1980s retro dinner party - recipes wanted!

[flamingnora]

I rarely ate out in the 1980s and suspect the fare I was served by mum at home thoughout the decade was more representative of the '70s! I'm having a retro 1980s dinner party & would love some inspriration. Another snag is - 2 of my guests don't eat meat - so fish main courses/starters would be fab please!

[compo]

prawn cocktail or egg mayonnaise to start
beef wellington for main
sherry trifle to finish!

[Cathpot]

Can you still buy artic roll?

[fryalot]

chicken in a basket
black forest gateau for pud.

vegetarian lasagne was the only veggie option in the 80s

[GreatGooglyMoogly]

Pineapple upside down cake for pudding (serve warm).

[fryalot]

cathpot - yes, you can. Tescos do one

[docket]

mushrooms/cauliflower 'a la greque' soooo eighties!

avocado with prawn cocktail

black forest gateau

[fryalot]

ooooh, a vesta curry

[MrsTittleMouse]

Wasn't the 80s the prime time for nouvelle cuisine - teeny tiny portions artistically presented?

[flamingnora]

ha ha! Now a vesta curry could work, you know!...

[boudoiricca]

I remember my Mum making baked Alaska, but that could have been more 70s?

[AitchTwoOh]

god yeah, you should frighten them with three artfully presented mangetout.

[flamingnora]

I also remember baked alaska. And I remember cheesecake featuring on menus a lot - am I right?!
Novelle cuisine shudders - god, not sure I could take my guests down that memory lane!

[Goober]

A glass of grapefruit juice in a wine glass on a plate with a paper doily.
Prawn cocktail with melba toast.
Vienetta.
Ice cream with Ice Magic topping.
A salad made only out of a round lettuce, some tomatoes cut in half zig zag style and cucumber sliced. Heinz salad cream.

[beansontoast]

oh! was going to say 'chicken cordon bleu'

i think vienetta surfaced in the eighties?

mateus?

do you have a grey glass table and some black chairs?

[AitchTwoOh]

ice magic, lololol, that is a great idea.

[Goober]

Coq au vin, Colmans style!

[MorocconOil]

Souffle
Nut roast

[docket]

oh the glass of juice on plate/doily idea is fantastic!

[Lilymaid]

I was around doing dinner parties in the 80s. Monkfish had just come into fashion - so might be good for the non-meat eaters. I also did many veggie recipes from a BBC book/series. Actually, you can't do much better than a Delia recipe - her first set of books were de rigeur for dinner parties in the 80s.

[flamingnora]

beansontoast - delighted to say I don't have a grey glass table - though I am sure there are plenty of unfashionably retro bits of tatt in my flat!
Would love to get a Vienetta out but we're doing a Come Dine With Me tribute party so I would feel bad if I wasn't slaving over a hot stove for hours before my guests around!

[EffiePerine]

1/2 grapefruit with a cherry in the middle?

[Goober]

Fruit juice would probably have a cocktail cherry on a stick.

[AitchTwoOh]

i am telling you, if you bring out ice magic with ice cream and whatever else for dessert, they will be so happy.

[flamingnora]

Lilymaid - Bingo! I think you're right, you know - Delia could well hold the key to this! Will see if I can get hold of some good stuff from her website! Also loving the idea of the juice on a plate!