Waitrose web series: add your tips and questions on the ultimate dinner party and have the chance to win £100 of Waitrose vouchers

[GeraldineMumsnet]

Mumsnet are working with Waitrose to produce a six-episode web TV series that will launch in September and they want your feedback to help shape this episode on cooking for the ultimate dinner party.

What's your secret weapon that amazes at dinner parties? How do you manage to produce a great meal but still enjoy yourself?

Whether you're offering advice or looking for it, please post here and we'll try and take the best tips and questions and build some of them in to the microsite where the web TV series is going to be shown.

Everyone who takes part in this or any of the Waitrose threads will be entered into a draw to win £100 of Waitrose vouchers.

And if you want to star in the web series, you can find out more and volunteer here.

[TitsalinaBumsquash]

A cheese course is a great idea if you know how to do it properly, you have to start mild and work up in flavour and strength, if you give your guests a Stilton first they will not taste any of the other Cheese!

If all else fails for dessert, do an aaray of chopped fruit and get a chocolate fountain but make sure its really good chocolate the 70% Cocoa stuff!

[WibblyPigRocks]

A whole baked Camembert looks impressive as a starter and is simply delicious served with some crostini and marinated olives. Everyone can just dig in, like a fondue, and it takes very little preparation - which is always nice!!

An MNer once suggested Eton Mess to me as an easy dinner party dessert and it was wonderful. I made sure I bought freshly made meringue from a good deli and served it in layers in a pretty glass. Perfect!!

It's nice to put effort into making something special for your guests but there is nothing worse than going to a dinner party and not seeing the host because they are stuck in the kitchen all night. However, if the MIL is on the guest list, then I suddenly find a burning desire to make something like souffle. "Gosh, I hardly spoke to you all night, what a shame, but I do hope you enjoyed the food..."

[Sassyfrassy]

I like make your own kinda meals with guests. I often make langos, which is a hungarian recipe, it's a bread dough made with potatoes which you deep fry and then the guests choose themselves what to put on top. It's scrumptious with toppings like cheese and ham, or for the more posh party, caviar and sour cream.

[sjwfrance]

Oh I just love dinner parties - what a great way to indulge my favourite hobbies .... cooking, friends, fun and laughter!

I think the best meals are those that don't take you away from the guests too much - so beef bourginon, lasagne and a chicken layered with ratatouille are my specialities.

I adore making and indulging in puddings and usually go to town on these. Anything from chocolate fudge cake to cheesecake, to tiramisu .... I've even been known to make homemade truffles to serve with coffee.

One of my most impressive and best cheats is an appetiser or party snack. Get a loaf of brown bread. Roll out each slice till its thin and no longer resembles bread! Cut out tart like disks and place them in an oiled tart tin. Use Frylight or brush a little oil on the top too and bob in the oven for 5 minutes until brown and crisp. Once the tarts are made they can be filled with cold fillings like cream cheese, prawn cocktail, pickles .... or made into mini pizzas by smearing with tomato puree and adding chopped mushrooms, ham and grated cheese. They look sooooo impressive, are dead easy to make and taste yummy!

[toothpicker]

Oh, maybe something tasty.

Pea & ham soup



Homemade Venison Pie with roast potatoes



White chocolate roulade with cherries & dark chocolate ice-cream

Can someone please cook me dinner I am hungry

[JulesJules]

Oh, I was going to say Eton Mess too - tastes fab and so easy. Made some the other day using home grown blackcurrants and blueberries, bought meringue nests (were gooey in the middle, which is essential) and lashings of softly whipped cream. Num num.