Tag: Menu Ideas

Menu Ideas and suggestions for parties and other occasions

Prepare Ahead Dinner Party Menu Idea for 8

February is normally a pretty miserable month but at least the six nations kicks in and you can justify staying in and enjoying the rugby. This weekend we had friends staying over so I needed to do food for 8 with as much as possible planned in advance so that after a long walk with the dog I had little to but enjoy the rugby.

We skipped a starter but had canapes instead whilst watching the rugby. We had already marinated the prawns for Juicy King Prawn and Chorizo Skewers so they just needed popping on to cocktail sticks with the sausage and frying for 5 minutes. I also warmed through some Spicy Chilli Sausage Rolls which I’d taken out from the freezer that morning. Informal, tasty and warming with a glass of wine.

I peeled and sliced some potatoes earlier in the day so just needed to assemble the Potato Dauphinoise and put in the preheated oven for an hour while I slowly warmed through on hob the Coq Au Vin I had cooked the previous day and finally cooked assorted vegetables.

Finally we finished with a Classic Custard Tart which had been prepared that morning so needed no preparation at all.

Preparing ahead means you can enjoy the evening without spending hours in the kitchen. This worked really well and everything got eaten. Obviously you need plenty of red wine to wash it down with!

February 5, 2013
Credit-Crunch Dinner Party Ideas

I have always enjoyed throwing dinner parties and trying new recipes and ideas to impress my guests but in the current financial climate with food costing more and more by the month I think people are less expectant of a the traditional formal dinner party and are more receptive to informal ideas – food reserved for an informal family supper is finding itself the centre-piece at your dinner party table!

I would go as far to say that it is easy to go to the supermarket and spend a lot of money on fabulous ingredients but it is the canny creative chef that can make a brisket of beef delicious or a joint of boiled bacon in to a dinner party dish. I love spending time in the kitchen and with time to spare you really can rustle up great food.

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Budget Starters

So, let’s start with appetizers on a budget. I will start with a few recipes which are very simple as well as cheap to prepare. Some dishes may take a long time to cook but little time to prepare. For example, Homemade French Onion Soup takes little preparation but needs to cook for at least a couple of hours but is well worth it! Topped with Melting Gruyere Toast this is a winter warming delight.

For an easy prepare ahead starter Smoked Mackerel Pate is incredibly quick easy and delicious as is Chicken Liver Pate. Stuffed mushrooms are cheap and easy and can be filled with whatever you fancy including stilton and leek, brie and pine nuts or my favourite Tasty Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms.

For something central and impressive (and slightly less common) I have two starters I would consider. The first is Roasted Garlic with Balsamic & Olive Oil served with Ciabatta. I first had this is a restaurant in Port Douglas in Australia – it was so simple yet so delicious and original. The second is a little more common – Baked Camembert with Herby Potatoes. This is a fun dish that goes in the middle of the table to be shared.

All of these starters can be made at minimal cost but always ensure you garnish beautifully with good quality fresh green leaves (watercress, rocket) for that desired restaurant look!

Cheap, But Impressive Main Courses

For main courses there are a variety of choices. The best meals I believe are those cooked with value cuts of meat but with a lot of love and attention. My favourites here include Boeuf Bourguignon (a classic but always a hit!), a good quality Boiled Bacon with Mustard Cream Sauce, rich Coq au Vin or Slow Cooked Lamb with Flageolet Beans. Belly Pork is becoming more readily available and is both great value, totally delicious and comes with a disproportionate amount of crispy crackling! I recently cooked Jamie’s Beef and Guinness Pie with Puff Pastry which was completely delicious and actually better second time around once I had frozen some of the leftover pie filling. Equally good is Chicken, Leek and White Wine Pie.

The great thing about these dishes is deciding what side dishes to serve. Even though Mashed Potato is a winner my guests always love delicious Potato Dauphinoise. Any of these following are bound to impress: Traditional Garlic Potatoes, Parmesan Roasted Potatoes, Pommes Boulangere or good old homemade chips all work well.

More informal main courses could include Meatballs in Spicy Tomato Sauce, Beef Stew and Dumplings, Slow Cooked Brisket of Beef with Winter Vegetables or even a Frittata – my two favourites include Chorizo and Spring Onion Frittata and Salmon and Broccoli Frittata. A Frittata with a lovely fresh green salad and some Homemade Parmesan Garlic and Herb Bread is a hearty relaxed filling meal. Spaghetti Carbonara is a great budget meal but done well is one of my favourites!

Fish can be fairly pricey but if you shop around you can find some bargains to put in a Fish Pie. Asda were recently selling Salmon Fillets at £1 a go which is affordable for a dinner party ingredient. This could be incorporated in to Fish Cakes for another great dish.

Desserts

I won’t go in to detail here on desserts as there are many simple credit crunch puddings which do not require expensive ingredients. Any good cookbook should be able to point you in the right direction!

