Entertaining

A dinner party can be an occasion whether you are serving up a bowl of spaghetti or a gourmet four course meal.  It's a time to appreciate and enjoy your friendships and family, and what better way to do that then over food, wine and laughter.

General Planning:

• PLAN your menu a few days ahead, or have a standby menu that you're comfortable with that you can fall back on any time
  
  
• PREPARE AHEAD - if it's a mid-week dinner party, look for dishes you can prepare ahead to minimise work on the night, and also set the table the night before
  
  
• CHILL - make sure your drinks are refrigerated ahead of time so you can offer a chilled glass of bubbly or wine to guests when they arrive
  
  
• WINE ETIQUETTE - Let friends know what you're cooking so they can bring appropriate wine, and open any wine you are given on the night unless it is specified as a gift
  
  
• LESS IS MORE - don't clutter the table, or have candles or flowers that will obstruct the view between guests - look out for some small unique pieces to go on the table
  
  
• CHECK - always check if any of your guests have dietary requirements

Menu planning:

• HERO - If you are drawn to one recipe, then make that your hero and plan the other courses around it

• AVOID - repetition of ingredients such as cheese and pastry and if you have a heavy main course, ensure the starter and dessert aren't too rich

• THINK GREEN - think about the balance of your menu, making sure that you have enough salad/vegetables as part of the meal

• VEGETARIAN - If you're catering for a vegetarian, try and replace the meat with a lovely large roasted field mushroom and not just replace the whole dish with pasta!  If you're entertaining 2 or more vegetarians, maybe your whole menu should be vegetarian, everyone may be surprised how good it is.

• SEASONS - Think about what's in season as seasonal produce is always going to taste better, and support local farming too

Menus:

Mid-week dinner party - I think that some nibbles, main course and dessert is plenty for during the week.  More than half this menu can be prepared ahead.

Toasted pumpkin seeds with chilli, cumin and sea salt

Jerk spatchcock with corn fritters and avocado salsa

Baked plum parcels with coconut cream

Weekend dinner party - When you've got time, spending a day cooking for friends is the best way to unwind.  Get up early and go shopping for the freshest, best ingredients you can find.  One extra tip is to make sure that you give yourself an hour out of the kitchen before guests arrive to shower and freshen up - I have been caught sweaty and covered in food way too many times!

Sage shortbread with goat's curd

Mussel soup with ras el hanout and sweet potato

Slow roasted shoulder of lamb with Catalan white beans

Lime and cardamom tart

Home made chocolate truffles 

You might think this menu looks complex, but in fact everything can be prepared so all you need to do when guests arrive is assemble shortbread, cook mussels, re-heat beans and lamb, whip some cream and make coffee!