If you had to cook lunch for 8 adults and 3 kids.m.

[mundaneflounder]

What would you cook? It's this weekend. Going shopping tomorrow but have no ideas at the mo!

Main and desert ideas please!

Assuming they are carnivores, I'd get a nice joint of beef from say Marks, roast it so it's not overdone, nice and pinkish in the middle and strive for thin slices served cold, with a really nice salad, say a Nicoise, plus Potato salad Jersey Royals with mayonnaise and freshly snipped chives plus a bowl of couscous. I might lay out some Spanish Tapas as well, olives, Manchego Cheese, Chorizo, rustic bread with some dipping oil and Balsamic. I'd probably make some sort of vegetarian tart with roasted peppers just in case last minute non meat eater appears.

Raspberries and cream for afters. Make a meringue if time .

As they are unadventurous I would do a roast and apple crumble with ice cream.

Depending on weather (still very much on cool side here)

Either

Massive "cowboy casserole" - sausage and baked bean casserole make with preferred sausages (I'm veggie we like the linda McCartney sausages) diced onions, tinned chopped tomatoes, baked beans, stock, 2 teaspoons marmite cooked for 2 hours in hot oven then - cheats trick - add a "herb crust" by spring in a pack of sage and onion stuffing over the top 20 mins before end of cooking time. Serve either with jacket potatoes or make a huge pile of mash

Or of its warmer

Huge pasta salad made with pasta, peppers, sundried tomatoes, olives, baby corn tossed in either a tomato based dressing or Mayo dressing. Serve with green salad, French stick sliced and buttered

Desserts

Eton mess is a good call

Or if cooler

Rhubarb and apple crumble served with cream or ice cream

Gah "sprinkling on" not "spring in" the stuffing mix

Paella followed by fruit salad