Introduction

When I last wrote a cookery book on the subject of ‘entertaining’ things were very different. It was still reasonable to recommend a bottle of Château Margaux with the grouse (it was still reasonable to recommend the grouse!) and I could even assume that on special occasions a helper could be hired or bullied into backstage duties.

There must still be households where a parlourmaid brings in the claret, and where expense is no object, but this book is not for them. True, I have included some extravagant and luxurious recipes, for high days and holidays when the cook wants to pull out all the stops, but there are far more recipes for food that won’t break the bank, and that can be managed with a minimum of last-minute effort. So the emphasis is on the informal. But, at the risk of sounding pedantic, I must say that the friendliest and most casual parties, that seem effortless and easy to both hosts and guests, need planning. Unless you have the style and confidence to give your friends the children’s toothmugs for glasses, unless you can be truly relaxed when the booze runs out, unless you are so competent that you can cook the dinner with your kitchen full of merry mates, then some forethought and preparation is what you need.