5 day menu plan for visiting French family

[MakeTeaNotWar]

Family friends are visiting from France soon for 5 days - Mum, Dad and 2 kids aged 8 and 6. Pease can you help me devise a simple menu plan? I have 2 young DCs myself so am keen to keep cooking for such a large number of people as simple as possible.

Breakfast I'm thinking toast, jam, butter and cereal eg cornflakes or Weetabix.

Lunch - they'll be out and about during the day.

Dinner - this is where I struggle. Shepherd's pie. Roast chicken, pots & broccoli. What else? Salad on the side. Pudding will be simple stuff like strawberries and cream, fruit yogurts, shop bought chocolate mousse etc, apple crumble.

All ideas welcome!

Some kind of fish one night - maybe oven baked salmon fillets with a pesto topping served with new pots and salad.
Slow cooked pork - belly or pulled shoulder with coleslaw.
Weather permitting a barbecue with sausages, sweetcorn, salads
Lamb cutlets or koftas with cucumber/yogurt/mint dip
Homemade meatballs in a spicy tomato sauce with pasta

Have you got much freezer space? Could you freeze a casserole and maybe something like spinach & ricotta cannelloni?

How about pie? That always goes down well in our house. Carbonara is vair easy and vair nice

This pork dish from Delia is v. good. You can do the potatoes in the stew of separately, good with a green veg. I have done it in the slow cooker too. It's from the How to cheat book.
www.deliaonline.com/recipes/main-ingredient/pork/spanish-braised-pork-with-potatoes-and-olives.html

How about chicken thighs with sweet pots, pots, olives, ref onions and chorizo (Nigella one!) served with nice bread and green salad - easy and really tasty.

Link: www.nigella.com/recipes/view/spanish-chicken-with-chorizo-and-potatoes-5160

Actually, just reread the recipe, this is the how to cheat version:

www.deliaonline.com/home/Print-Recipe.html?PID=1759&ampCID=363

No tomato peeling or browning and the chorizo in it is v. good. i know it sounds wierd not browning stuff but it really works. You can substitute the Heinz tomato fritto (which I've never found) with passata.

All sounds good!
Just make sure they really will be out for lunch, because the French eat a "proper" lunch - no soup and sandwiches only if they're on the run.

Brilliant suggestions - thank you very much!

How about an Indian evening? The last French exchange student my parents had to stay (mum's an ex teacher) had never had an Indian meal - much less prevalent in France I believe (was about 5 years ago though). Also easy to make in advance in a slow cooker.

Finances allowing, a chippie tea one night? Not healthy but they'd enjoy the novelty value and it would give you a night off?

Chicken mulligatawny is a good one - slightly spicy, but very mild. Serve with rice, naan bread, tom salad. Yum !

Fish & chips..well I would hate that but DH would think that's great - and it is a good idea. Maybe do a home made version though ?

I think you ought to give them roast beef since that's what they call us.
Show them how it's done, with Yorkshire pudding and lots of horseradish.

Think I might come too maketea. This all sounds delicious. Love your username too

Are they sophisticated city dwellers or country types? (we live in the country mid SW fr. and they just have croissants and or toast and jam with hot chocolate; a great bowlful!) and or milky coffee for breakfast. (you could also serve plain yoghurt . No milk later in the day or much butter unless they're from Normandy!

yes to the OPs who mentioned curry (their Indian restaurants aren't much cop) If your guests are 'open minded' they'd like all the classic English dinners.

Fab, phew feel much more organised with all these ace suggestions. Country Breton types so I don't have to get fancy but want them to feel well-fed and relaxed esp the kiddies

When my French friends came over recently, they wanted (bought) fish and chips, jacket potatoes with baked beans and trifle!

One day I did a cooked breakfast, other days cereals/crumpets/English muffins, etc.

How about you just decide to pander to French cliches about the British and food. Boil some beef to buggery, serve with boiled pots and veg. Lashings of marmite on bread, and otherwise just ready made meals. We all love to see national stereotypes being upheld.

Definitely Fish and Chips, and curry (but keep it mild). Given the weather a BBQ might be a good idea.