the spinach and cooled peas in a large bowl.
- Add the olive oil and lemon juice, then toss gently. Add the crumbled feta and serve.
- Cut a deep cross in each cooked baby potato and arrange the potatoes in a shallow baking dish.
- Cook the green onions, tomatoes and tomato paste in a saucepan until reduced while retaining small tomato pieces.
- Stir in the cooked prawns and spoon the mixture into the potatoes.
- Combine the goat cheese and Greek yogurt, then spread it over the filled potatoes.
- Heat under a broiler until the topping melts and the filling is hot.
- Combine the mustard, cheddar, thyme and ale in a saucepan. Heat gently, stirring until the cheese melts.
- Arrange the bread on a baking sheet and spread the cheese mixture over it. Place under a broiler until bubbling, then serve.
Notes
- Very young fresh peas can be eaten raw, if preferred.
3 Irish Starter Recipes
Only Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom. The Republic of Ireland isn’t, so these are identified as Irish starter recipes rather than British dishes. They’re retained because the original collection covers food from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales and they fit naturally into a British and Irish dinner-party menu.
Smoked Salmon with Irish Soda Bread
Lightly toasted soda bread is spread with chive butter and topped with smoked salmon. Fresh dill adds the garnish and the small pieces can be assembled shortly before serving.
Guinness-Battered Onion Rings
Thick onion rings are coated in a batter made with stout, flour and eggs, then fried until golden. Serve them hot with a dip as part of a casual starter selection.
Barley and Wild Rice Stuffed Mushrooms
Wild rice and pearl barley are cooked in stock before being combined with mushroom stems, bell pepper, onion and garlic. The mixture is packed into mushroom caps and baked.
3 Irish Starter Recipes
Ingredients
- Irish soda bread, sliced, as needed
- Smoked salmon, as needed
- Softened butter, as needed
- Chopped fresh chives, to taste
- Fresh dill, for garnish
- 2 large onions, sliced into ½-inch (1 ¼-cm) rings
- ¾ cup (175 ml) Guinness
- 4 ounces (115 g) all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- 2 eggs
- Neutral oil, for deep-frying
- 8 ounces (230 g) large mushrooms
- ¼ cup (50 g) wild rice
- 1 ¾ ounces (50 g) pearl barley
- 1 small red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups (475 ml) chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
- ½ onion, chopped
Method
- Slice and lightly toast the soda bread.
- Combine the butter and chives, then spread it over the toast.
- Add the smoked salmon and divide each slice into smaller pieces.
- Garnish with dill and serve immediately.
- Heat the frying oil to 375°F (190°C).
- Separate the onion slices into rings.
- Whisk the Guinness, flour and eggs until combined.
- Coat the onion rings thoroughly and fry in batches for about 4 minutes or until golden.
- Drain on paper towels and serve hot.
- Rinse and drain the wild rice.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a saucepan. Add the onion and cook gently for 10 minutes.
- Add the wild rice and barley, then cook for 1 minute while stirring.
- Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour or until tender.
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Remove and finely chop the mushroom stems.
- Heat the remaining oil in a skillet. Cook the mushroom stems, bell pepper and garlic for 5 minutes.
- Combine the vegetables with the cooked rice and barley. Fill the mushroom caps and arrange them on a baking sheet.
- Bake uncovered for 15 minutes.
Notes
- Use vegetable stock for vegetarian stuffed mushrooms.
3 Traditional Scottish Appetizers
Cock-a-Leekie Soup
Cock-a-leekie is a Scottish chicken and leek soup containing rice, bacon and prunes. It’s the longest recipe in the collection, making it a better choice when you can begin preparing the starter several hours before the meal.
Scottish Smoked Salmon with Dill Sauce
Scottish smoked salmon is served with capers, lemon and a mustard and dill sauce. Use a pasteurized egg yolk because the sauce isn’t cooked.
