The posh people are coming to dinner (not the Beckhams though!)

[Twinkie1]

Right v. posh ex colleague coming to dinner with her husband on Saturday - they are a bit older and far more worldy than us and I want to cook something that they are going to think is top class!

Thing is they are coming over at lunchtime as her DH is playing golf with mine whilst we go shopping so needs to be something I can make in advance or won't take up too much time as will have to cook it with 2 kids around and her watching over me!!

Was thinking - maybe something seafoody for starters?

Roast leg of lamb (not sure what else to do with it though?)

Pavlova (my speciality but DH hates it!)

All ideas will be gladly received though as my menu probably stupid idea which will take far too long!!

Tx

Are they coming for lunch or dinner?

If lunch go very simple - slection of salds and meats. If they are truely posh they will appreciate that. If dinner then a roast with good veg will do (have you go any Jamie Oliver cook books? He has great veg ideas that are easy but differnt).

Crush your pavlova into little bits and call it Eton Mess. Thats proper posh .

Wonderful wonderful roast leg of lamb recipe - it was on the BBC Saturday ktichen and I've done it a couple of times since and it is great - here

I'd make it even simpler, with chicken casserole (thighs best) with lots of wine, veg like carrots, onions, garlic, whatever you have, plus large green salad

dressed crab is a nice summer starter and you can buy them ready done at fishmongers or places like M&S

agree Eton Mess good pud

Hadthebuildersin-that sounds yummy!

7 hour lamb is divine and can be prepared well in advance. Would you like the recipe?

If you like scallops I have wonderful French mil recipe where you prepare sauce in advance and then just cook the scallops last minute (do able if just four of you).

Tiny dark chocolate pots with swirl of posh vanilla ice cream with crushed ameretto biscuits in tiny pot next to them and strawberries in red wine and spices in third little pot on plate makes v easy and v sophisticated looking dessert....have recipes if you like.

There's a fab leg of lamb recipe in the latest Jamie where he covers it in a cous cous crust. Very impressive but quite a lot of pre-prep. A good one is always a Coq au vin though (had it with pheasant once and it was divine). Scallops a great starte - I like mine with black pudding and a minted pea puree but Gglimpopo's sounds good. Nigella has a fab chocolate fondant recipe which I serve with Gu vanilla ice cream which can be made in advance and svaed in fridge until time for oven.

All recipes gladly received - they coming at lunchtime for the guys to play golf and us to go shopping then the big problem dinner int he evening.

The chocolate pot things sounds great - not sure I got that many pots though - probably ones with Bob the Builder on - do you think that would still look posh enough??

shot glasses or expresso cups will do

bundle is spot on

good chicken dishes, generously flavoured with great wine and salad are hard to beat. Dressed crab sounds great, are you sarf lunnon? or the city? I would go to one of the great fishmongers like Steve Hatt in Islington or someone in borough market

don't do leg of lamb. it's a tad dull.

if pavlova is your specialty then go for it, but get some petits fours for afters

Jamie's Cod is VERY easy and impressive enough I think, people always say wow when I cook it.

Get a piece of cod per person
green beans
lemons
garlic
proscuitto
olive oil
Jamie's recipe has pine nuts too but I never bother

scatter green beans on a big roasting dish
wrap cod in prosciutto
put cod on top of beans
cut lemons in quarters and scatter on top
leave garlic cloves in skins, scatter them too
drizzle with olive oil, season and cook for 20 mins

That's it. You could do a salad I suppose. Or baby potatoes in their skins roasted with olive oil.

Good idea on the shot glasses beats Bob the Builder anyday!

Used to live in Sarf London - have moved upmarket to Deepest Darkest Essex!

Er Petit Fours?? Are What??

Ooooohhh the cod is in the lead - I mean the fish not the person by the way - that sounds great and I have all fo his books!

but isn't cod a bit un PC these days?

I still plump for chicken

petits fours are poncey sweeties,

Oh god is it?

Lady coming is French - so maybe impressed with Petit Fours!

I buy Waitrose organic no fish (farmed, admittedly) cod. Guests aren't going to look shocked and say 'oh no, I'm afraid we don#t eat cod' are they?

well they might
they might spit on your table and do that mediterranean hand gesture of flicking a hand unde rthe chin and just leave
you just don't know do you?

lol Suzy, no I suppose you don't
You could do a similar thing with chicken breasts then.

anyway, how posh is posh?

surf and turf is the most expensive thing on a Beefeater Menu and posh by anyone's standards

what's the situation with your inlaws and all moving in togther, WWW?

do a simple starter eg bresaola with rocket and parmesan, mackeral pate with toasted poilane, scallops fried for 30 secs each side, served with a lime and ginger sauce on the side etc

Main course do something simple but with great ingredients
eg crab linguine
fillet steak wrapped in prosciutto with some wild mushrooms inside
rack of lamb with nice sauce of some description

then nice cheese

then simple pud eg fruit salad with homemade shortbread and cream

or do some canapes instead of starter

i love prosciutto and mango (or melon) with a nice glass of prosecco.

If she is french she will probably expect nibbles with drinks then starter, main, cheese and pudding. If you do any variation on this, it iwll be seen as english-eccentric/quaint.

If you like foie gras btw, have dead easy and bloody impressive recipe that you do in advance.

And suzy was questioning the ethics of cod.... hahahhahahahahha