Panicking now. Running out of time. What do I cook? Tell me! Posh(ish) dinner for 5.

[BroccoliSpears]

Argh!

I have in laws coming. I need an evening meal. They are real foodies and a bit snobby. I want to impress them (I know, I know, but that's a whole other thread).

Last time they came I cooked a fantastic meal - you know when you're lucky and everything turns out perfectly? I did stuffed moroccan lamb, tabouleh and tagine of yam and squash. Now they think I'm a good cook, so I need to do something good again.

I've reached the stage where I'm just panicking and not thinking clearly and I need someone to TELL me what to do. And a pudding. Posh(ish) but not too faffy as have a newborn and a toddler who's not at nursery at all and am BFing a lot so not got masses of time.

Potted crab with rocket salad and melba toast.

Saltimbocca with parsnip and potato mash, with veg of your choice.

Molten fondant mocha pudding with cream and raspberries.

I'll post recipes if you want to do any off these.

Eton mess for pud. Super easy.

i have an easy chocolate recipe

you can make now and leave in the fridge until you are ready to cook them

they always work IME

if you are breastfeeding, have a toddler and a newborn, they should be making you dinner!

Chicken with porcini and marsala wine - it's my standby for 'food that looks posh but is piss-easy to make'

Potted crab
. I make clarified butter rather than just plain melted butter.

Veal saltimbocca

Fondant mocha pudding

Dead easy = Jamie's Salmon wrapped in parma ham with minty puy lentils

These are fab. Thank you all. Feeling calmer.

Have JUST managed to get the baby to sleep, lucked out that the toddler is still napping, shuffled through these recipes, made a couple of decisions and...

... the Sainsburys website is closed for maintenance!!!!! Argh. I was halfway through a shop too. I shall weep if it is lost.

fillet steak is quick and goes down well with a caser salad - ready prepared on?

strawbs and cream?

I'd do something that I can prepare and then heat when I'm ready or can just sit in the oven without attention. Maybe a leg of lamb or a good chicken, marinated in spices etc (could either do a yoghurt and Indian spice paste or just rosemary and garlic or parsley and lemon). Shove in oven, remove when ready. Serve it with something like this: which can be prepared and then just heated on the hob at the end. A nice fresh salad (bag of, if no time) and some fresh bread is all you need with those two.

Get antipasti for starters - salami, olives, breadsticks and some lovely fruit for pudding with cream/ice cream and that would all be so quick to do.

I do the bean thing with chickpeas instead and I think it's nicer.

lamb on offer at tesco at the mo

Lamb is also really really good roasted over a tin of thinly sliced layered potatoes, directly on the oven shelf so the juices drip onto the potatoes. Do twice as many potatoes as you think you need as they are meltingly gorgeous done like this. Again, all you would need is a salad with that. I am making myself hungry with all this food talk.

that sounds really nice lucile - am going to try that one

It's gorgeous out of all proportion to the effort involved (especially if you have one of those mandolin things for slicing). I have even served it to potato-haters who loved it. If it looks like it's burning you can chuck a bit of stock/water/wine in and/or cover with foil.