Whether you are catering for a party of vegetarians, a mixed group, or simply looking to have a little less meat on the menu, vegetarian cooking has come a long, long way since stuffed peppers and lentils. To banish that stigma once and for all, we have collected a wealth of meat-free starter recipes to delight - and, in some cases, surprise - your guests.

If you don’t want to stray too far from tradition, try Marcus Wareing’s plum tomato bruschetta with poached eggs for an innovative twist on a dinner party staple, which offers a gorgeous combination of textures and flavours.

Beetroot is one of the heroes of this collection, providing a burst of colour and flavour to several dishes. Adam Gray combines three different varieties in his roasted baby beetroots with blue cheese, or for a visually stunning opening dish Josh Eggleton’s pickled beetroot and sheep’s cheese salad is guaranteed to impress.