Summer of sport football feast

family

Snack stadium

Fill the “stands” with any nibbles you fancy – we’ve opted for kids’ favourites, but you could add dips, mini sandwiches or wraps, chicken wings, sausage rolls or other pastries, if you like.

SERVES 12-15 PREP 30-35 mins NO COOK EASY

500g mini chocolate footballs
200g cheddar, cut into 1cm cubes
500g grapes
6 medium carrots, cut into
4cm batons
1 large cucumber, cut into
4cm batons
5 celery sticks, cut into 4cm batons
3 peppers, deseeded and cut into
4cm strips
150g crisps of your choice
100g sweet or salted popcorn
400g cherry tomatoes
dips of your choice (optional)

You’ll also need

green card (30 x 35cm)
white acrylic paint and a paint brush,
or a white paint pen
2 goals and players, made from
cardboard (or use mini figures)
10 small cardboard boxes (16 x 9cm;
we used kids’ party lunchboxes)

1Put the green card on a serving table – it will be hard to move the stadium once assembled, so set it up where you want to serve it. Paint or draw a border around the edges using paint or a paint pen, then paint or draw the halfway line, centre circle and penalty areas. Decorate with the cardboard goals and players or mini figures. (If you’re using chocolate footballs, you can also put one of these on the “pitch”.)

2Cut the top flaps off the cardboard boxes so they’re open, then cut diagonally along the sides for a tiered effect – the front of the boxes should be 4-5cm in height (to sit against the pitch) and the back, 10cm. Arrange the boxes around the pitch.

3Fill the boxes with the chocolate footballs, cheese cubes, grapes, carrots, cucumbers, celery, peppers, crisps, popcorn, and tomatoes, and serve alongside dips, if you like.

GOOD TO KNOW vit c • 2 of 5-a-day PER SERVING (15) 410 kcals • fat 21g • saturates 10g • carbs 44g • sugars 28g • fibre 5g • protein 9g • salt 1.1g

Mini soft pretzels with cheese dip

If you’re hosting a grown-up party, you can swap 100ml milk in the cheese sauce with pale ale.

MAKES 12 PREP 35 mins plus 1 hr 30 mins rising COOK 40 mins MORE EFFORT V ❄

500g strong white bread flour,
plus extra for dusting
5g fast-action dried yeast
1 tbsp light brown soft sugar
50g butter, melted
vegetable oil, for the baking tray
2 tbsp bicarbonate of soda
sea salt flakes or rock salt,
for sprinkling

For the cheese dip

30g unsalted butter
30g plain flour
450ml whole milk
150g extr