Inspiration needed for dinner party from hell

[artifarti]

My lovely friends are coming round on Friday. Now, whilst they are lovely, they are also a PITA to cook for. After years of this, I am running out of ideas. Help!

The food has to be:

Vegetarian (can be fish and thank heavens the seafood hater isn't coming so it can also be prawns etc.)
Gluten-free (one is a coeliac)
Not too spicy (one has IBS)
Easy for me to cook as I have a 10 month old so can't prep much during the day and have to put him to bed at 7.

The vegetarian also prefers dairy-free but will eat cheese 'if it's from happy cows' .

At least none of them are pregnant this time.

Help!

Don't cook - do fancy salad/buffet bits. They can eat celery and lettuce leaves, you can eat what you want. You can do it in advance and fit in the putting together around the infant's bedtime.

Delia might have some salady suggestions.

I would probably do prawns in garlic and butter to start with bread for dipping/a gf roll. Or sardines? Baked Camembert if your dairy free friend will eat it.

Maybe red snapper for a main? Serve with roasted veg - vine tomatoes, peppers, red onion, mushrooms etc cooked in balsamic vinegar or cooked in rosemary and garlic/your fav herbs.

Meringue with berries and optional cream for pudding?

I would probably get my friends to bring a lunchbox if they were all so fussy, well done for trying!

Could you do tapas? A lot of that can be bought and artfully presented with a couple of dishes that you cook yourself for the Brownie points. You could do things like:

hummus
salads
olives
grill some prawns with garlic
bruchetta (sp?)
roast some vegetables
a tortilla if you fancy

That way anyone who has issues can just avoid the offending items. And it's quiet light and fun for summer and goes very well with a bottle of wine or two.

lol riven

is it asparagus season? could start with asparagus

then do some fish (I love fresh mackerel or lemon sole but there are others that are more interesting!) with boiled pots and veg (can put the fish in foil in the oven so is easy)

puds are not too difficult but I'd do something easy in advance (I'd settle for ice cream in this weather!)

Thanks everyone. Some good ideas here. Right now I am knackered liking Riven's idea to get a takeaway - that's what one of them always does when we go to his place anyway!

I'm having food for friends which is Pizza and garlic bread, folllowed by strawerries and cream

Pizza and garlic bread are out, alas, because of the no-wheat rule. But fruit and cream for pudding is definitely a winner, I think (and it is Wimbledon, after all).

I am noting down these ideas because I am doing lunch on Monday for a veggie gluten-free friend and her family and my meat-loving husband and fussy discerning children.

Anybody got any ideas for something rice-based?

I posted this thread twice by accident and on the other thread someone suggested risotto (which is a great idea but what I always cook for them!)

Paella? or in your case procrastinatingparent veggie paella (I have a recipe)

Liking this risotto/veggie paella thing ...

TPL - would be very grateful for your recipe.

procrastinatingparent - spicy butternut squash risotto a nice one, that meat-eating blokes also seem to like. Unfortunately it is off my menu because of the spice...

Will post it later pcp..

hi arti do you need a dessert?

have posted a delicious apple crumble cake tonight. really easy to make, need a food processor and a peeler !

looking forward to july

seafood risotto.
OR if that takes too long, get some Orgran gluten-free pasta and do seafood pasta. We use the rice & millet one, which is becoming increasingly hard to find in supermarkets but is still usually available in Holland & Barrett. DH prefers it to normal pasta now (I'm the one with the problem, not him!)

Thanks aristocat but I'm guessing that has wheat flour in so is a no-no. They are getting strawbs and cream (except for DP who insists on something chocolatey and it's his birthday so I can't tell him to bugger off say no). [Am also counting down days to July!]

Tapas for mains, the majority of which I am lovingly buying from Sainsburys preparing by hand.

ooooooooh forgot you needed gluten free sorry!

but you can get GF flour, Doves farm do loads of different types, including GF plain flour that makes fab pastry, so I expect it would make good crumble too - and Doves Farm also have recipes on their website.
Doves Farm stuff is in most supermarkets and H&B.