Please help me to decide what to cook for my friends!

[DevonFolk]

I have a friend and her DH coming for a meal next Friday and I have the following issues to overcome:

• I am not a confident/experienced cook
• Friend is an award winning owner of a pub/fish restaurant (see above!)
• I will have been out of the house on the day in question from 7:30 - 4:30 (and will have been the day before as well)
• I have a very small kitchen which is all part of an open plan downstairs

I'm planning on doing canapes, meat main, pudding and cheese.

I have a slow cooker but I don't really want to be faffing in the morning with preparing stuff to chuck in while I've got packed lunches to make and dog to walk.

Any brilliant suggestions would be so welcome, TIA

Would you be happy to faff around with the meat the evening before and then chuck the prepped meat in the slow cooker in the morning?

I have a brilliant recipe for Daube de boeuf - Ox Cheek, it's cheap.....tastes fantastic. If that sounds a bit scary, how about Beef Bouguignon with a Savoy cabbage and a buttery mash.

Or play it safe and make spag Bol....they're your friends your company is all they are after. When I stay with someone who is very busy or not very kitchen confident I suggest we order in a curry.

you could actually cook something in the slow cooker the night before, and re-heat on the day. I find slow cooked stews etc taste better the day after anyway. Do you have a freezer? If "next Friday" is a week tomorrow (rather than tomorrow) you could even cook it at the weekend and freeze.

I like Snowbility's suggestions - something cooked in beer or with wine would fit the bill. Given the cold weather, you could top with dumplings - or scones to make a cobbler.

Nigella's lemon meringue ice-cream is a fool-proof, easy, make ahead dessert - it's in her "how to eat" book if you've got it or someone's written it here - again, you can make it ahead. Just remember to take it out of the freezer half an hour or so before you want to eat it. Lovely served with heated mixed berries (frozen ones fine)

Ive made this before and it was amazing!
Its an overnight marinade too which would be ideal for you and then put it in the oven on timer :)

Brilliant suggestions, thank you. I can't believe it hadn't occurred to me to make something in advance and freeze it!