To ask what's the best prepare the day before meal for a small dinner party?

[FortunesFave]

I'm working on the day of the guests coming and don't fancy getting home and trying to cook dinner for 6.

What can I make the day before?

I was thinking something like Beef or lamb massaman curry? And a vegetable type curry to serve for the 2 vegetarians?

I can cook rice/poppadoms on the evening....any other ideas please?

Should add, the guests all like hot/spicy food and are fans of curry.

Any other ideas would be fantastic!

Curry and sambal and poppadoms sound great!

I usually do a soup for starter, low pressure main course (it varies) followed by a day before or morning of dessert such as a cake or tart or fruit and chocolate platter (always looks impressive and the only thing you need to do is wash the fruit). And a cheese plate because I love cheese.

@DifficultBloodyWoman

Curry and sambal and poppadoms sound great!

I usually do a soup for starter, low pressure main course (it varies) followed by a day before or morning of dessert such as a cake or tart or fruit and chocolate platter (always looks impressive and the only thing you need to do is wash the fruit). And a cheese plate because I love cheese.

Good idea re the fruit and chocolate platter....they all love that. Nice one for reminding me about cheese too! I love cheese. :D

Nigella's glitzy chocolate puddings can be made the day before or in the morning. Leave uncooked in the fridge then just pop in the oven. Always a hit!

Madhur Jaffrry's Lemony chicken with fresh coriander. A sophisticated and subtly spiced curry.

Curry is ideal really as it's nicer when it's sat a bit. An alternative would be something like beef bourguignon as then you can skim it the next day so it's less greasy and just reheat.

If you want a dessert, key lime pie works well if made the day before- can just do the fresh cream and lime zest on the day or even whip the cream the day before too.

Chicken tikka kebabs, get the mini fillets from the supermarket, make the yoghurt and spices and leave the chicken in overnight, but bamboo skewers to soak while you are at work, just thread on the meat when you get home and serve with salad. It works well as a starter - not sure about your vegi guests though.

If you want non curry food then chicken liver pate is quick and ideally you make it the day before so it can set.

Cheesecakes are another make before success.

If you want to make a week ahead get some pretty jars, min kilner type work well.

Put a peeled garlic vlove in each then add sliced olives, finely sliced mushroom, capers and fine strips of pepper, top up with olive oil and leave for a week, serve with crust bread and a teaspoon for a starter.

Spicy tray bake, I do this with chicken but you could leave that out.

In a bowl put some veg ooil and add a teaspoon of black pepper, a teaspoon of smoked paprika, a teaspoon of 'spicy season all' (made by shwartz)

Add to the bowl

sliced pepper
sliced onion
sliced mushrooms
par boiled new potatoes if you are not doing a carb separately
You can add other veg but if it's a root veg you need to par boil or it will be like eating rocks.

leave in the fridge overnight, on the day put on a tray, add some cherry tomatoes and bake for 20-25 mins.

Adjust the spicing according to taste.

Beef bourguignon is my go to. It loves resting for a day.

Check out Spice Pots for lots of tasty curry and side dishes and you don't need lots of ingredients! My fave is the Slow Cooker Chicken Korma

www.spicepots.com/blogs/recipes/slow-cooker-chicken-korma

Tagines keep really well and the flavour actually improves with time. You could do Mary Berry’s lamb tagine and a chickpea tagine. Serve with couscous and flatbreads.

@TheKeatingFive

Beef bourguignon is my go to. It loves resting for a day.

Hairy bikers is absolutely gorgeous.

Good thread!

As an extra , finely chop a red onion and leave to marinade in lemon juice and a pinch of salt. I made it as part of a chana masala dish for eating on parathas and it blew my mind. Without wanting to sound pretentious it really elevated the dish. Takes 2 minutes and costs next to nothing too.

I'd go for two vegetable dishes. In my experience the meat eaters often want to try a bit of the veg offering too. Maybe some Bombay potato but made with baby/new potatoes so they absorb the flavours without disintegrating from a second cooking. You could do the second cook on the day in the oven. My local curry house has a dish called gunpowder potatoes that contains new potatoes cooked slowly in an oven. It's like a drier version of Bombay potatoes with a lot of caramelisation. I'm obsessed with it.

My favourite easy prepare the night before dish is
ottolenghi.co.uk/recipes/roasted-chicken-legs-with-dates-olives-and-capers

I serve it with roasted vegetables -also prepped night before, tossed in a little oil and left ready to roast in the tin in fridge overnight.

Both cook in oven at same time then serve with plain couscous - which is simply soaked in boiling water and ready in 4 minutes.

Simple and no fuss on the night.

Moroccan tagine. With cous cous which can be done very quickly on the night. Roasted veg as a side, can be roasted in advance and warmed in the oven. Then garlicky yoghurt.

Lamb shanks are also good as can be mostly cooked in advance then just finished off. Serve with mash or dauphinoise which again could be done in advance and baked on the night

Or pulled pork tacos - but never done it myself

Rice or cous cous can be made to look dinner partyish by putting into a ramekin, squashing down a bit then topping it up, putting a plate over the top of it and holding it in place whilst turning over. Looks very professional.

I like the idea of a cheese and fruit platter

@languagelover96

I like the idea of a cheese and fruit platter

Chocolate and fruit platter. Chocolate and fruit. The cheese gets its own plate later on.

Smoked mackerel pate and melba toast

Boeuf bourguignon, potato gratin and green salad

Fruit pavlova

90% of which can be prepared the day before.