Dinners & Celebrations

Presentation and impact are key to impressing your friends with your culinary skills. You want things to look and taste great, but you want to enjoy the party, too, so the dishes in the final section fulfil both criteria - they are packed with plenty of the wow factor but are surprisingly quick to prepare. I’m a big fan of starters as if you spend the time to get the presentation and flavour right, you start your meal on the right note. Try Smoked Chicken, Mango & Asparagus Verrine or Vietnamese Chicken & Pomegranate Seed Wraps with Sweet Chilli Sauce. Then balance the flavours in your starter with your main course. For a modern twist here, see how well flavours from different cuisines work together, as in Chargrilled Chicken Tikka on Lemongrass Sticks, which I serve with chicory and tomatoes.