Scottish White Pudding with Goat Cheese
White pudding is an oatmeal-based sausage that doesn’t contain blood. Fried bread is topped with cooked white pudding and goat cheese, then placed under the grill until the cheese is hot and bubbling.
3 Classic Starter Recipes from Scotland
Ingredients
- 1 whole uncooked chicken
- 14 ounces (400 g) leeks, chopped
- 3 ½ ounces (100 g) cooked prunes, pits removed
- 1 ounce (30 g) rice
- 4 ¾ cups (1.14 liters) chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 3 slices (rashers) streaky bacon, chopped
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 12 slices smoked salmon
- 1 pasteurized egg yolk
- 4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons capers in brine, drained
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- ⅔ cup (150 ml) vegetable oil
- Lemon wedges, to serve
- 4 large slices bread
- 8 slices white pudding
- 4 tablespoons (60 ml) vegetable oil
- 4 slices goat cheese
- Green salad, optional
Method
- Add the chicken and stock to a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour, skimming away any foam.
- Add the leeks and simmer gently for another 2 hours.
- Remove the chicken. Discard the skin and bones, then shred some of the meat.
- Add the shredded chicken, bacon, rice, prunes and brown sugar.
- Simmer for another 30 minutes or until the rice and bacon are cooked. The chicken must reach 165°F (74°C). Season to taste and serve hot.
- Whisk the mustard, vinegar and sugar in a bowl. Whisk in the pasteurized egg yolk.
- Add the oil gradually while whisking continuously until thickened. Stir in the dill.
- Divide the smoked salmon between plates. Add the capers and serve with the sauce and lemon wedges.
- Heat the oil in a skillet. Fry the bread until golden on both sides, then place it on a baking sheet.
- Fry the white pudding until thoroughly cooked. Add white pudding and goat cheese to each bread slice.
- Place under a hot broiler (grill) until the cheese is bubbling. Serve with green salad if liked.
Notes
- Use a pasteurized egg yolk in the dill sauce, as it’s not cooked.
- White pudding ingredients vary, so check the packaging for meat and allergens if necessary.
3 Traditional Welsh Appetizers
Welsh Rarebit with Leeks
This Welsh rarebit starts with buttered leeks in a mustard-seasoned cheese sauce. The sauce is spread over toast and finished under the grill.
Welsh Cockle Pie
Prepared cockles are combined with white sauce and parsley, covered with shortcrust pastry and topped with grated Welsh cheese. If the seafood in this section appeals to you, see my fruits de mer platter and winkles recipe too.
Cheese and Leek Tart
A blind-baked pastry case is filled with leeks, hard-boiled eggs, white sauce and Welsh cheese. Briefly finishing the tart under the grill melts the final layer of cheese.
Welsh goat cheese also works well in cooked starters. Pantysgawn is one traditional example, although availability outside Wales varies.
3 Classic Starter Recipes from Wales
Ingredients
- Bread, sliced, as needed
- 2 leeks, washed and shredded
- 2 ounces (60 g) butter
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- 3 cups (720 ml) milk
- 1 ounce (30 g) all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- 4 ounces (115 g) Welsh goat cheese
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- ½ pound (230 g) prepared cockles
- 8 ounces (230 g) shortcrust pastry
- 1 to 2 ounces (28 to 56 g) Welsh cheese, grated, optional
- 1 cup (275 ml) white sauce
- Chopped fresh parsley, to taste
- 7 ounces (200 g) shortcrust pastry
- 3 leeks, sliced
- 4 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
- 8 ounces (230 g) Welsh cheese, grated
- White sauce, as needed
Method
- Toast the bread and let it cool on a rack.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the leeks and cook for 3 minutes.
- Sift in the flour and mustard powder, then stir. Add the milk gradually while whisking, then bring to a boil.
- Add the goat cheese and stir until melted. Season with salt and black pepper.
- Spread the sauce over the toast. Place under a hot broiler (grill) until bubbling and golden.
- Put the prepared cockles in a baking dish.
