Mumsnet users share who they'd invite for dinner after lockdown with Barilla

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Lockdown measures are still firmly in place and getting together with friends and family can feel like a distant memory, and it’s easy to daydream about what we’ll do once our daily lives begin to resemble our old version of normality again, including inviting friends or family over. With that in mind, Barilla would like to hear about how you’ve hosted and socialised during lockdown and who you’re most looking forward to welcoming into your home for a big bowl of pasta once this is over.

Have you missed hosting family and friends? Watch Barilla’s cookalong from last week and create a virtually () perfect Italian night with Gennaro Contaldo.

Here’s what Barilla has to say: “Italians love nothing more than getting friends and family around to share good food and good times. Barilla is the biggest family pasta-maker in Italy, so we’re proud to be right at the heart of those moments. Lots of people have been eating our authentic pasta on lockdown, all around the world. But we know the key ingredient is the other people around the table. So we’ve been looking for ways to help people play host – even if that means, for now, doing so at a distance.”

How are you hosting or taking part in social events during lockdown? Perhaps you’ve been hosting quizzes with friends, taking part in virtual cook alongs or group Zoom calls? Are you eager to host a dinner party with friends once this is over, or to simply have your sister over for drinks once the kids have gone to bed?

All who post below will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £200 voucher towards a weekly food shop (from a supermarket of your choice) provided by Barilla.

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

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I'd invite my parents and friends and family to a bbq in our garden so that we can all catch up and have fun and laugh together.

I'd love to have all my girlfriends over for a massive sharing feast with loads of Prosecco. All my best mates are keep workers (police and medical) and I miss them all dearly. I can't wait to have the all around a table again

I can't wait to have friends over for a meal and drinks!

My mum, she has really missed us, and we have missed her x

My village friends who are missing the girly meet ups with a glass of wine over a whine x

My mum and Mil we are all missing each other. They have both been in lockdown on their own and my DM is shielding. Its still a while off but cant wait to spoil them with lovely food and wine though it will take some restraint not to hand over my 3x dc and bugger off. They would probably not mind as missing the dc especially dd 8monthsn

Really looking forward to getting together with friends again. We've had plenty of video calls but it's just not the same. Last summer we had so many long days and late nights on the beach with bbq etc while kids all ran around together. We were meant to be going on a big group camping trip this year and that's what I'd love to do when/if normality resumes.

I have four besties.
We get together once a month to make art, create, gossip, share our lives, hug, cry and laugh...a LOT.

And then share lunch together and just enjoy the food and praise C
And compliment whoever made it. And laugh a bit more

I miss them

Given the number of food and cookery programmes that we're watching I'm going to invite James Martin, Monica Galetti and the Hairy Bikers please.

My mum and dad. I haven’t done any virtual dinner parties or zoomed anything meal related..just trying to get through the days. Ideally I’d like someone else to cook my dinner as I haven’t had a day since March where I’ve not cooked for my family..

Definitely my mum, my mother in law and my best friend, they will all be fighting to get first cuddles with our baby girl!

My friends who each live alone, so they can have some company, and so I can dilute the madness of my toddler

I’m not a big cook but would love to have our friends who live across the road over for a BBQ; burgees, sausages, salads and Pimms and lemonade! At the moment we can only smell each other’s BBQ’s cooking! We will enjoy it all the more in the future. As well as our annual street party with bring and share dinner!

I am desperate to see my mum and sister. It's been a tough couple of months for us, my relationship ended and my gran died just before lockdown, we have been unable to really grieve properly together so a big night in with some really great food and decent wine to raise a glass to gran.

My parents the children have really missed hugging them and face times haven't been the same.

Everyone in the family who could not attend a recent family funeral in their honour as she was a great host and her ease at cooking for a great number of people was amazing!

Vanessa Feltz
Love everything about her.
Interesting, articulate and intelligent.

I'd like dinner with the lovely Stephen Fry. He could show me his tie collection and read poetry to me after dessert. I'd cook him a lovely pie, followed by crumble and custard because I bet he likes comfort food.

I'm looking forward to having parents over, more for the children than us. They are missing their grandparents. Technically we could have them now but not sure....

Andrew Graham Dixon for keeping me sane during lockdown with his fascinating art history documentaries.

When this is over I'm looking forward to having my mum come visit.
She lives all the way up in the Highlands of Scotland. She managed to see my baby in January just after he was born, but she was due to visit again in March and the lockdown happened.

She's already promised that the second she can she will be coming down again. By that time my son will be starting to wean so we will all be around the table having a meal together. I'm really looking forward to it.

Who would I invite for dinner?
Well, Mr Johnson of course. I've been longing to try out my new dandelion and hemlock recipe. 😏😇

And once he was out of the way, sorry, I mean that was out of the way I would invite next door but one for dinner because they've been superstars throughout this awful time and before. 🙂

My sister and her other half. They haven't been able to be together due to shielding and I know my sister is really low about this.

My partner's parents - they are too far aware to visit on a day trip and love good wine and cheese. Once the lock down is over they can stay the night and we'll have a lovely dinner!