What would you cook for a Very Big Lunch? Please do share your top ideas

[KateMumsnet]

This year, Mumsnet is working with the The Big Lunch, the Eden Project initiative which aims to get as many people as possible sharing food with their neighbours on Sunday 5th June.

The Big Lunch are aiming to get as many neighbourhoods as possible to sign up, and we're hoping they'll be tempted with Mumsnetters' favourite recipes for a summer party.

We're thinking crowd cooking, nice nibbles, child-friendly dishes and tasty bits that can be chucked on the barbecue.

Do please share your ideas here on this thread. A selection of your recipes will be used in a Mumsnet Big Lunch cookbook - downloadable from www.thebiglunch.com in May.

Also in May (the 8th to be precise), the BBC2 series The Great British Menu are filming an episode on the Big Lunch - so do put your virtual hand up here if you can come to Leadenhall Market in London ready to impress the judges with your best party victuals...

You can find out more on the Big Lunch site, and don't forget to register your own Big Lunch to get a free Starter Pack by post.

Thanks, MNHQ

lots of lovely pasta thingies - pasta 'salad' (but no salad really) with tomatoes, green peppers, olives and passata and olive oil. yummm.

rice salad
whole steamed salmon (love that!)
parmesan cheese straws

stew

tatties
onions
carrotts
peas
chunks of steak
beef stock

stick it all in a huge pan

cook til the potatoes are done

BUT THIS IS NOT the end my little furry friends - oh no, stew needs to be left to cool down

then re=heated a couple of hours later - yes it does. re heated stew is the dogs

curry...

Garlic

Cumin

Coriander

Tikka Spice

1/2 Tin Tomatos

Chili Olive oil

Water ( optional)

Onion (optional)

for one chicken breast, a heaped tsp of each spice and 2 of tikka spice. 2tbsp olive oil. bang it all in a pan and mix to make a nice curry liquid.

To begin with put your chicken in a bag or cellophane and pound it until it is thin. I have used an actual hammer to do this, a wine bottle and a pestle, i might have to buy the correct hammering kitchen thingy one day!

Then cut the chicken into pieces and bung in pan with spices it takes about 10-15 minutes to cook

I like a thicker sauce that has cooked for a little bit longer, that is why i add about 4 tbsp of water and i let it reduce right down until there is hardly any liquid.

Pork and apple braize served with chunks of drippy buttery garlic bread

MikeCrotch - it was 15 peppers. Will serve 30 people, with all the other stuff. I do it on a regular basis, obv. After lunch we all play sardines in my rambling country pile.

Gah, MikeRotch

If I was making a giant lunch I would go down the bbq route.

2-3 Loaves of Tiger bread sliced for people to help them selves to.

Honey Mustard Chicken thighs and legs.
BBQ sauce (Jamie's) ribs.
Steak Cubed and stuck on skewers with baby tomatoes and mushrooms.
BBQ Mackerel fillets

Huge rice salad (wild rice with sweetcorn, loads of parsley/mint/basil tomatoes and spring onion)
Huge Green Salad

Roast cherry tomato bruschetta.

Big pan, lots of cherry tomatoes, some crushed garlic cloves, bit of olive oil, splash of balsamic vinegar, stick under hot grill until starting to blacken. Give them a shake every now and then.
Squish the tomatoes into some slices of french bread or focaccia (depending on proximity to Waitrose), piece of mozzarella on top and finished with a leaf or two of basil.

Stand well back as you will get trampled in the rush.

lol at pile

Two gorgeous and substantial salads which go nicely with barbecued things:

roughly equal quantities of chickpeas (ideally dried ones, soaked and cooked, but tinned are OK), halloumi and cherry toms, in a dressing with olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and dried oregano

salad leaves and baby spinach tossed in pesto, garlic and olive oil dressing with toasted pine nuts and torn up mozzarella (you can add chopped chicken to this too)

But I would not make these for a Street Party

Mike - glad to hear you still do the dip. Tis I, Janeite btw.

Have you done any exciting variations with it that I can steal?

nothing to add, but god am i hungry now!

ooh aquavit that chickpea one sounds loverly. Do you griddle the halloumi or not bother?

I don't bother Lindsay (would probably be delicious if you did though) but it is worth making it in advance so all the flavours have time to meld together. I do often add the chickpeas still warm to help the flavours develop.

Oven baked whole salmon (wrapped in silver foil, couple of lemon squeezed over, approx 1.5 hour on low oven) with lemon mayonnaise in bowls - really easy to do 2 or 3 of these at a go

Jacket potatoes

Couscous with fine chopped fresh mint, parsley, coriander - can do an enormous vat of this and make it quite lemony to go with the salmon

Cheese straws (channelling a bit of 70's street party vibe)

Massive berry and fresh cream pavlovas

Tray baked chocolate cakes

Fresh strawberries macerated in a bit of alchohol or balsamic vinegar

But I think I'd like to go to Lindsays one please :)

Another baked pots one: large baked pots, scoop out insides, mash together with cream, chives, smoked salmon, sqwizzle some olivio oil over the skins and bake again for 5 mins without the mash, to go crispy then pop the mash into the skins.

Also this one is really cool, get a whole Camembert cheese, plonk into the middle of a square of puff pastry, tuck the pastry over the top, artfully, bung in the oven, then cut it open and it oozes out, give guests toasted pitta bread to dip into it. You could add some cranberry inside too.

Ah, but bubbaluv do you serve frogs in ponds with your fairy bread?

Why would you bother wrapping camembert in pasty to bake it - that is what the wooden box is for - known as 'dippy cheese' in this house, and a firm favourite of 4yo DD who would eat a whole one on her own given half a chance and have a really bad tummy ache afterwards

They don't come in wooden boxes here, just cardboard .

Also I expect puff pastry tastes a little bit better.

new potatoes, roasted in EVOO and maldon salt then cut open with a dollop of cream cheese inside, a basil leaf and a bit of proscuitto wrapped around.

button mushrooms stuffed with goats cheese and finely chopped garlic

chicken cut in to strips, dipped in flour,egg, then bread crumbs that have grated parmesan, finely chopped parsley and basil through. Shallow fry and serve with lime and chilli mayo

my guacamole with telco value tortilla chips-
2 soft avos
1 small red onion
6 cherry toms
juice of half a lime
small handful of fresh coriander
med clove of garlic
half a red chilli

Mash/chop all ingredients together.

Green leave salad with walnuts blue cheese and a lemon vinegarette.

mini scones with jam and clotted cream, mini eton mess in shot glasses, mini chocolate pots in espresso cups.

Did the thread title change to prevent people ignoring thread because they thought it related to the Royal Wedding?

who's got a yum coronation chicken recipe? all the tomato recipes are making my mouth water!