Top and tail canapés

All you need to make successful canapés is a top and a tail. Lay them out on colourful plates for the perfect accompaniment to a summer barbecue

The word canapé can conjure up fear in even the most adept cook. But, if you break it down into minimal requirements, canapés are easy to create – all you need is a base and a topping.

The fruit and veg section at the supermarket is a great place to search for canapé building blocks.

Salad leaves like endive or radicchio make wonderful ‘cups’ or ‘wrappers’.
Artichoke leaves topped with store-bought houmous are just the right size for popping in the mouth while maintaining a conversation.
Life may be too short to stuff a mushroom, but button ones with the stalks removed make an ideal base, as do baby tomatoes with the seeds scooped out. (In fact, any fruit or veg that’s been hollowed out can be used to hold a variety of sweet and savoury fillings.)
Grape cups can be spread with Stilton and topped with a walnut
Cucumber cups, made by scooping out the centre of a 5cm piece of skinned cucumber, are delicious ‘sips’ filled with gazpacho.

And so to bread...

Don’t miss the bakery section for functional bread bases. Gather some brioches, French sticks, tortillas and naan breads, then toast and cut them into interesting shapes with biscuit cutters or drizzle with olive oil, rub with garlic and make crostini. Some of the sturdier crisps on the market not only act as a stable base but have a delicious flavour as well.

Deli belly

For no-fuss toppings, hit the deli section – you’ll find everything from houmous to baby sun-dried tomatoes and olives.