Dinner Party Help

[duzzlightyearsmum]

So I am hosting my first ever dinner party on Wednesday. Just the 4 of us. Can't cook anything with mushrooms as one of the attendees is terribly allergic. Anyone got some special recipes I can use??? I reckon I'm an ok cook so willing to give most things a go. I'm really not sure where to start!

Agree, I never do a starter, instead I serve nibbles and something sparkly/cocktail etc. If you need to cheat buy the pudding, it's easy to get a good one. And when planning the main try not to choose a dish with loads of last minute tasks. Remember warm plates.
Slow cooked stews are forgiving and will improved with day before cooking. Mash will be fine prepped just before the guests arrive and reheated - not the day before though.
Remember guests come to your house to enjoy your company in a relaxed environment, so remember to retain a sense of humour and have fun! And if you drink alcohol make sure you have bought enough....running out is never good!

I always do nibbles and an antipasti type platter too. You don't want to be fannying about in the kitchen for hours while your guests are there.

You can lay it all out nicely on a big plate or board, get some charcuterie, sun dried tomato, artichokes that type of stuff and arrange artfully. Some big caper berries are nice over the top too.

Main for four I would do a really nice bourgignon type thing, prob dauphinoise pots or rice and green veg. Marinate the meat in a bottle of red wine for 24 hours to make it extra 'special'.

Feed your guests lots of wine and then a shop bought dessert, life is too short to be making puddings. Brownies and good vanilla ice cream is simple and there arent many people who don't like that.

The most annoying thing when I go to a dinner party is if I never see the host because they are stuck in the kitchen!

Thanks everyone stew type thing in my slow cooker sounds a good idea!!

And yes yes yes to shop bought pudding