Berry Mary - Mary Berry Cooks Up a Feast

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Weve worked together for 30 years and have written cookery books on a vast range of subjects. One of the many joys of publishing them is the feedback we get from you, our readers. We take your comments extremely seriously. And if theres one request thats kept on coming, its for a book to serve numbers a party book, with recipes for anything from a family get-together in the kitchen to a full-on feast. Its an area we feel well qualified to write on in our personal lives as well as in our professional lives, theres nothing we like so much as cooking for family, friends, and neighbours no matter the number.

At the same time, were well aware of the worries that many of you have about cooking for more than six. What can I make for so many people? How can I keep the food hot and will there be enough? these are the sorts of question were asked, and we hope we have answered them in this book.

In Mary Berry Cooks up a Feast we give you all the advice you need to make cooking for a crowd easy and stress free. There are recipes for summer and winter, for formal occasions and informal occasions, inside the home and out. We give timings for Agas as well as conventional ovens, together with prepare-ahead and freezing information.

We kick off with the basics how to plan your feast and how to guarantee theres enough for everyone to eat. We advise on ways to get the most from your kitchen and let you in on a few cheats and shortcuts to make life easier. We also give you ideas on setting the scene and on how to keep your cool on the day itself. Then its on to the recipes.

Whether you are cooking for the family or entertaining for a larger number, the recipes in this book are perfect for a range of different styles. There are party bites for a drinks party, impressive mains for a sit-down dinner party, and bowl food for a more casual feast. The choice is yours and we have included all the tips youll need.

To take the effort out of estimating quantities, for the vast majority of recipes we give a list of ingredients to serve six and a list of ingredients to serve 12, with notes on any special equipment.

So here it is the much-requested book to answer all your party needs and put your mind at rest when cooking for a crowd. We hope each and every one of you enjoys it and finds the inspiration and confidence youre looking for as you plan your special day.

Remember no feast is worth stressing over. Whatever happens, fun will be had by everyone including you!

If you havent cooked for a crowd before, theres a chance your kitchen might not be geared up for it. Help is at hand in various guises. Here are our tips for assembling the equipment youll need for success.

Once youve fine-tuned your menu, check you have all the pots, pans, and dishes youll need. If you dont have absolutely everything, dont worry there are often ways round it. In this book weve aimed to keep fancy equipment to a minimum and to use standard-sized pieces whenever possible. For cooking some dishes for larger numbers, youll need to invest in a big 11 litre (20 pint) pan. Buy a long-handled spatula, too.

The majority of recipes for 12 in this book can be cooked in two standard dishes for six rather than in a single huge one. Theres even an advantage to doing this smaller dishes are a lot less heavy to handle. If you dont have a second dish, borrow one from a friend or buy a foil dish. The cooking times for two dishes should be the same as for one large dish, but keep an eye on the food towards the end of cooking the important thing is that its cooked right through to the middle.

Foil dishes are not as sturdy as porcelain cookware, so always sit them on a baking sheet, particularly when youre taking them in and out of the oven, and take care not to puncture them. Because they are made of metal, cooking times are slightly less. Again, check towards the end of cooking to see if the food is done.

Take a look around your kitchen to see if there are any pieces of equipment you can improvise with. A roasting tin, for example, can stand in as an ovenproof dish, and we find no end of uses for our preserving pan. To check the capacity of a dish, fill it with water from a measuring jug. Slightly too big is better than too small for obvious reasons.

With so much going on in the kitchen when youre cooking for a crowd, its worth putting your mind at rest by investing in a good digital kitchen timer. They are relatively inexpensive, extremely simple to use, and the best models can time up to four dishes at once.

If you are preparing food in advance, your fridge will be working hard in the run-up to your feast. The average domestic fridge isnt that big and when its full to capacity, it has to work overtime to cope. As a result, the temperature inside can rise, even if the weather outside isnt that warm. A fridge thats full to capacity doesnt allow the cold air to circulate freely either, which can sometimes mean foods are inadequately chilled.

Check frequently that yours is working at the correct temperature 45C (3941F) and adjust the controls to lower the temperature, if necessary. If your fridge doesnt have a temperature display, invest in a fridge thermometer its an inexpensive piece of equipment.

Be mindful of not using single-use plastics. Beeswax sheets are a great product to use instead of cling film for storing and keeping food. Use recyclable materials whenever possible and reuse as much as you can.

Provide all the right glasses for the drinks you have on offer wine glasses (both red and white), beer glasses, and glasses for water or soft drinks and make sure there are plenty of them. Some non-breakable glasses or plastic beakers are a good idea if there are going to be children present. You might want to supply an ice bucket and some recyclable paper straws, too. A corkscrew and a bottle opener are essential items, as is a container for corks and caps.

• Red wine can be swirled easily in a large-bowled glass to release aromas.
• White wine will keep cooler in a narrow glass with a stem to hold it by.
• Beer tastes better from a chalice glass, which also maintains the head.
• Soft drinks or water are best served in tall highball glasses.

Keep an eye on food cooked in one large dish towards the end of cooking the important thing is that its cooked right through to the middle.