Special occasions

A few good ideas on what to serve plus a little time spent on advance planning will turn your entertaining into relaxing occasions that will allow you to spend time with your guests

Planning a better menu

• A good menu has the right balance, not too many rich foods or too many bland foods. Dishes should include contrasts of colour, flavour and texture.
• Plan a party menu based on dishes you know – the ones you cook well are the ones to choose.
• Consider dishes in relation to each other so you avoid a sequence of rich sauces or worse still, cream in every course.
• Balance heavier courses with others of a lighter nature so that the menu as a whole is not too filling.
• Make use of seasonal foods, then your menus will vary with the time of the year.
• Work out what you can cook beforehand. It’s surprising how many dishes actually benefit from being made in advance. At least one, if not two, courses can be made in advance.
• The index of ideas on the following pages is not a list of all the recipes in the book. It is intended to serve as suggestions to prompt your own thoughts and help plan your menus.
• Savoury recipes are very versatile: for instance, some first courses would also make a light main dish; but as a main dish they may not go so far so you might have to increase the quantities.
• When serving numbers that require a recipe to be doubled (a buffet is a good example), bear in mind that, in some cases, it is better to cook a recipe twice, rather than double the ingredients when the volume of mixture can become difficult to handle.
• Never feel obliged to offer an enormous choice of foods; plenty of a few dishes is often more appealing than an overwhelming variety.
• Do try out new recipes – on the family please! A recipe is only new the first time you make it; if it’s a success you have another addition to your repertoire and you can extend it to the dinner party table.