Menu ideas for a weekend away

[5foot5]

We will shortly be going away for a long weekend with other family members and we have agreed we will take it in turns to cook.

Other couple are cooking on the first night, I believe they are doing fish. On Sunday we will be eating out at a nearby pub, so that will probably be a traditional roast. We will do the meal on Saturday night and I am looking for ideas.

Want to do something really nice but not too time consuming as we will doubtless be out during the day so don't want to spend hours cooking.

Can't assume any special equipment will be available.

We will be taking everything with us when we drive up on Friday, we have cool bags and boxes.

Canapés for a starter would be preferred, then a main and dessert.

No fussy eaters or special dietary requirements but one of the people is in his 90s and has quite a small appetite so we need to be able to give him a smaller portion.

Would love to hear your menu suggestions. Thanks

A lasagne, maybe? It's east to prep it beforehand if you're going to be out all day and then pop it into the oven for a reheat when you get back. You can do a hearty one with red meat or a lighter chicken version depending on tastes. And it can be cut into whatever size portions people like.

You can start with a caesar salad and nibbles (olives, cheese cubes) that won't take long to prep, serve the lasagne with garlic bread and then probably something light after a pasta main (like berries and cream) would be lovely.

I’d do the same as @stormywhethers321 if that is feasible.

If not, can you make a casserole to take with you and serve with rice and broccoli.

Entree of smoked salmon and cream cheese on blini.

Dessert - cake that you have already made and bring from home - whatever is your specialty

I would make a huge pot of butter chicken curry, you can prep or even make it beforehand. Only thinking this as I made it for last nights dinner and it was so nice, a regular in our house. People can have as little or as much as they like.

Have a lovely weekend

Oh sorry, I'd make lemon possets for dessert 👍🏼

There's a really tasty looking spag Bol recipe on bbc good food which I'm dying to try - quite simple . How about something like that with a nice red wine and garlic bread ?

Do you have a slow cooker?

Pick some meat - I like pork but chicken works well, but skinless. So chicken breasts, pork steaks, pork ribs or what ever you fancy.

Put the meat in the slow cooker with

Tinned chopped tomatoes.
Finely chopped onions.
Red wine.
Seasoning of choice - smoked paprika works well.
Sliced peppers.
Cherry tomatoes and I like to add a few pieces of chorizo.

Add boiling water to cover the meat. and leave on all day.

Serve with steamed veg when you get home.

Or, again using a slow cooker put a whole chicken in, squeeze some lemon juice over it and leave - serve with salads.

Goat’s cheese and honey figs followed by harissa prawns (I actually use a Tom Daley recipe which might be somewhere on the web), and finally baked peaches

Oh thanks all. Some lovely ideas here. I do have a slow cooker too so casserole sort of ideas would fly. DH is the lasagne expert in our house so t is worth putting that one past him. All ideas would be possible to portion appropriately

A starter I did last week was mozzarella wrapped in courgette.

Ingredients
oil / oil spray
1 courgette per 2 people
mozzarella
grated parmesan

Slice the courgette lengthways as finely as you can, I used potato peeler.

Put in a colander with salt for 30 mins then dry off

Oil a baking dish/sheet.

Tear off a bit of mozzarella (about the size of a hazelnut) wrap in the courgette and place on the sheet.

Keep going until there is no more left, then sprinkle with the parmesan and sprinkle some oil over - bake for 10 mins.

Lamb leg in the slow cooker with garlic, cumin, cinnamon, pinch of chilli, salt and pepper, chickpeas, some chopped dried figs and apricots and preserved lemons, a tin of chickpeas and one of tomatoes.
Leave it on low all day and then you only need to do couscous to serve.
Poached pears with ice cream and nuts
Cheese board

Love the sound of that slow cooked leg of lamb. I will try that one day even if it isn't for the weekend away. Poached pears for the dessert sound nice but I will have to make them two days ahead

You could get a pork belly from the butchers and put it in the oven on low all day whilst you're out, then before serving whack up the heat to crackle the top. Serve with jarred apple sauce, mash and a veg (I love red cabbage with pork).