To go for the canapé or not? Veronica Stivala cooks up some tips about party snacks so they won’t get in the way of your corporate networking

You’re deep in the middle of an invigorating chat about the latest thought-provoking episode of Black Mirror. Riveted, and relieved, by the fact that there is someone else you can have a decent conversation with at this corporate event you thought you’d only drop into, you find yourself at a culinary crossroads. You’re already onto your second glass of wine.

You know that if you don’t eat something, you’ll quickly slip into inebriated banter, which may not go down too well with a potential client. On the other hand, what if you get yourself into canapé catastrophe and find yourself slurping over a leaky sandwich, or, worse still, sporting a conspicuous string of spinach in between your teeth as you raise your lips for your carefully mastered intellectual smile as you discuss the potential reality of an electronic afterlife.

Striking the right balance between manageable munchies, friendly finger food, right-size hors d’oeuvres, and disastrous dips can be tough. So here are a few tips for both canapé creator and consumer that will allow discussions to flow uninterrupted.

To the guest

Avoid trash

… and not just the talk. Finger food which generates trash can leave you stuck with a toothpick, a tiny paper bowl, an olive pit, or, most disastrously, a chicken bone. They’re tiny but these tiny canapé remnants can leave you in a tangle.

You want to show you’re invested in the conversation but you really want to get rid of the food remnants.

Sometimes you’ll be lucky to have a waiter who will return and allow you to put back your cases, but best to not take the risk.

Two’s too much

Finger food that requires two hands can, for a number of reasons, get messy.

You can just picture it: you’re holding a glass of wine in one hand and you’re offered a pretty miniscule slice of lemon pie, complete with a mini-fork. Or better, or worse, still, a sushi snack with, you guessed it, accompanying chopsticks.

What are you supposed to do with your drink? Perhaps it’s an innovative way of jazzing up your business conversation when you find yourself having to ask your guests to hold your glass? Perhaps not…

Chew chew strain

It’s local food on this finger food menu and you’ve gone for the mini baked pasta bites. You eye it carefully, assessing that it is possible to consume in one mouthful and so you happily pop it into your mouth until… shock horror… you find the chef has gone overboard with making the top extra crispy. You chew a few times only to find you’re going to need to do a lot more work before this baby can go down. You look at the person you’re talking to, you smile at his witty joke, carefully keeping your lips closed. He’s waiting for a clever comeback, but, you’re deep in a baked battle. He tells you he’s spotted another friend and backs away slowly, leaving you and your chewy nemesis alone.

Next time, avoid the chewy food. If you’re not sure of its chewiness, avoid it just in case.

To the host

One mouthful at a time

Canapés should be eaten in one mouthful. No matter how eye-catching your minion-shaped rice ball may look, think of the poor entrepreneur out there trying to strike a deal on a particularly intuitive pothole detector app, when she finds herself burdened with too much rice.

Green is not serene

While healthy snacks as opposed to the usual deep fried, fat laden aperitifs are a most definite welcome to the peckish networker, be careful to avoid food that can get wedged in between guests’ teeth.

On the nose

Nothing can be worse than the lingering pong of garlic or onion breath. While double onion toppings can be a decadent indulgence, save them for evenings at home, rather than corporate events, when these zesty flavours may risk leaving the earnest entrepreneur all alone.