by Mary Berry
Remember to make a note if a dish can’t be served straight away – roasted meats, for instance, need 15–20 minutes to rest before you carve them, and some tarts are tricky to cut when hot. Check, too, that you’ll have enough room in your oven or on your hob and that you won’t be trying to finish off too many dishes at once.
CHOOSING WHAT TO SERVE
When choosing a first course, look at your menu as a whole. If you’re serving fish as a main course, offer a meat or vegetarian dish as your starter, and vice versa. A simple first course is good before a more elaborate main course – you don’t want to spoil people’s appetites or fill them up before the meal has barely begun. But a rich or elaborate starter is fine before a simple main course.
A platter of tasty ingredients passed around the table makes a sociable starter. If you’re serving 12, prepare two individual platters. If your guests are going to be standing up to eat, dot several platters around the room so they can help themselves.
A buffet usually consists of one or two main courses, with a selection of side dishes and a choice of puddings. Take care what dishes you serve together – most guests will want to sample everything, and poached salmon might not be the perfect partner for chicken tikka masala.
HOT OR COLD?
A cold first course makes life easy when you’re serving large numbers of people and is ideal in summer. Hot soup is perfect in winter, but bear in mind that if you’re working singlehandedly it can be trickier than you think to serve soup to a crowd – it has to be piping hot, as have the bowls you pour it into. Again, look at your menu as a whole. You might feel more relaxed if you know one course is made, ready to take out of the fridge and serve.
Cold buffets are easier because almost everything can be prepared ahead. However, we always serve warm new potatoes or jacket potatoes, even at a cold buffet.
WORK OUT THE SCHEDULE
Although you don’t want to keep your guests hanging around, you don’t want to hurry proceedings either. If you’re not serving a starter, seat people before you bring out your main course. If you are serving a starter and your main course needs reheating, do it while you’re eating the first course. Remember to allow 15–20 minutes for roast meats to rest before you carve them. Reheat your pudding, if necessary, while you’re eating the main course.
ASK FOR HELP IF YOU NEED IT
If you think you’ll need help at some point during the party, make sure you line up volunteers in plenty of time. You might need someone to take people’s coats and bags, for instance, or someone to go round with a plate of canapés or a bottle of wine. If you have any last-minute cooking to do, you might well appreciate a helping hand in the kitchen, too, even if it’s only asking someone to toss the salad. But beware of enlisting too much help – people could end up getting in your way.
TABLE TALK
Since you’re pulling out the stops with the food, it makes sense to go to a little extra effort with the table decorations. Use your most impressive china, arrange fresh flowers in a vase, and light the candles before your guests come to the table to sit down. Easy-to-use LED fairy lights also give a lovely mood.
IT’S ALL IN THE DETAILS
One of the lovely things about entertaining is sitting down after your guests have gone and looking back at the day, thinking of all the little things that went well. It could be how succulent the lamb was, how pretty the flowers looked on the table, and how happy people looked as they stood around and chatted. That’s why we think that setting the scene is so important – joyful memories for you and joyful memories for them.
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PREPARING A FEAST
The best way to stop last-minute panics is to prepare as much as you can, and do so well ahead of time. Follow these tips and you’ll be able to relax and enjoy the company of your guests, knowing everything is in hand.
Before you start any of the cooking, clear a space next to your cooker and lay out all the equipment you’ll need – knives, utensils, oven gloves, a kitchen timer. Try to think of everything. Make space on a counter and pile the serving platters on it. Don’t forget dishes for sauces and a basket for bread. Sort out all the plates, bowls, cutlery, napkins, and serving utensils you’ll require and place them on your dining table or buffet table. If you’re serving food hot, have the plates or bowls ready to pop in the oven to heat through.
DEFROSTING FOOD
If you’ve frozen food ahead of time, it’s important to defrost (thaw) it completely before cooking. We always advise defrosting in the fridge because it’s the safest method of doing it. Overnight should be fine for small dishes, but a large deep dish can take up to two days. If time is against you, however, you can defrost non-meat and non-fish dishes at room temperature for a maximum of six hours. Once thawed, transfer to the fridge until needed. Never defrost in a warm oven or warm cupboard – the risk of attracting bacteria is high.
Transfer food into polythene bags or plastic containers to keep it in the fridge or freezer – they make better use of the limited space available.
WHEN TO BRING OUT THE PARTY BITES
• Don’t bring out your canapés until most of your guests have arrived. You don’t want them all to have been gobbled up by the time everyone gets there.
• Start with your most stunning party bite – just like the curtain going up at the theatre, this is your signal that the action is about to commence.
• To begin with, serve one kind of canapé per plate or platter, so you can keep track of which guests have had what.
• Once the party bites have started to disappear, pass around mixed plates or platters instead of half-empty ones – these can look rather sad and uninviting.
• Allow 45 minutes to an hour for guests to enjoy their canapés before you serve your first course or main course. Don’t rush things – you want to keep the atmosphere relaxed.
