Dinner Party Planning

As we've said on numerous occasions, the secret to dinner party success is all in the planning.

Later today we have some great friends coming for Sunday Lunch. With all of the other stresses of everyday life and Christmas just around the corner, this could be a time for hectic rushing about, but hopefully all will be in control (or will at least appear so for our guests).

We haven't planned a formal "sitting down" starter, serving instead bite-sized nibbles that can be enjoyed as our friends arrive while sipping a glass or two of wine. We have found that younger children then don't have to sit for hours at the table and keeps them happy too.

As a starter, we have minature crab and parmesan tarlets (Heidi made these yesterday while I went to buy the Christmas tree), and prawn and chorizo skewers. The advantage of both, is that they can be made the day before, so reducing the amount of cooking needed as guests arrive.

Main course consists of a large rib of beef, roast potatoes, dauphinoise potatoes and a selection of vegatables. The beef was bought from our local Q-Butcher, Clarkes of Queniborough and they never fail to supply only the best meat - essential for such a key part of any meal.

For dessert, we will offer Vanilla Pannacotta, served with fresh raspberries in a raspberry coulis. Yet again the pannacotta is a great recipe for preparing the day before. The recipe calls for 4 vanilla pods, which can prive expensive if bought from the supermarket, but we have discovered a company selling vanilla on-line, Vanilla Mart and they delivered 10, premium quality vanilla pods, the next-day, for just over £5. Great service guys!

Photos and results will be posted soon.

TV show looking for dinner party holders

Do you like to throw dinner parties? Would you like to hold a dinner party with a difference?

We've been contacted by a company who are producing a new TV show and are looking for people who like to host Dinner Parties to get involved.

The show will be fronted by Charlotte Church and include people with fun friends who they would like to set up at a dinner party for the new show.

You must live in a flat or house that has a separate kitchen and dining area and be located within 50 miles of London.

If selected, please do not tell your friends!

To apply, please send an e-mail to: laurac@monkeykingdom.com including your name, age, telephone number, location and a brief description of your house or flat.

Do you want to be on the next Nintendo Advert?

We have been contacted by the team at Kream, to ask whether any of the visitors to the Dinner at Home website would be interested in appearing on a Nintendo Television advert to be screened at Christmas 2009.

They are looking for couples who like to host dinner parties and who use a Nintendo games console, such as the Nintendo Wii or DS.

If you're interested, take a look at the two documents below

Nintendo Advert Details
Application Form

Summer Dinner Party Ideas

Wimbledon has been and gone, England are playing Australia in the Ashes, and it's raining, so that must mean only one thing - Summer's here!

The arrival of summer also allows us to fire up the barbeque and invite friends round for a summer party, but rather than serving up the same old frozen beef-burgers and burnt sausages, why not go a little further and set a higher standard this year.

Take a look at our Summer Dinner Party Menu Ideas to get you thinking. If you have any further ideas, why not add your comments at the foot of this post.

Ring up your friends, mix up some Pimms and have fun.

Oh and if it rains, remember - it's only water!

Dinner Parties at Home and Top 10 Food Websites

One of the growing trends that has been seen, during the recent economic downturn is for a return to home cooking and hosting dinner parties at home. Visits increased by 32.8% between February 2008 and February 2009 as reported by "Hitwise United Kingdom - hitwise.co.uk".

We have always enjoyed entertaining at home and so this comes as no surprise to us. You will see that much of the content on the Dinner at Home website relates to planning a dinner party and other dinner party ideas.

According to Hitwise, the Top 10 Food and Beverage - Lifestyle and Reference websites, in 2008 are as follows:

1. www.bbc.co.uk/food
2. uktv.co.uk/food
3. www.deliaonline.com
4. www.waitrose.com
5. www.bbcgoodfood.com
6. www.channel4.com/food
7. www.qype.co.uk
8. www.jamieoliver.com
9. www.laithwaites.co.uk
10. www.sugarvine.com

I find it interesting to note that of all the supermarkets, only up-market Waitrose has found its way onto the list and with the exception of the London Review Guide Qype, all other websites are aimed at anyone looking to cook at home.

So join the rest of us in dusting off your recipes books and throw a dinner party! The Credit Crunch alternative to eating out.

Come Dine With Me

I've just realised that no foodie/cooking blog could possibly be complete, without the obvious mention of the brilliant, "Come Dine With Me" on Channel 4! Within my workplace everyone is completely addicted - from the twentysomethings to the old timers like me! I'm convinced one of my colleagues is going to pop up on there at some time in the near future!

A few weeks ago, my mother-in-law was asking what on earth does one iron to these days now that she has viewed the entire back catalogue of Grand Designs (yes - even the ones where Kevin McCloud has hair!) and has no new Location Locations to look forward to?
"Come Dine With Me surely?" I questioned tentatively? Surely any self respecting person with Sky Plus series links not just the daily ones but the Sunday night Celebrity Special?
What is great about "Come Dine With Me" is the fantastic mix of people they manage to find - all in one town! I love the fact that everyone thinks they are the best cook ever but invariably have never heard of a "buerre blanc" or a "halloumi cheese"! They'd last five minutes on Masterchef!
The entertainment is always excruciating but my favourite bit (to quote Chris Moyles) is when they are as tired as a newt in the taxi home!! Everyone is always "shattered" rather that had a few too many! My ultimate favourite was the glamour model who was so "shattered" she slept through her own dinner party!
Anyway - the mother-in-law emailed this morning to admit to her first forage into the world of "Come Dine With Me" with news that the rest of the series is well and truly series linked on Sky Plus! What ever did we do before that??