Chef Alasdair Clifford at The Barrington Boar in Somerset is also firmly pro vol-au-vents. “They remind me of time spent in France, my classical training at Tante Marie and my years spent in the kitchens at Chez Bruce in Wandsworth.

“They’re so versatile that we serve them all year round; with braised meat such as confit chicken with white wine and tarragon and even as desserts with rose custard cream, marinated strawberries and basil. People like the nostalgic element combined with a more contemporary filling. My advice is to not to skimp on the puff pastry- use the best that you can afford and you won’t go wrong.”

In time for Christmas, At M&S, fans can buy 12-packs filled with either salmon and crème fraîche, goat’s cheese and onion or ham hock and cheese (£5.50 per pack), while Morrisons are serving up a pack of 12 filled vol-au-vents with a sweet chilli prawn twist (£3 for 12). 

Meanwhile, there’s a pack of four oversized, large vegetarian vol-au-vents for sale at Tesco, filled with mushroom and spinach (£10 per pack), which promise to be rather delicious and are more traditional than you might think. According to Telegraph Food columnist Xanthe Clay, the bite-size vol-au-vents beloved of the Seventies were technically, in fact, miniature “bouchées”, while a true vol-au-vent is “main-course size”. At Ladurée in Covent Garden, a vol-au-vent “Grande Tradition” main course is a staple of the menu (£30, with chicken suprême, morels and mushroom sauce).

Keen or creative shortcut cooks might also be pleased to know that Jus Rol sell frozen, uncooked and unfilled vol-au-vent puff pastry cases, ready to bake after you have added a filling of your choice (£2 for a 313g pack of 18, Sainsbury’s).  All that’s left then is to pass them around.

Vol-au-vent do’s and don’ts

According to Martyn Lee, executive chef at Waitrose

• For a simple, easy-to-master take, vol-au-vents are a perfect vehicle for simply dressed prawns.
• A smaller, canapé style vol au vent is actually a bouchée. Traditionally, vol-au-vents were larger. For the ideal canapé, I would recommend a 5cm diameter; for a full-size vol-au-vent starter, I would recommend a 20cm diameter.
• A real winner for me is a garlic chicken and bacon filling, with a parsley crumb topping – it’s fantastic, like a little handheld chicken kiev.
• A ridged edge is not essential, but contributes to helping the pastry rise evenly on all sides. Perfectly round and square ones work well too.
• The main thing to look out for is making sure the filling isn’t too wet as it will soak the pastry. A handy tip is to look for a ‘dropping’ consistency, similarly to when testing a cake batter.

How do you make the perfect vol au vent from scratch?

• Use ready rolled shop bought pastry as it’s been rolled out to a consistent thickness.
• Use sharp pastry cutters to cut neatly through the pastry. You don’t want to squeeze the layers together before cooking.
• Pricking the centre where you want the filling to sit is important to stop the centre rising and misshaping the case.

Who doesn’t love a hors d’oeuvre? We’d love to hear what you think of vol-au-vents in the comments below. Have you seen them on the menu in any restaurants lately, or served them at a party?