A nice hot lunch recipe for the PILs' visit?

[MrsJamin]

PILs are coming for lunch along with a few siblings-in-law, so we'll have about 6 adults (and 1 yr old DS) - I just don't know what to make for lunch that's

• easy
• hot (i.e. not summer food)
• semi-fancy (looks like I make some kind of effort in the kitchen)
• quick and/or can be prepared in advance so I'm not faffing around in the kitchen all morning.

I thought of home-made soup but I don't know what else to serve with it that would make it a proper meal in itself. Ideas please!!

Chicken pie

Salmon steaks with new potatoes

Beef Bourgignon

Lasagne - I often make it in advance, even the day before and then just pop it in the oven.

What kind of soup were you going to make? I often do a potato soup with a hint of curry and frankfurter sausages in it(pop them in at the last minute). Delicious and a bit more filling than just soup on it's own.

Gulash is another easy dish that you can prepare earlier, served with fresh French bread.

Vegetable and lentil soup is great, served with fresh crusty bread and then a slice of apple pie for pudding.

If PIL are meat eaters and prefer eat, you can add some choritzo to it.

Beef (and choritzo) stew - get stewing steak, diced, coat in flour, fry off quickly to seal in flavour. put into a large heavy oven pan (le crueset or similar if you have it) with shallots/quartered small onions, chunks of carrot, whole chestnut mushrooms, stock (we use wine, alcohol cooks off so fine for children but you can leave it out if you prefer), bouquet garnet and couple bayleaves.

In the oven for 4 hours, stir/add more stock as required, if you want choritzo in it, add after 2 hours. Serve with mash/crusty bread.

This is fab as you can do it the day before, or early in the morning and leave it in the oven until you are ready to serve.

thanks all, some good ideas. I'm going to go with home-made pizza with salad after all that!