Ready, Steady, Dinner Party

I mentioned in the introduction to this chapter that organizing a dinner party seems like a great idea at the time but, as the date gets closer, can make you panic. This section is for when you’ve just had one of those weeks or perhaps have even forgotten that you’re having a dinner party. These are recipes that mostly use ready-prepared ingredients (basically short cuts) and it certainly doesn’t get any simpler than stirring a bought dressed crab into home-made mashed potato. It’ll seem as if Gary Rhodes himself is in the kitchen helping you cook.