80th birthday meal, no fuss, nothing fancy..

[Pebblepaint]

80th birthday for a man who's had some serious health issues and is a little reluctant to celebrate, but happy that the occasion is marked.

I'm having family to me for a "nice" dinner.

I need to accommodate one vegan and two people who don't like foreign spicy food or rice, plus one who can't have dairy or tomatoes!

A "special" menu that won't have me in the kitchen all day?

For the vegan, I usually do sides for everyone that he can have as a main.

Roast dinner with a nut roast for the vegan? Can buy nut roast if you don't feel like making one from scratch.

Another vote for the roast!

Will you all be sitting down around a table ? From memory, I did a small celebration at mine for both of my parents' 80ths and I think I did a hot buffet .

I did think a roast, but they have one every Sunday without fail, so it didn't seem "special".

Yes, sitting round a table

What's his favourite thing to eat ? I'd maybe just make that so he will enjoy it without it being to fussy and he will enjoy it. Go wild with dessert/cake

This sounds lovely.

For my husband's lockdown birthday, I bought him a four course meal from Forman and Field.

They do easy-cook and pre-prepared meals that are delicious, fancy, and hard to get wrong!

You could always get a starter and soup course from there to enhance the roast?

Is it imminent? Thinking about what's seasonal, and whether it might be cold (although this summer has not been at all summery, for the most part!).

What about simply cooked salmon fillets/side of salmon, or salmon en croute, with new potatoes tossed in butter and some nice but simple salads on the side, or just steamed broccoli, carrots etc? First course a good soup (very easy to make that vegan, just make sure not to use butter or add cream), nice bread. Pudding could be berries, raspberry coulis, vegan ice cream, ordinary cream, meringues (so a sort of self-assembly Eton mess).

For the vegan's main course, you could buy something ready-made, or this looks nice and pretty easy: https://www.rachelphipps.com/2018/12/individual-portobello-mushroom-wellingtons.html

Order in or have a buffet

Beef Wellington? You can get mini veggie versions for the vegetarian.

You could do a Beef bourguignon with herby parmentier potatoes and green veg. Then do a stuffed onion for the vegan with the same sides.

Toad in the hole. Mash and veg. Them apple crumble and cream