Informal dinner party - winter food, but not Christmas dinner! Ideas?!

[pippabg]

Having a couple over for dinner. We both have babies and so they're coming late afternoon/early evening and I don't want to commit to doing anything elaborate! This meant to happen a few months ago when the weather was a lot warmer, and now I'm struggling to think of good winter food that's not just your standard evening meal (sausages/cottage pie), but isn't a Christmas roast!

Any ideas mumsnetters? Would be very grateful!

I’d do some lovely braised steak in a rich gravy. You can choose mash or roasts then.

For friends over for causal dinner I tend to make a pan of chilli the day before (it always tastes nicer the next day imo), and on the day make some rice and serve with shop bought tacos, guacamole, sour cream, etc.

Nice and easy and if it gets cancelled last minute (which can sometimes happen when babies are involved!) it can be easily portioned up and frozen.

Venison casserole, baby roast potatoes, greens.

Followed by cheese board.

Lasagne, salad, garlic bread.

Agree with lasagne or chilli. Or some sort of slow cooker casserole. A tray bake perhaps?

Slow cooker stew, marinated chicken thighs, toad in the hole. I’m hungry now!

Rick Stein's kleftiko with lots of lemon juice cooks over potato wedges and you can leave it cooking all afternoon.

Or slow cooker lamb joint with Moroccan spicing, veg and chickpeas; all the sides can be made the day before (flatbreads, couscous, whipped feta etc).

Beef bourguignon, mash and green beans? Easy to chuck in the oven or slow cooker once it's prepped.

agree with the beef in red wine/ale type posts. Mash and veg, super easy and delicious.

Slow cooker ham served with a leek and cheesy mash. I found this recipe on Twitter and it's delicious. Sweat some diced leaks, add stock powder and a little milk and put in the bottom of a big lasagne type dish. Sprinkle with grated cheese then top with mash and more cheese. Bake. It can be prepped well in advance or even frozen in a foil tray before baking.

What about something with sausages and lentils? Warming and hearty:

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/lincolnshire-sausage-lentil-simmer

Yeah some kind of red meat and red wine or stout casserole maybe with a pastry top or dumplings.

What about doing something like a seafood lasagne? Can be made in advance. Easy to serve and a bit out of the norm.

https://www.sainsburysmagazine.co.uk/recipes/mains/tom-kerridge-slow-roast-lamb-with-boulangere-potatoes

This!
https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/recipes/sticky-duck-with-shallots-parsnips

Always goes down a treat.

Thai curry with jasmine rice? Nice and warming and quick and easy to make (just use shop bought thai curry paste and a tin of coconut milk. Add in diced chicken and any veg you like

Festive fries!

Essentially chuck the components of a Xmas dinner on top of a load of crispy fries - pigs in blankets, cooked chicken/turkey, stuffing chunks. Then melt over Brie or raclette and top with cranberry sauce or gravy.
Serve with veg or salad to make it more substantial.

Hungarian goulash! Simple, and it takes about an hour and a half in the oven - leaving plenty of time to get the table set etc. It is oven to table and only needs rice and some green veggies to go with. I use Waitrose's recipe (Google it), but recommend at least tripling the paprika amount - I use smoked and hot. You can also make it ahead and warm up to serve.

Wow, thank you very much all! Didn't expect so many responses. Lots of great ideas!