Wine Bargains

For wine shop around! There are always great bargains to be had in the major supermarkets. Competition is fierce and there is always decent quaffing wine at under £4. Don’t feel that you have to spend at least a fiver to get decent stuff! Asda always have a 3 for £10 offer – it is worth buying a few to try to find which ones you like or do not like. For fear of sounding controversial do not be taken in by the “Wine Clubs” who offer wines at half their original price. This simply is not the case and I would think seriously before buying!

Although not always the cheapest option I still regularly use Majestic Wine. I worked there for a year or two after University and the education they offer is amazing with on the job tasting ensuring that you know what you are selling to your customers tastes good. You need to buy six bottles minimum but offer good discounts. They almost always have a good Aussie white or red under £5 if you buy more than two. Majestic also offer great value on Champagne and sparkling wines. We were always taught that a good quality sparkling wine was much better than cheap Champagne so bear that in mind!

October 31, 2012
Guide to the Perfect Dinner Party
What kind of Dinner Party?

Once you have decided which of your friends / colleagues are going to be invited to your dinner party, have a think about what kind of an evening you want. Do you want a formal affair (you may be trying to impress?) or do you want an informal casual evening for a few close friends? This should determine the kind of food you intend to serve.

You might find it easier to decide on a menu if you were to pick a theme such as a Summer Dinner Party or a Retro Dinner Party.

Choosing your Dinner Party Menu

At least a week before your dinner party, start looking through books / magazines for ideas on what you are going to serve. Unless you’re feeling very confident, stick to recipes you have cooked before and that you can make with minimal chance of things going wrong! If the dinner party is a casual affair for close friends you may feel brave enough to try something completely new, but save this for friends you know well!

We have a wide selection of Dinner Party Menu Ideas, including links to some of our favourite recipes.

Buying the Ingredients

Make sure, if possible, that you buy all your ingredients prior to the day of the dinner party. You want to avoid that last minute panic when something crucial is out of stock. If there are ingredients you need on the day (fresh bread is a good example), consider having your groceries delivered to your door on the morning of the dinner party. Most of the major supermarkets, including Tesco, Sainsbury and Waitrose, offer this service.
If possible, find a good butcher and a good source of organic vegetables. Remember – Good food starts with good ingredients!

One concept we really like, is the idea of taking the finest, freshest ingredients, with a well known provenance and having them delivered to your door. Have a look at Farm, Park and Wild who currently deliver to London and the South East from some of the best producers in Norfolk.

Wine and Drinks

Once you have decided what the menu looks like you need to think about drinks. This website can help you choose your wine according to what dishes you are serving but also consider the following:
- It is always nice to greet people with a glass of fizz. This does not need to be champagne. Sometimes an upmarket sparking wine is preferable to cheap champagne. Allow two glasses per head (a bottle contains 6 glasses).
- Have both still and sparkling mineral water available on the table.
- If people are driving, consider making non alcoholic cocktails to drink prior to dinner (see page for cocktail recipes both alcoholic and non alcoholic).
- If people are not driving, allow at least half a bottle of wine per head. (It is always better to have too much than not enough).
- Consider having a small collection of liqueurs to have with coffee. These could include Baileys, Tia Maria, Port and Brandy.
- You may want to hire glasses – Many wine merchants offer this service free of charge if you order your wine from them.
Dinner Party Top Tips:
- Ensure that your choice of menu does not require you to be in the kitchen the entire evening. Choose dishes that can be prepared well in advance to allow you to enjoy the evening with your friends and not chained to the cooker all night! (Everyone loves a risotto but timing is crucial and you need to be in attendance at all times).
- Choose food that is not time critical. Soufflés are impressive but if someone is five minutes late (or you are enjoying your aperitif for a little longer than planned!) then you could have a disaster. Good examples include chilli, curry or chicken casserole for the more informal dinner party or Coq Au Vin, Boeuf Bourguignon or slow cooked leg of lamb for the more formal evening. If any of these dishes have an extra half hour in the oven nothing will be ruined.
- Choose a starter that can be prepared beforehand and stored. Good examples include homemade chicken liver pate, homemade soup (always impressive but very easy) or homemade tartlets that can be warmed up as the guests arrive. Why not try Pork Rillettes – a pleasant rustic starter to share? Fresh salads are also an option – these can be tossed and dressed at the last minute if all the preparation is done beforehand.
- Choose a pudding to compliment the rest of the meal. If you have a rich main course on the menu then go for a lighter choice – crème brule, fresh fruit or ice cream. Equally, if serving fish and salad then go for a more decadent dessert.
October 31, 2012
Retro Dinner Party Menu Ideas

Some guests might reel in horror at the thought of some of the great dishes of our parents, but I cannot disagree more. There is something comforting about taking a delicious dish from your childhood which your Mum used to make, and turning it into a dinner party special.

You might want to create the whole picture including all aspects of an era gone by and or just want to pick out some elements of retro food to add a little nostalgia to the evening.

