Party guests usually pick up individual snacks with their fingers and either eat the individual snack servings right away or the party guests place them onto their own plate. Let’s neaten things up a bit.
Individual snack servings could be separated into tiny little bowls or onto tiny little plates, and then these tiny individual snack servings could be presented on large platters. Party guests can select the mini servings they want, and eat directly from that mini serving plate or bowl, or place a few mini serving plates or bowls onto their own plate.
Of course most snacks on snack platters are small anyway, but if using this method of having individual mini serving plates or bowls of snacks on a large platter, make your snacks extra small for a cute and more balanced effect.
Ideas for containers for your individual snack servings:
simple tiny tin foil bowls or ones you’ve made from tin foil yourself
tiny inexpensive plastic or paper bowls or plates
kiddies tea set plastic bowls and plates
tiny not-so-cheap glass or ceramic bowls and plates
ramekins
egg cups
small pot plant holders (cute if your snacks consist of or contain herbs)
paper cupcake holders
tinfoil cupcake holders
paper boats or paper bowls you’ve made yourself
hollowed out fruit or vegetables
tealight holders
tiny candle holders
shot glasses
little glass jars
small jelly molds
play dough molds
individual chocolate molds
chocolate bowls
pastry or tartlet shells
Although it’s nice to make your tiny snacks yourself, here are some ideas for tiny snacks you could buy to put into your individual tiny snack containers:
peanuts and raisins,
nuts,
tiny sweets,
tiny chocolates,
chips,
pretzels,
mini biscuits – sweet and savoury,
dried fruit,
biltong flakes or biltong slices,
dry wors cut into tiny pieces,
strawberries,
gooseberries,
cherries,
celery cut into tiny pieces,
tiny blocks or strips of different kinds of cheese,
gherkins,
slices or strips of cucumber,
olives,
cherry tomatoes,
baby potatoes,
grapes,
rolled up cold meats (maybe cut in half or quarters too),
cold cooked sausage (cut into small pieces),
sugar snaps,
fresh herbs
Each different kind of individual snack does not necessarily have to be the only thing in each tiny snack container – mix and match as you please – put your cherry tomatoes, strips of cucumber, and tiny pieces of celery together, for eg – or your savoury mini biscuits and blocks or strips of various cheeses.
You can decide to keep each type of individual serving on its own large platter, or provide an assortment of individual snack servings on each large platter.
You’ve already taken the trouble to present your party guests with cute individual snack servings presented on large platters, so it’s not the end of the world if all your snacks are bought snacks. However, if you have the time and feel creative, make your tiny snacks yourself.
© Copyright Teresa Schultz 2012 and 2013