• At a drinks party you expect to last for 2–3 hours, serve the party bites for a couple of hours and then wind down.
• As a sign that it’s knocking-off time and the curtain’s about to come back down, we serve something sweet – brownies or cupcakes presented in paper truffle cases.
BUFFETS
• Prepare all the dishes to serve the number of people you have coming. If you make them any smaller, there’s the risk that some will run out. People will go back for second helpings, and any leftovers can be kept in the fridge for a few days or frozen.
• Make portions attractive and small. With guests tucking into more than one dish, you don’t want to overwhelm them. We score suggested serving portions on the top of large dishes such as pies and lasagnes.
• If you’re serving a whole ham, carve a few slices to get people going.
• If you’re offering a first course at a formal meal, serve it at the tables where guests will sit.
DRINKS
At a buffet, set the drink and glasses out on a separate table. Site it well away from the door – the first thing guests generally do at a party is pour themselves a drink and you don’t want them blocking the entrance to the room.
TEA
• Bake scones on the day. If you do have to prepare them in advance, freeze them and then gently reheat in a low oven once defrosted. At a buffet, serve them with bowls of jam and cream (there’s no need for butter) for guests to help themselves. Otherwise top them before you serve them.
• Although you can ice cakes ahead, the icing will be at its shiniest if you do it on the day itself. Provide forks with iced cakes as they can be messy to eat with your hands.
• Depending on the filling you’re using, most sandwiches can be prepared up to a day ahead. Kept correctly, they will taste as fresh as the moment you made them. Other sandwiches, such as cucumber and tomato, are best made no more than 10 hours ahead. For more on this, turn to Sandwiches.
• Offer fresh herb teas, mint from the garden, or infused herbal.
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ON THE DAY
It’s the day of you
r feast and the countdown’s on. If you’ve prepared ahead and kept well organized, the pressure shouldn’t be too intense. It’s now time to make the final preparations. Here’s what to keep in mind right before – and during – the party.
No matter how much you are able to prepare in advance, there will still be plenty to do on the day itself. Before your guests arrive, lay the table, set out the drinks, arrange flowers in vases, and light candles.
LAY THE TABLE
If you’re having a buffet, arrange a stack of plates or bowls at one end of the table, with the cutlery and napkins at the other end. The flow of traffic can go from right to left or from left to right, depending on the layout of your room.
For a large sit-down meal, it’s a good idea to have a seating plan. For special occasions, you might want to have name cards. If it’s a family affair and you have young children, get them to decorate the cards for you. If you’re having flowers in the centre of the table, arrange them in low vases so that people can still see each other and chat.
Think about the lighting, perhaps using lamps or candles to create a warm, relaxing atmosphere. Music can help to set the scene, too.
WARM THE PLATES AND PLATTERS
Plates must be piping hot for food you’re serving hot. Platters may need heating, too. The easiest way to do this is in a low oven or in the warming oven of the Aga. If your oven’s already in use, you could either run them through a quick wash in the dishwasher (there’s no need for any detergent) or stack them over a pan of simmering water. Swap them around every so often so they all get hot. Hot plates and hostess trolleys may not be high fashion any more, but they will certainly come in handy if you have one.
TASTE THE FOOD
In the same way that you taste food as you’re making it, it’s important to taste it again before you serve it. Adjust the seasoning, if need be – that way, you can present it with confidence.
SERVING PARTY BITES
If you’ve kept the canapés in the fridge, take them out about an hour before you want to serve them so they have a chance to come up to room temperature. The flavours will improve as a result. When serving hot canapés, work out timings carefully in advance – you don’t want to keep people waiting. Nor do you want everything in the oven at once. Allow a little time for them to cool down before you take them out to serve.
SERVING COLD FOOD
If you’ve prepared food ahead and kept it in the fridge ready to serve cold, transfer it to platters just before serving. If you want to cover the platters with cling film, make sure it’s only lightly secured under the rim – when too tightly wrapped, it can be time-consuming to remove and there’s always the risk of damaging the arrangement as you do so.
PORTION CONTROL
Whether you’re serving individual plates of food or letting guests help themselves, it’s important to keep an eye on the size of the portions. If you’re serving guests, make sure the portions are a sensible size – you don’t want to overwhelm people by putting too much on their plate to begin with. They can always have more. If you’re serving food on platters for guests to help themselves, don’t provide outsized utensils – they may seem practical, but guests will make full use of them and the food will be gone in no time.
KEEPING FOOD HOT
It is essential to keep hot food hot. Use the top of your hob to keep pans on a gentle simmer or pop things into a low oven, but only after they have come to the boil on the hob.
REHEATING FOOD
If you’re going to reheat food, it needs to be done thoroughly. There can be serious health risks if you don’t. We’ve indicated in the recipes when you can prepare a dish ahead and reheat it. If it doesn’t say you can do this, don’t do it – you’ll spoil the dish.
