Dinner Parties Level 2 Cooking With Confidence

---

When planning your menu, avoid too many heavy dishes and think about how they go together. Would you fancy eating quiche, followed by pie, followed by tart? Too much pastry, too much stodge!

You might want to choose a theme too, like Italian or Spanish food. Not asking your guests if they have special dietary requirements doesn't make them go away.

Not sure what to cook?

Check with people upfront if there's anything they can't eat and make at least two of the courses suitable for everyone to save you work. If your starter, main course, side dishes and pud all need time in the oven it's going to be tricky. Avoid anything that's going to keep you in the kitchen too long. You don't want to have massive gaps between courses and then emerge from the kitchen flustered, covered in food and having missed half the conversation. You get points for being in tune with the food seasons and you'll be using produce when its flavour is best.

It'll be cheaper too. Avoid a last minute flap by cooking at least one course, from start to finish, at leisure and ahead of time. If you want to do something complicated, that's definitely the one to choose. You'll be surprised at some of the dishes that can be made ahead. Consider each course and think about which bits you can do beforehand. If the answer's nothing, you might want to choose something else.

There are certain dishes that scream 'pro' that are not as difficult as you might think. Your guests won't expect you to have made the little extras.

Cheese straws, spiced nuts, a quick, no-knead bread, ice cream, chutney or chocolate truffles are really easy to make and can be done in advance. We're not suggesting you make all of them but if you add just one of these to your spread you can guarantee people will be impressed. Great presentation can turn a relatively simple dish into something really special.

Top 10 dinner party tips

This Pea, mint and spring onion soup can be made ahead and is served with homemade Parmesan biscuits really easy! There are lots of simple finishing touches you can use to ensure your dishes wow the crowds. Here are a few of our favourite ideas: These are a few of our ideas, tell us what you do to make your dinner parties something special.

Cuisines American Chinese Greek Mexican see more Dishes Pasta Soup Pie Casserole see more Everyday Freezable Batch cooking Cheap eats Leftovers see more Ingredients Fish Fruit Meat Vegetables see more Occasions Sunday lunch Dinner party Afternoon tea Easy entertaining see more Seasonal Spring Summer Autumn Winter see more Vegetarian Iron-rich Vegan Vegetarian barbecue Vegetarian party see more More recipe ideas Cheap eats Courses Slow cooker Cheap cut see more Christmas biscuits Christmas gifts Festive desserts Vegetarian Christmas see more Home Recipes Not sure what to cook?

Pan-frying is one of the easiest ways to make sure that your steak is cooked to perfection. The cooking time will depend on how well-done you like your meat, how thick the cut is, and what type of steak it is. A vinaigrette is a simple French salad dressing made from oil and vinegar in the basic ratio three parts oil to one part vinegar.

Hygiene and proper handling of ingredients like raw chicken are crucial to prevent your meal and month being spoilt by food poisoning. Use separate chopping boards for raw meats and vegetables, and make sure to clean all utensils thoroughly after use. Our guide to weaning - safety, hygiene and storage is also helpful if you are preparing or storing food for a child. Some find it the most satisfying part of a bake, others hate this time-consuming task. This means taking flour and fat and rubbing it between your fingertips until it looks like breadcrumbs.

Easy Asian Dinner Party Cooking Class

Don't be tempted to forgo this crucial baking step. Softened butter and baking parchment are all you need to stop your cake sticking, and with a little know-how, you can successfully line any shape of tin. Put these skills into practice by making a large, fruity Christmas cake. How many of the above skills have you mastered? Let us know how you rate yourself in the kitchen via the comments below Cuisines American Chinese Greek Mexican see more Dishes Pasta Soup Pie Casserole see more Everyday Freezable Batch cooking Cheap eats Leftovers see more Ingredients Fish Fruit Meat Vegetables see more Occasions Sunday lunch Dinner party Afternoon tea Easy entertaining see more Seasonal Spring Summer Autumn Winter see more Vegetarian Iron-rich Vegan Vegetarian barbecue Vegetarian party see more More recipe ideas Cheap eats Courses Slow cooker Cheap cut see more Christmas biscuits Christmas gifts Festive desserts Vegetarian Christmas see more Home Recipes Not sure what to cook?

This part of the website has been a revelation!

I am a classically trained Chef Westminster Hotel School and although I left the catering trade many years ago, I still love to cook. The kitchen tips, tricks and skills I find to be a necessary reminder of the things I have learned over many years but which, through neglect, I have forgotten. Amateur or professional, we all need these reminders to keep our skills up to date. I am very good at all the above and more: I would watch and cook with her any chance i got, she was a brilliant cook.

Be the first to ask a question about this recipe Unsure about the cooking time or want to swap an ingredient? Sign in or create your My Good Food account to join the discussion. Be the first to suggest a tip for this recipe

• Achieve Your Dreams: 26 Quick Keys to Succeed in Life
• Richard Nixon: Rhetorical Strategist (Great American Orators)
• Der kleine Drache Kokosnuss und die Wetterhexe (Die Abenteuer des kleinen Drachen Kokosnuss 8) (Germ
• Sermon Series 3
• Cold Hardy Palm Trees,Bananas and Tropical Plants for almost any Climate
• The Wizard of Oz and Other Narcissists: Coping with the One-Way Relationship in Work, Love, and Fami
• Postcards from Paradise: Romancing Key West