Parma Ham blinis with homemade pesto

Fresh and flavoursome, these Parma Ham blinis can be prepared in advance and make an eye-catching dinner party starter. Simply mix together the pesto ingredients and leave in the fridge until needed. Spread the blinis with peppered-cream cheese and top with basil, delicious homemade pesto and Parma Ham.

Parma Ham is a completely natural food. Making a Parma Ham is a long and painstaking process. The curing is controlled carefully so that the ham absorbs only enough salt to preserve it to retain its distinctive sweet flavour.

Prosciutto di Parma is produced in the hills surrounding the Italian town of Parma. The unique taste of Parma Ham is dependent on the traditional production process passed down from Roman times, carefully controlled by the Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma. Only hams that have passed stringent curing regulations approved by the EU can be awarded the stamp of the Ducal crown - a five pointed coronet logo with PARMA in the centre which is branded onto the ham's skin. The Ducal Crown is now a certification trademark.

For more information, visit prosciuttodiparma.com.

Parma Ham Blinis with Homemade Pesto

Makes 20 cocktail blinis

125g cream cheese
1 tsp cracked black pepper
20 cocktail blinis
20 basil leaves
10 slices Parma Ham, halved

Pesto:

1 handful basil
Zest of 1 lemon
20g pine nuts
20g grated Parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic
Pinch of black pepper

Blend together the ingredients for the pesto, cover and leave in the fridge until needed

Mix together the cream cheese and black pepper and leave covered in the fridge until needed

When you're ready to assemble the blinis, simply spread a little peppered cream cheese over each blini, press a basil leaf into the cheese and top with a little homemade pesto before finishing with half a slice of Parma Ham