If you’ve kept food you’ve prepared ahead in the fridge, allow time for it to come to room temperature before you reheat it. This can take much longer than you think – up to a few hours for a big dish. It depends to some extent on the temperature in your kitchen.
Whenever possible, reheat food in a wide shallow pan or dish – it will heat up more quickly than in a small deep one. On the hob, use a large-based pan that covers the whole of the hot plate. When reheating a casserole, bring it up to the boil, then cover with a lid and leave it to simmer gently, stirring occasionally.
Before you preheat the oven, arrange the shelves so that the dishes will all fit in. Preheat it well ahead of time and, halfway through cooking, switch the dishes around in case your oven has hotter parts to it.
Remember that the more dishes you’re reheating in the oven at the same time, the longer they’ll take. Check towards the end of cooking to see if they’re done – they must be piping hot in the middle.
GENTLY DOES IT
Don’t rush to clear people’s plates as soon as they’ve finished. Keep the atmosphere leisurely and relaxed. You might even encourage guests to swap places around the table before you serve the next course.
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PARTY BITES
These tiny dishes will get your feast off with a flourish. We like to offer a selection of meat, fish, and vegetarian canapés to guarantee all tastes are catered for. At a drinks party, offer no more than five different types, but lots of them – people are much more likely to remember them.
SMOKED SALMON ON RYE WITH CUCUMBER PICKLE
MINI CHICKEN SATAYS
DUCK AND HOISIN SPRING ROLLS
BEEF REMOULADE ROLLS
PORK MEATBALLS WITH ORIENTAL DIPPING SAUCE
SAUSAGE AND APPLE FILO ROLLS
SAUSAGES AND MUSTARD MASH
MINI SAUSAGES WITH MUSTARD AND BACON
BACON AND WATER CHESTNUT BITES WITH MANGO CHUTNEY
CRISPY BACON AND QUAIL’S EGG TARTLETS
DIP PLATTER
GOLDEN DOUGH BALLS WITH CHEESE AND CHUTNEY
SWEETCORN AND FETA FRITTERS
CROSTINI WITH SLOW-ROASTED TOMATOES AND HERBS
CROSTINI WITH PARMA HAM AND PEPPERED CREAM CHEESE
HOME-MADE BLINIS WITH SALMON AND CRÈME FRAÎCHE
TOPPINGS FOR BLINIS AND CROSTINI
HUMMUS AND FETA TARTLETS
FILLINGS FOR TARTLETS
CHESTNUT, CRANBERRY, AND BRIE CHRISTMAS PARCELS
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SMOKED SALMON ON RYE WITH CUCUMBER PICKLE
These are always a hit. As a twist on the traditional recipe, we use rye bread, pumpernickel, or pumpkin- seed bread. You’ll find the cucumbers in jars near the gherkins and olives at the supermarket.
MAKES 60
4 tbsp light mayonnaise
2 tsp grainy mustard
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp freshly chopped dill, plus extra to garnish
4 rectangular slices of rye bread, pumpernickel, or pumpkin seed bread
200g (7oz) smoked salmon slices
4 cucumber dill pickles, drained and very finely chopped
1. Mix the mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, and dill in a small bowl.
2. Lay the bread on a chopping board and spread evenly with the mixture.
3. Cover the mayonnaise with smoked salmon, then cut each piece of bread into 15 squares. Top each one with chopped pickle, arrange on a serving plate, then garnish with dill and serve.
PREPARE AHEAD
The bites can be made up to 6 hours ahead. Not suitable for freezing.
SMOKED SALMON ON RYE WITH CUCUMBER PICKLE
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MINI CHICKEN SATAYS
These warm canapés always go down a storm and are a cinch to make. If you’d like to serve them as a starter, you’ll need three to four per person. Soak wooden skewers in water for about 8 hours before use so that they don’t burn during cooking. Serve with a little ramekin of satay sauce.
Makes 24
Special equipment 24 skewers (we prefer wooden over metal)
4 large skinless boneless chicken breasts
4 tsp white wine vinegar or rice vinegar
4 tsp cas
ter sugar
2 tbsp sunflower oil or sesame oil
a little olive oil, to fry
For the satay sauce
11⁄2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp medium curry powder
6 heaped tbsp crunchy peanut butter
350ml (12fl oz) water
1 heaped tsp caster sugar
juice of 1⁄2 large lime
salt and freshly ground black pepper
a sprig of coriander, to garnish
1. Slice each chicken breast into six thin strips, then place them in a mixing bowl. Add the vinegar, sugar, and sunflower oil and toss together well. Leave to marinate in the fridge for about an hour.
2. To make the sauce, heat the oil in a frying pan over a high heat, add the onion, chilli, and garlic and fry for 1 minute. Cover with a lid, lower the heat, and cook for 5 minutes or until the onion is starting to soften.