Recipes for a summer lunch party for my birthday!

[Amandella]

I need your collective inspiration please! I don't usually bother with my birthday but this year as it's on a Friday and it's the only day I don't have kids, I thought I'd invite a few of the nice mums that I know who also have Fridays off. Well, it escalated and now there is 9 of us including me (I didn't think they'd all say yes!!)...

Anyway, as my table only seats 8 I have a bit of a problem so I thought i could do a summer buffet type thing - but I want all sorts of EASY, QUICK ideas please as I won't have much time to prepare it all and I want to do something cold so I don't have to worry about it when they are here. Also ideas for drinks - most won't want alcohol (maybe 1 glass) as they will still be doing school runs afterwards.

I was thinking coronation chicken but I don't have a recipe (anyone??).

Any ideas very welcome. Thank you v. much.

Drinks -

Good quality coffee and tea

Elderflower cordial with sparkling water is delicious.

Food -

Veggie quiche and salad
Home made coleslaw
www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/coronationchicken_71917.shtmlCoronation chicken]]
Nice Ham
Crusty bread

Meringues with strawberries and cream.
Cupcakes on one of those tiered plates

arse

Coronation chicken would be perfect IMO. Alternatively, Delia's chicken salad with tarragon and grapes (posted for the zillionth time on here, but I love it)

Also, this is nice and a bit unusual nigella's watermelon, feta and olive salad

I agree with Boysarelikedogs' suggestions, making me feel hungry!

Aaaargh, forgot about Delia's Chicken salad, Lil

Nigella's looks yummy

[rumble rumble]

Amadella, can we come, too ??

and the famous lemon drizzle cake served with mixed berries & cream is a nice pud. Tho I do love meringues.

oooh thank you everyone! How easy/hard are meringues to make? I tried one recipe and a complete disaster... any that you can recommend??

You can have your cake and meringue and eat it!! Nigella does a couple of fab recipes where the sponge is covered with the meringue and then baked together - so what you get is layers - meringue then sponge, then filling - cream / berries - then sponge then the last meringue. Recipe is in Forever Summer - or a lemon curd version in Feast. Done both a few times and both fabulous

I haven't made meringues for a while, but seem to recall that cooking them on a very low oven, turning it off and leaving them to dry out (rather than cook) works best. But might be worth considering buying to save you some work - it is your birthday after all! I was at a dinner last week and shop bought meringues (large ones, like pavlovas) were filled with cream and fruit and they were really very nice. Think they were from Sainsburys.

"in" a low oven, not "on"!!Meant to write "on a very low temperature".

thank you, yes I am thinking that I should just buy them as I really don't think I can be bothered!!

M and S meringue nests are scrummy, 8 in a pack

M&S meringue nests, a big tub of Yeo Valley fruit compote, a few fresh berries and double cream on the top is the easiest and most loved summer pudding I know. And it looks very impressive too (well that's what people have said )

Also - a bag of salad leaves and a tub or two of sun dried tomato salad from M&S is really yummy.

I don't work for M&S incidentally

sounds great!! Thank you!