KISS is said to be an acronym for "Keep it Simple Stupid", "Keep it Small and Simple", or "Keep It Seriously Simple" among other mirthful interpretations. And it can be the perfect answer to making a party start off with a right note of fun and to getting your guests talking right from the word "go"!

You can prepare almost everything ahead of time, so that you're not too tired to enjoy the occasion. The idea is to present a "picture" of food that can be seen as something else too, a landscape or anything else that captures the imagination and inspires the "wow" factor for your creativity. Use innovative containers and serving dishes, tiny cups and toys made from ceramic or chinaware - plastic may not be food grade safe.

To start, wash and pat dry some simple salad leaves such as butter lettuce, Cos, baby spinach and any other fresh green veggie leaf that is suitable to be eaten raw.

Gather together a handful of tiny tomatoes and place them (washed and dried) in a toy basket or miniature cart, if you like. Add a bowl of fresh blueberries alongside a dipping bowl of plain yoghurt.

Scrape off the scales from a portion or two of fresh Atlantic salmon, depending on number of guests. Use a dedicated fish-scale scraper or the back of a kitchen knife - and do it under running water over a sieve as the scales can clog the kitchen sink. Make sure to keep them well away from your eyes or wear goggles! Give a final rinse to make sure all the scales have been removed and place in refrigeration until it is time to cook. Then cut the fish into slices or cubes and lightly saute in a little olive oil. To serve, place the salmon cubes into a tall dish with a few steamed broccoli florets for coloring.

Using a vegetable peeler cut carrots into thin ribbons and saute them in a teaspoonful or two of unsalted butter for a few minutes. Steam broccoli "trees" and place them against a backdrop - don't cook them too soft or they will fall over! Most of the food items should be easy to eat fingerfood-style and bowls of dressing and/or sauces scattered around the table.

Steam a cupful or two of brown lentils in enough water to cover adding slivers of fresh ginger for flavoring - keep an eye on them as they can absorb the water and burn quite quickly, around 8-10 minutes should be about right. You want them to be "al dente" but not so hard as to be unappealing - or too soft and mushy! Serve them in cookie moulds or small ramekins on a "pool" of tinted water with some amusing touches - such as toy ducks or carved pigeons! Keep hard-boiled eggs in their shells and provide empty bowls for the discarded shells so that guests may peel their own.

Peel a bunch small shallots or baby onions and gently simmer in cup water with 2 Tbsp of white vinegar for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat, decant into a china bowl WITH all the juice and leave for 1 hour. Drain and serve. Make a cheese sauce.

Cut fresh figs into quarters and place them in small dishes set around the other dishes, they go well with cold cuts and refresh the palate too - those from Turkey are in the shops right now and they are wonderfully rich and tasty, but remember they are an "aid" to digestion so don't let little children eat too many or they'll be running to the "loo" during the night!

Add slices of chorizo or cold-cut meats, a big bowl of cheese sauced pasta shells, and a variety of lettuce leaves all placed on and around a stainless-steel "lake" - silver doesn't work with this as it will react to the vinegar in a vinaigrette dressing. Serve the salad dressing separately so that each person can take just as much - or as little - as they want, and any latecomers with still find the lettuces fresh, crisp and not wilted.

(HK Edition 10/30/2015 page11)