Dinner party menu ideas with lots of restrictions

[OMGitsnotgood]

Invited several friends to dinner the day before Christmas Eve. The group has a number of dietary requirements between them. Where possible, I'd like to serve the same food to all, tho hapoy to tweak/adapt where necessary.
Don't want to compromise the quality of the meals for those with no allergies etc.
looking for starter, main course, dessert that meet the following:

Gluten free
No cream, butter
No cows milk cheeses and another guest doesn't eat goats cheese
No mushrooms
No mustard
No prawns
No chocolate

The above are all allergies/intolerances. Smoked salmon tends to be over used with this group so would rather avoid.

Having fed this group several times, looking for some new ideas. Want 'dinner party' quality rather than buffet as it is a birthday celebration for one and anniversary celebration for two others. Thanks

I don't eat lamb but went to a dinner party recently where the meat main was Ottolenghi's lamb shawarma - looked impressive and was very well received.

Go Greek.

Is the gluten free person coeliac?

I was thinking middle eastern/Lebanese would suit these requirements.

Rack of lamb with pomegranate, or similar.
For pudding - pannacotta or pavlova using coconut cream?

https://www.greatbritishlife.co.uk/food-and-drink/recipes/22570029.6-great-lamb-recipes-sabrina-ghayour/

https://www.dimitrasdishes.com/greek-style-roasted-leg-of-lamb-with-potatoes/

https://www.mygreekdish.com/recipe/greek-style-roast-pork/

https://www.themediterraneandish.com/baked-greek-fish-psari-plaki/

https://www.glutenfreepalate.com/gluten-free-baklava/

Feta is made from sheep's milk (the authentic stuff) so you can have Greek salad as a side.

I've a great recipe for gluten free shortcrust pastry if you just want to something like a big steak pie and chips?

A roast is the obvious answer but perhaps you are trying to avoid that a few days before Christmas?

Starter- a game terrine or pate with salad and garlicky free croutons/toast - I use the warburtons gluten free tiger loaf, toss in olive oil salt and herbs/crushed garlic and bake

main - hotpot with crispy potatoes on top, or 'chicken and chips' lots of good quality chicken crispy legs and thighs heavily salted/ seasoned served with a variety of roast potatoes/chips/fries and dips, and nice vinegary pickles and slaw on the side.

dessert - gluten free sticky toffee pudding (dead easy to make subbing the flour) with dairy free icecream or dairy free custard

Gawd I feel exhausted even just thinking about your unenviable task.

Genuinely? I’d fuck them all off. Really couldn’t be doing with that level of fuss & faff.

Eggs and nuts are your friend.
So puddings could be
Salted caramel souflee
pecan nut brittle with a type of fruit fool
If u can be bothered you could do a tofu and nut based cheesecake type of pud, flavoured with passionfruit with a raspberry coulis that's just blended frozen raspberries

Starter could be gazpacho soup so u can prep ahead, or a smoked fish pate (smoked mackerel plus fresh garlic, lemon, parsley bit of dairy free plain yoghurt then blended) on gf posh crackers

Pre dinner u could do veg crudités plus homemade made hummus and a roasted aubergine plus garlic blended dip

Mains I'd do as above, probably flavoursome chicken thighs or a venison stew with silky smooth mash and a leafy side salad.

Have you invited all your picky friends the night before Christmas Eve bc you are having all the others round for a proper scan the next day?? 😆
Seriously:
Pate and oatcakes (check properly gf) with nice chutney and maybe a bit of salad
Roasted salmon (I know you said no smoked salmon but a roasted side or stuffed whole one ok?) Look for Japanese or Thai inspired recipes (use tamari instead of soy sauce for gf and be aware fish sauce may contain crustacean)
White rice with wild rice through it
Stir-fried veg or just steamed Savoy cabbage with spring onions and tamari
Champagne jelly with raspberries or other fruit

Or to get away from salmon for the main, slow roasted duck legs with plums and star anise?

Alternatively you could do posh Chinese food, so homemade sweet and sour veg, greens with a black bean and soy sauce, an Asian fusion salad of bamboo and thinly sliced raw sprouts plus a peanut satay and oil dressing, then some deep frelied tofu that you pre marinate in lemon and lime juice
Plus home made "seaweed" of chopped baked kale with a ton of salt and sugar
Then plain rice/coconut rice and gf noodles with gf soy sauce.
I'd do a home made coconut ice-cream with lemon/lime sorbet, maybe some gf tuilles if I was being super fancy

And a load of pre made vegan freezer food eg dumplings, prawn toasts etc

Plus maybe roasted pineapple in a caramelised sauce, or fresh fruit salad

I'd do

Starters - melon with fresh ginger and proscuitto

Mains - A beef curry (Hairy Bikers is nice) with alpro soya yoghurt mint raita (tastes exactly like real dairy once the mint and cucumber are in) with some fragrant spiced rice and spinach and lemon dahl.

For dessert - pears poached with cinnamon and vanilla sticks in sweet wine with vegan vanilla ice cream and almond brittle.

Some of us cook with these kinds of restrictions every day. It's not too much of a hassle once you are used to it, and always happy to help anyone less familiar.

At least none of the guests are following FODMAP - it gets pretty tricky when as well as the list above you also can't use spices, onion, garlic, peas, beans, basically any veg with a skin still on, most fruits or most seeds/nuts.

It sounds like this is a group who regularly eat together and try and be accommodating.

Id serve champagne and canapés to begin with - rather than a formal starter at the table. Blinis / caviar, honey glazed posh pigs in blankets, olives etc types of things. Then Id serve something quite light for the mains - after all, no one wants to go into Christmas with a heavy meal! Ottolenghi is your friend! https://ottolenghi.co.uk/recipes/celebration-rice-with-lamb-chicken-and-garlic-yoghurt-otk-shelf-love

Start with scallops with pea purée. Some scraps of chorizo if you fancy.
Then in the middle of the table a slow roast shoulder of lamb (Jamie O recipe works), salsa verde, hasselback potatoes & veg.
Still contemplating dessert!

An orange, olive oil cake? (With polenta / ground almonds).

I’d do a melon based starter, maybe with pomegranate.

For main how about a Chinese type stir fry. You can serve with rice noodles.

The no Cream/butter, is that a dairy or lactose issue? If lactose then you can get lactose-free cream that whips up nicely. I’m struggling to think of a desert, maybe something meringue based

For main, crispy duck? With gluten-free pancakes

I would do a platter of starters including falafels, smoked aubergines dip, flat breads (easy to make gf) etc. then Tagine and rice.

For dessert poached fruit with dairy free ice cream perhaps

I'd definitely do Chinese-style dishes- lots of options that have rice and no dairy.

Starter Smoked trout (or salmon or mackerel) with Waldorf salad with vinaigrette dressing.
Main Spanish style chicken casserole with olives peppers tomatoes, served with saffron rice.
Or roast porchetta served with mixed green vegetables and olive oil Parmentier potatoes.
Pudding Homemade sorbets, perhaps a champagne and an orange.
Or wine jelly with winter berries.

No, they aren't

You are all amazing, thank you, lots of great ideas. Some I have used in the past but enough for me to get me started on a menu.

Forgot to say no duck - disliked by one of the group. I think other than offal no other dislikes in the group