- Add the white sauce and parsley, then mix.
- Cover with shortcrust pastry and seal the edges. Sprinkle grated cheese over the pastry if using.
- Bake at 200°C / 180°C fan / 400°F for 25 to 30 minutes, until the pastry is golden and the filling is bubbling at the edges.
- Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Line a small tart pan with pastry and chill for 20 minutes.
- Line the pastry with parchment and baking beans. Blind-bake for 25 minutes.
- Remove the parchment and beans, then bake for another 15 minutes.
- Combine some of the cheese with enough white sauce to fill the tart, about 1 ⅛ cups (275 ml) of sauce.
- Add the leeks to the pastry case and arrange the egg slices over them.
- Add the sauce mixture and the remaining cheese. Place under a hot broiler (grill) until the cheese melts.
Choosing Traditional British Appetizers for Your Menu
Begin with the main course. A cold seafood starter suits a meal that already requires plenty of last-minute cooking, while soup works well before a lighter main dish. If the main course contains pastry, cheese or fried food, the spinach and pea salad gives the menu a different direction.
For British Christmas appetizers, prawn cocktail, smoked salmon and Welsh rarebit are familiar choices. A more casual gathering might suit onion rings, small pieces of rarebit or hummus without tahini with crudités. You could also serve a light carrot and chestnut soup or one of these mason jar salads if you need additional starter ideas.
Make-Ahead Advice for Authentic British Appetizers
- Cold seafood: Prepare the bread, chive butter and garnishes in advance, then add smoked salmon shortly before serving.
- Soup: Cock-a-leekie soup can be cooked ahead, chilled promptly and reheated until it reaches 165°F (74°C).
- Stuffed mushrooms: Cook the rice and barley filling in advance. Fill and bake the mushrooms nearer serving time.
- Pastry dishes: Prepare fillings ahead and keep them refrigerated. Bake the pies and tarts when needed so the pastry doesn’t soften.
- Fried onion rings: Mix the dry ingredients and slice the onions ahead. Make the batter and fry the rings shortly before serving.
How to Store
Refrigerate seafood, meat, egg, cheese and cooked vegetable dishes within two hours. Keep them in covered containers at 40°F (4°C) or below and use cooked leftovers within 3 to 4 days. The cold smoked salmon starters are best assembled shortly before serving and dressed salad will soften during storage.
Reheat soup, stuffed mushrooms, rarebit, pies and tarts until the food reaches 165°F (74°C). Cock-a-leekie soup can be frozen after cooling, although the salad, assembled smoked salmon toasts and battered onion rings aren’t good freezer choices. Pastry and fried coatings lose crispness after refrigeration, so use an oven or air fryer for reheating where appropriate.
Traditional British Appetizers FAQs
The usual British term is starters. Appetizer is widely understood and appears more often in American English.
Prawn cocktail, smoked salmon, soup, sausage rolls, Welsh rarebit and small savory tarts are familiar choices. Popularity varies by region and occasion.
The spinach, pea and feta salad, smoked salmon on soda bread and Scottish smoked salmon with dill sauce are served cold. Other recipes are served warm or hot.
The spinach and pea salad, Guinness-battered onion rings, Welsh rarebit and cheese and leek tart contain no meat or seafood as written. The stuffed mushrooms need vegetable stock in place of chicken stock. Check white pudding carefully because recipes vary.
The Republic of Ireland isn’t part of the United Kingdom, while Northern Ireland is. This collection keeps the Irish recipes clearly labelled and includes them as part of a broader British and Irish starter selection.
Build a British-Style Starter Menu
Choose one starter that fits the time you have and the main course you’re planning. Smoked salmon and prawn cocktail keep the prep brief, while soup, stuffed mushrooms and pastry dishes work best for a more leisurely meal.
Continue the British theme with a full English breakfast, bangers and mash, shepherd’s pie or toad in the hole. You can also read about the history of British Indian food and Britain’s enduring enthusiasm for curry.
