Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5

Original poster

to serve a meat free meal at a dinner party

124 replies

CoralFish · 18/10/2018 12:35

Having friends round and I am trying to think of a menu. I came up with the following.
Starter: Spiced vegetable fritter topped with fried egg
Main: Lentil Dhal, aubergine and chickpea curry and rice
Dessert: Rice pudding
Mentioned to DP and he said it sounded nice but I should do a chicken curry instead because people will expect meat.
It hadn't occurred to me that there was no meat. None of us is vegetarian. AIBU to not give people meat? Nobody would say anything, but would they go home afterwards saying 'shame there was no chicken'?
My main concern was having rice twice in the meal!

OP posts:

ciderhouserules · 19/10/2018 10:15

Blimey some posters on here are fussy entitled gits!

You have to have a piece of dead animal on your plate at each dinner, otherwise you are poor? Do you never eat a margarita Cheese and Tomato Pizza? Pesto Pasta? Egg and Beans on toast? I'm not suggesting these for a 'Dinner Party' but for supper, (which is what this 'meal' sounds like) I'd serve them. Friends come together for a chat, drink, fun and laughter, not to complain about the food!

I went to a friend's for 'dinner' the other day; we had a vegetarian chilli with salad, rice and tortillas, followed by chocolate brownies. I ate and drank and laughed so much I didn't even notice the food, far less critique it.

OP your menu sounds lovely. I bet people don't even notice the lack of dead animal .

(I am a meat eater)

SuperGekkoMuscles · 19/10/2018 10:27

Another rice pudding hater here, I love the tinned stuff, can’t stand the homemade stuff. Wrong texture and the skin, eurgh.

Sounds great otherwise.

RangeRider · 19/10/2018 10:30

But a lot of people are saying don't do rice pudding, either because they can't stand it or because it's more rice. Why would you ignore all that advice?

RTFT · 19/10/2018 10:33

Well I love the sound of it and I'm a meat eater, I wouldn't be disappointed at all at no meat and I love, love, love rice pudding so I'll have their portions.

See you at 7.30

Cheekyandfreaky · 19/10/2018 10:34

Oh man I really want kheer/ your rice pudding and I have all the ingredients but I’m supposed to be fasting. Need. To. Resist.

Your menu sounds great, I wouldn’t eat the egg but would nab another fritter if one was going.

For the texture thing, I would recommend topping your main with some hot toasted nuts and a big punch of coriander. I could eat double rice, but for those who can’t roti or potatoes are a good option.

I wouldn’t think you poor btw. These days I think I would see your menu as modern.

BigChocFrenzy · 19/10/2018 10:46

I'm an omnivore, so I eat lots of veg
I would be perfectly happy with a veggy dinner out.

How odd that people think veggy = skint
It can be luxurious

I love rice pud !
Just swap the rice in the main for Bombay potatoes.

Not keen on the starter though - too greasy imo
With the other 2 courses, needs something lighter

PinkHeart5914 · 19/10/2018 10:54

I do eat meat but I obviously eat veggie things too I don’t need meat at every single meal.

Veggie food can be tasty if done properly. Me and dh regularly have to host dinner parties due to his work and have done veggie menus before now.

I think the menu is fine OP especially as your evening seems to be more of a laugh with friends rather than a formal affair. I wouldn’t do rice with the main though, do Indian style potatoes or bread. Rice pudding wouldn’t be my first choice but if everyone coming likes it then that’s all that matters

Bluesmartiesarebest · 19/10/2018 10:56

Have you checked that all your guests like spicy food? I can’t eat anything with lentils or very strong flavours due to medical issues but hopefully your guests can all digest curry successfully!

notacooldad · 19/10/2018 10:57

I love rice pudding but I wouldn't choose to have this as my desert with this menu as I like cold deserts after duals and curries.
However if that was on after I would enjoy it and be grateful that you wanted my company and cooked a meal. I would have a lovely evening whatever was served as, I have said before, the food is a just a tool or resouese to get people together. It's the company that is the highlight of the evening.

howrudeforme · 19/10/2018 11:04

I wouldn’t serve dhal at a dinner party.

Swap that for,say, a paneer curry?

reallyreallynow · 19/10/2018 11:06

YABU you have not invited me!!! Sounds delicious! I'm not vegetarian but do love meat free food it always seems tastier a d with better texture.

LaurieMarlow · 19/10/2018 11:21

No issues with the lack of meat, the starter and main sound lovely.

I'm sure the rice pudding is delicious too, but I would find that a very heavy pudding after a big meal, regardless of what carbs are served for the main. I don't think I'd manage much of it.

Bluelady · 19/10/2018 11:23

With that menu the meat won't even be missed.

LaurieMarlow · 19/10/2018 11:26

I'd definitely wonder why they were going to the expense of a party when they were obviously so hard up that they were serving lentils

Perhaps because they like lentils? Is that a radical concept to you?

JessieLemon · 19/10/2018 11:30

Lentils are a treat for me. Not because I’m skint, just cos I love them so much and it’s not often I think to make dhal from scratch.

SpoonBlender · 19/10/2018 11:33

If I were doing this I'd be expanding the selection, else it'll feel a bit restricted compared to just doing a takeout.

Have a second curry dish (you can prep it long before and freeze), and probably make that meaty or fishy.

Roti/naan and rice for the main, give them choices. I'd add a saag aloo as well, because I can't eat indian without a bit of that!

Rice pudding and a bowl of warm gulab jamun in syrup (honestly tinned ones are fine and almost zero effort), or kulfi/sorbet (just buy tubs).

notacooldad · 19/10/2018 11:37

I'd definitely wonder why they were going to the expense of a party when they were obviously so hard up that they were serving lentils

There's some dumb ass opinions on MN that it's hilarious!

JessieLemon · 19/10/2018 12:01

notacooldad it’s beyond funny isn’t it 😂

On MN lentils are simultaneously:

Too expensive to be an appropriate suggestion for people eating on a budget or including in food banks
Middle class snobby food only posh kids eat and working class kids would turn their nose up at
So cheap they’re indicative of the chef being in dire financial straits

Quite miraculous really for a single legume 😂

TellMeItsNotTrue · 19/10/2018 12:14

YABVVVVVVU for not serving coconut ice cream with/as dessert it should be law that all Indian meals are followed by coconut ice cream

Seriously well the first bit was serious too the menu sounds great and I don't think it's something that people would necessarily notice if it wasn't pointed out to them, and most people wouldn't care even if they did realise.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 19/10/2018 12:21

Lentils are delicious - long live the lentil!

Nopuns · 19/10/2018 13:45

Rice pudding is vile and not dinner part food

Andtheresaw · 19/10/2018 13:54

I dreamt of your dinner party last night.

Your vegetable fritter was like an onion bhaji with flecks of carrot and green, with crispy tentacles of onion peeking out from under the egg.

Your main had become an Indian 'feast' little dishes and everyone was dipping in their buttered chapatis with their left hand and laughing. You had done the dhal and chana but also a chunky vegetable dish and a spinach dish. There was a salad and a raita.

The rice pudding was set and you had used a cookie cutter type thing so everyone had a neat piece and it looked very elegant.

Is that what you envisaged OP?

Original poster

CoralFish · 19/10/2018 15:13

@andtheresaw That is amazing! Hahaha!

OP posts:

MakeAHouseAHome · 19/10/2018 15:21

I'm not a veggie but I definitely don't have meat in every meal. At a dinner party maybe I would be surprised by no meat OR fish but not enough for it to do anything but cross my mind of half a second.

Sounds a lovely menu but agree about the double rice.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5