How to host a dinner party

I remember being told by Andrea that when she hosted her first dinner party and after her guests had been there sipping their drinks for a while one of them said - are we going out? Andrea had followed my dinner party advice. Instead of spending the evening in the kitchen and missing all the good gossip she was prepared and able to enjoy her party - well as much as you enjoy any party you are hosting.

The secret to no stress entertaining is lots of pre-preparation. Sort your menu a couple of days before and do all your shopping. I always set the table, clean the silver, sort the wine glasses the day before -actually sometime 2 days before! That saves time and also energy on the day.

A set table ready for action.

Pick a menu that is mainly done the day before or can be prepared on the day. I will give a couple of examples at the end.

Right a time sheet - you mightn’t keep to it but it will remind you to put the oven on!

I prefer not to serve nibbles with the drinks as then people have no appetite for my delicious dinner!

Maybe start off with something that only needs to be handed around for an entree as it is often better than sitting down at the table at this point as you have the chance to talk to everyone, not just the person next to you.

For the main course have a dish that is already in the oven or oven ready. Serve it with a fancy salad as that only needs to be dressed at the last minute.

For dessert you serve something like Chocolate Mousse (see recipe section) that has also been prepared the day before.

Have your wines and sparkling water sorted and chilled (if necessary) - I have a large wine cooler that I fill with ice and put the beer, wine and water in which also means people can help themselves - single lady entertaining tip. I also designate a male guest as the drinks person - they love it!

Here are some suggested menu items:

Google them and you will find the recipes.

Pea and Pesto soup (Nigella Lawson) - I serve this in little china cups and people sip them while still having arrival drinks.

Or maybe French Onion Soup (at the table of course) - see recipes.

For the main course, Annabel Langbein’s Salmon stuffed with pinenuts and herbs is an excellent choice as it is ready to pop in the oven for 8 minutes and looks amazing. As you are not putting it in the oven until you are serving the entree it means that if things run late you are not worrying that the main is overcooked. I find that if you pick larger pieces of salmon from the supermarket and cut them in half that is quite sufficient as salmon is rich and you don’t need a large portion.

Serve it with Ottolenghi’s baby spinach salad with dates and almonds.

Or you could make Chicken Cacciatore or ‘Bites' Roast chicken legs with olives, garlic and lemon. Andrea hates this dish but I love the fact I can have it marinating the day before and just pop in the oven for 45 minutes. I add a bag of tiny potatos to the tray as it makes it more substantial and also tend to use just thighs.

If you are not a chocolate mousse fan there are lots of desserts you can make or just serve a good icecream with raspberries or strawberries …..

I recommend Annabel Langbein’s ‘Cooking to impress without stress’ book. It was published in 2003 but you might find a copy.

I am always happy to offer ‘unsolicited advice’ - just ring me.