Help! Cooking for 6 next weekend and I have no idea what to make.

[pharmachameleon]

We have 6 good friends coming for dinner next weekend and 5 kids. I am fine with the kids food but I'm really stuck with what to cook for the adults. Has anyone got any foolproof recipes that are nice in summer but are fairly easy to make? No veggie-maybe beef or chicken?
It's for my 50th so I'm bloody raging I have to cook but it's just the way it worked out 😂 So I'm trying to think of recipes that are a bit more special but I'm not the best cook so need to be easy. Thanks!

What about lamb? Tom Kerridge has a recipe for slow roast shoulder of lamb on top of boulangere potatoes. It’s really quick to prepare and you just leave it in the oven for hours. And delicious!

Or a curry? Happy 50th!

https://tomkerridge.com/recipes/slow-roasted-lamb-with-boulangere-potatoes/

Coq qu vin is easy
Or a lamb tagine in the slow cooker.

Both look and sound fancier than they are.

Or really easy would be salmon with (packet) hollandaise sauce, new potatoes and some green veg.

Eaton mess for pudding.

Order in from Cook!

https://www.cookfood.net/menu/order

Highly recommend the veg lasagne even if you're not veggie.

I'd do a roast. Loads of extras.

You either go with a good curry type thing or a large salad don't make it difficult for your family .Enjoy yourselves .

I'd do a big one pot sort of thing, like Delia's Basque Chicken. You can make it quite special and I've always found it to be popular. You can make it hours before and it will sit for a while once done, it'svery forgiving. It has a nice summery sort of vibe as well I think!

You could ask your favourite restaurant to cater for you or order takeaway as it’s for a special birthday.
Or have a barbecue- lamb souvlaki, chicken thighs and lots of salads eg: red cabbage, tabbouleh, Greek etc etc. Or do a Kleftiko - easy to prepare and just cooks in the oven for hours. Go to your butchers and ask for lamb shanks add Cyprus potatoes, sliced onions and tomatoes and plenty of seasoning inc lots of oregano put in roasting tin lined with grease proof paper, cover with more grease proof and seal tightly with foil and stick it in the oven

I've got ten tonight - butterflied lamb leg is slow cooking with a garden of oregano, rosemary and thyme.

Will have with a big tomato salad, cucumber, watermelon, mint, hummus and flatbreads.

Roasted pineapple with maple syrup and mascarpone for desert.

• rosé naturally, as long as this sun stays out

Thanks everyone. Sorry I should have said I don't like lamb! I never order it when I'm out for dinner and have never cooked it so I wouldn't know if I've cooked it correctly.
The Delia Basque Chicken or Coq au Vin thing sounds promising. I'll check that out.
Not as promising as Cook though!!! How easy would it be to get a delivery! The food looks lovely. Is there anything you've had before and would recommend @SilverHairedCat?

And those that have suggested curry-I do like a curry but always feel so stuffed afterwards I actually feel sick.
Maybe a Thai curry would be better actually. I don't feel stuffed after a Thai curry.

Leek and crab lasagne https://crabmeat.co.uk/leek-and-crab-lasagne/

Chicken and chorizo paella. Easy to make, tasty and I tend to serve mine with chunks of crusty bread and lurpak with garlic

I am not a great cook, so my go-to catering is a Chinese takeaway, but done restaurant style with nice tablecloth, red napkins, chopsticks, serving plates & bowls, fortune cookies etc.

@Hereallweek that would certainly be hassle free and a crowd pleaser but unfortunately our local Chinese takeaway is not good!
A chicken and chorizo paella sounds nice (however I often cook this midweek so doesn't sound that special). Sorry I'm a nightmare!

BBC Good Food chicken arrabiata with Parmesan dumplings is a winner for everyone, and one of those brilliant recipes which ends up much more delicious and special than you think!

Honestly Nigella's chicken chorizo traybake is fantastic. Chuck everything in the oven pan and that's it. Green salad and some crusty bread. I prepare the trays earlier in the day and then you just pop them in the oven.

Always goes down well!

Turkey steak rolls are cheap easy and can be pre-assembled and cooked at the last minute. Simply shred some spinach and mix into cream cheese. Spread a bit over each turkey steak, roll up, wrap in parma ham and then in foil. Leave in fridge until just before dinner, bake for 30 mins and unwrap to serve. I usually serve with baby jackets (microwave baby potatoes for 8 minutes, then bung in oven with a bit of butter whilst he turkey cooks) and a medley of green veg eg tenderstem, peas mangetout.

Eton mess also very easy to prepare in advance - bash up some meringues in servin bowl, chop up strawberries and mix with whole raspberries in another bowl and leave to marinate in a little chambord. Whisk up a carton of double cream in a third bowl. Just before you take the turkey out of the oven mix the whole lot together and leave to stand whilst you ea the first course. (Don't pre assemble too early as the fruit juices will melt the meringue,

What would you say was your favourite cuisine. It's your birthday and you're hosting so cook something you love!

Chicken tray bake, ideal for adults and kids!

Chicken thighs (bone in) a butternut squash chopped up smallish but no need to peel, new potatoes cut in half, peppers cut into big chunks, peeled gloves of garlic (cut if large), courgettes also largish chunks. Toss in a little oil, sprinkle with Cajun spice blend and some oregano, roast for 45 minutes until the squash and potatoes are nearly cooked, drizzle with honey and return to the oven for 5 minutes.prepare before anyone arrives and all you have to do is shove in the oven. Serve with a lightly dressed green salad and sour dough bread with aioli.

As far as doing different food for the kids, unless they are toddlers i wouldn't, mine absolutely hated this

@londonmummy1966 sounds delicious. I am definitely cooking an Eton mess for dessert-it's my staple dessert 😂
Can I ask a question about the Delia Basque chicken thing? The recipe is for a chicken jointed. Eek! Wouldn't know where to start with that. Plus how do I scale it up for 6? I'm clueless!

I don't think you can go wrong with a fillet of beef for a special occasion. Would you be confident to put it on the BBQ. This fillet of beef with horseradish butter is incredibly simple but as long as you've got piece of meat, it will speak for itself. It has the advantage of being suited to serve with salads that could be made in advance.

@AtleastitsnotMonday I love Thai food but find that tricky to cook at home.
We get Hello Fresh for our family dinners and love most of the food we get from it. However it would be good to try something a bit more special.

Green thai chicken curry
Jasmin rice
Flatbreads
Green bean salad

Dessert....
Tart au citron, fresh fruit, cheese platter

You could substitute the same weight of whole chicken legs OP.