oh god...celebratory lunch for 15? what? how? why?

[woodstock3]

so i can do the puddings in advance (chocolate tart, easy, and maybe blackberry trifle) and hopefully a starter that's just assembly work (maybe a couple of large platters of tricolore?) but what do i do for a main course for these numbers that is vaguely posh but doesnt require lot of last minute fiddling and can be upscaled for those numbers?
it's a christening lunch. so we will be at church and then coming home and i will have about half an hour while dh is plying family heavily with drink to do the finishing touches. it's in september and would like to be quite seasonal.
most are non-fussy eaters except my legendarily difficult father in law who cant have anything with alcohol in it and doesnt like anything 'too foreign' (hmm). any ideas please?

beef wellington? mustard mash and veg?

Beef wellington would be lovely as prettyladybird suggested, or salmon en croute. Both look impressive, but could be assembled in advance and then cooked while you are eating the starter. But need more info. Main course: do you want hot or cold? one option or several? Will everyone be sat at a table?

Lovely fillet of salmon with new potatoes ad seasonal vegetables.

that also sounds lovely hf128219 (would love to hear the story behind that name!) I'd also consider doing turkey with all the trimmings, it's far enough away from Christmas for it to be unusual?

Turkey and trimmings would be a nightmare - too faffy and you won't have time with christening and so on.

I would do either whole side of salmon option as Soooooooooooo easy, or the one I usually do in winter instead for dinner parties this size, which is shoulder of pork. get a whole shoulder from butcher, glaze with ginger, garlic, pepper, oil (anything you fancy really). Blast it for 30 minutes upside down then turn right way up, cover in foil, turn oven down to mark 2 (even lower, if you dare) and leave in oven for 24 (yes, 24) hours. Turn heat back up for last 20 mins. Serve with mash and red cabbage (both of which I also prepare the day before) Needs absolutely no preparation time on the day, really inexpensive, and everyone really impressed when you bring it all out in one piece and the meat falls off with just a fork.

I'd do everything cold.
Side of salmon, potato salad,grilled peppers, fetta and capers, carrot and pine nut, green salad, goodbread, maybe bbqsome really nice skewered beef too?

My (time-saving) option is to use Waitrose Entertaining for:
a beef joint (sliced)
a ham joint (sliced)
a couple of salads eg coleslaw, tabbouleh.

Add a bowl of decent cherry tomatoes, some crusty bread and have some new potatoes ready to steam, or potato salad.

Cheese board, fruit and a couple of puddings.

Serve buffet style on proper china with nice napkins.

Oh no, never buy coleslaw. Tis laced with Satan's spunk.

I would ordinarily agree(although not in those terms LOL) but I like the Waitrose Entertaining one.

Am v suspicious of Other People's Mayonnaise.

Do you carry your own in your handbag?

Slow roast whole leg of lamb, with garlic and rosemary. Cooks in the oven for 4-5 hours on top of tomatoes, onions, borlotti and cannelini beans and herbs. It literally melts when you serve it as it is so tender. We did this with a poached salmon at my DH's 40th birthday (around 30 people + kids). All I had to do was salads (potatoe, pasta, couscous). And I bought large garlic breads and the puds from Waitrose entertaining.

Slow roast whole leg of lamb, with garlic and rosemary. Cooks in the oven for 4-5 hours on top of tomatoes, onions, borlotti and cannelini beans and herbs. It literally melts when you serve it as it is so tender. We did this with a poached salmon at my DH's 40th birthday (around 30 people + kids). All I had to do was salads (potatoe, pasta, couscous). And I bought large garlic breads and the puds from Waitrose entertaining.

I only eat it in me own home Chippy.

rofl at the coleslaw..
thanks for all the ideas, like the idea of lamb and squiffy am highly impressed by the pork shoulder - but do you need a ginormous oven to accomodate big enough joint?
and does anyone have a recipe for beef wellington? not made it before and mildly nervous about trying something new but i could try a small version before.....

You might need to take your roasting tray to butchers to see if you need him to slice into two if you have a smallish oven.

TBH I make Beef Wellington all the time, but I wouldn't for 15 people. You will either have to make a few small ones or you might have kittens trying to trust the timings if you make a large one.

Regardless of that, you would have to serve with horseradish...if coleslaw is the spunk, then horseradish is surely satan's smegma