I myself belong to the latter category, but occasionally I have gone for the full retro dinner party for special celebrations. On these occasions, the evening was thoroughly enjoyed by all, especially those that had decided to dress up accordingly and come armed with 12″ vinyl.

This could be a lot of fun to plan and your friends will thoroughly enjoy preparing themselves if you let them know in advance. Make sure you have some music from your era as this is the sure fire way to get everyone in the mood.

Drinks

This is really down to what you fancy, but here are a few ideas to think about. Fizzy drinks could include Pomagne or Babycham, but there are also many retro cocktails to choose from. The Harvey Wall banger was very popular (champagne and orange juice with a shot of Galliano floating on the top) as was the Sidecar (Cointreau, fresh lemon juice and brandy), but you may just want to have beers available (unfortunately the classic Party Sevens are no longer made) or wine (it just has to be Mateus, Mateus Rose or Black Tower and I have noticed recently that Asda are now selling Mateus again).

Other drinks to consider (just jogging your memory) include Advocaat, Campari, Pony or Pimms but remember – it is all about what you enjoy serving.

Canapés

This is straightforward with lots to choose from. Prawn vol au vents are the obvious choice, but also popular were; cocktail sticks with cheese and pineapple on (sometimes stuck into a half grapefruit), mini cocktail sausages, mini slices of pork pie or mini scotch eggs are all an option. Although you may think these a little indelicate, it was reported that, in the UK, Marks and Spancer have seen a surge of popularity for these things recently.

Appetizers

Plenty to choose from again. The chef Anthony Worrall Thompson reported that he put Avocado and Prawn Salad on the menu in one of his upmarket establishments as a bit of a joke, but it quickly turned into his most popular dish. Make sure you use that lovely red thick seafood sauce to get the full impact!

Other ideas for starters include the classic prawn cocktail with sliced buttered brown bread and a slice of lemon, thick French onion soup with gruyere croutons to garnish, melon with (what was then rare!) Parma ham or homemade chicken liver pate served with toast.

Main Courses

You might want to go for something fun like gammon and egg with the obligatory grilled pineapple on the top or a tasty chilli con carne served with lovely crusty bread and salad but for a special party I would advise something that may take a little more time but well worth the effort.

Beef Bourguignon and Lancashire Hot Pot is a firm favourite (for any dinner party) and allows you to spend time with your friends rather than chained to the cooker. Also consider coq au vin or slow cooked casserole of pork chops with apple and cider. Beef stroganoff, chicken and leek pie with a puff pastry case are more options as is the traditional steak in a pepper sauce (onion rings optional!) but if it really is a special occasion (and budget allows) then you cannot beat a beef Wellington or a lobster Thermidor. My sister makes the best lobster themidor on the planet and still makes it for me every time she comes back from California where she lives.

One of my favourite options would be a Fondue, but don’t forget Coronation Chicken for a more informal affair.

Dessert

Chocolate mousse is quick and easy and can be made in advance as can crème brulee or a homemade cheesecake. Profiteroles and black forest gateau take a lot longer and if you are feeling particularly brave you could go down the route of Baked Alaska but if you choose this option I would suggest you limit how many Harvey Wall bangers you have!

The classic coffees with a shot in the bottom and cream on the top are a great way to finish but I cannot finish this article without suggesting Galliano Hotshots as an alternative. These have been firm family favourites for years and I am yet to meet someone who does not like them! Get your shot glasses dusted off and get a caffetiere of coffee brewing. You’ll need some double (or single if watching the calories!) cream and a bottle of Galliano too.

Pour hot coffee into each shot glass, to about three quarters full, then gently pour in a shot of Galliano. Top up with about 5mm of cream and drink down in one. Delicious! Just make sure the coffee is a drinkable temperature (which it normally is by the time you have persuaded everyone to try one!)

Finally, don’t forget those compulsory vinyl 12″s and have a great party!

October 27, 2012
Bonfire Night Menu Ideas

With both Halloween and Bonfire Night fairly close together,these ideas should suit both occasions!

With winter finally setting in you want to have some easy, warming, hearty ideas to liven up your party and that will please both adults and children, without taking up all of your precious socialising time – you want to have fun too!

A large tasty pot of chilli con carne is always a safe bet which can be served either with fresh crusty bread, crunchy jacket potatoes or rice and sour cream. You could also serve up stuffed potato skins (cook as usual jackets; take from the oven, split, scoop out the filling, mix with grated cheese, butter and bacon; replace the filling, sprinkle with cheese then cook for a further 10 minutes – delicious!).

A hearty pumpkin soup or butternut squash soup is also a cost effective way of warming your guests and could be served in disposable cups, to be drunk around the bonfire.

Another favourite are traditional bangers – sometimes served with chilli beans or in rolls as hot dogs. Why not, this year for a change, cook your sausages in the oven with sliced onions (until crispy) then serve in tortilla wraps with chilli jam or ketchup – this saves on the washing up and can feed a really large crowd if needed.

Hot chocolate with marshmallows are always a winner for the children. Enjoy!

October 27, 2012