Allen - Entertaining at home

SMALL CELEBRATIONS
(24 PEOPLE)

DINNER PARTIES
(48 PEOPLE)

LARGER GATHERINGS
(812 PEOPLE)

Friends, family, good food, good times-this is what entertaining is all about. It can be as relaxed as flopping down on the sofa with a few friends to share nibbles and drinks, or as formal as getting out your best china and ironing your tablecloth for a three-course meal. How you choose to share your time and your cooking creations with your loved ones is entirely up to you. What each kind of gathering has in common, however, is a happy, welcoming atmosphere, and the main ingredient for that is you.

The kind of entertaining my family tends to do at home is most often spontaneous and casual. Maybe theres a big pot of cassoulet bubbling away gently in the oven and well realise theres enough to share, so after a phone call or two we find ourselves with several hungry friends arriving at the door with bottles in hand. But there are also times when well have a larger gathering or a particularly special evening when we want to push the boat out and make more of an effort with both the food and the table decorations.

In this book I hope to give you the inspiration and tools you will need to entertain for any gathering, whether relaxed and intimate or a great big bash, while actually getting to enjoy yourself as well. It doesnt matter if youre a seasoned cook or a complete novice in the kitchen; Ive tried to give you achievable recipes that take the mystery and complication out of cooking for a special occasion. And youll find many of the recipes easy enough to cook to make any meal a special occasion.

Whatever sort of entertaining you are doing, do let your friends know what kind of party it is, whether a casual plate-in-your-hand-type supper, a stand-around evening of cocktails and canaps, or a more chi-chi dressy affair. Theres nothing worse than turning up in jeans only to find that everyone else is in a little black number.

Be sure to always ask about food allergies or other dietary requirements. Its often easier to make the same food for everyone, so dont plan your food until you know what your limitations are. Of course, if your plans are to have a barbecue or a big roast, you may need to prepare something special for your vegetarian guests, but for the most part, simple allergies shouldnt be such a problem that everyone has to have a limited menu. There are so many options-its not as scary as you think.

If youre planning a very special occasion where youre either cooking a more elaborate meal or you have a large crowd, you may wish to send out proper invitations with an RSVP so that you know exactly how many youre cooking for before you do your shopping.

On the day of your party, think about having nibbles such as nuts or canaps ready to tide everyone over until all your guests have arrived-or to keep them fed if things are running late in the kitchen!

If you are doing more grown up, or formal entertaining, take the time to think about atmosphere and how to create a welcoming setting so your guests feel youve made a little extra effort to make them feel special and relaxed. Little touches such as candles or fairy lights rather than harsh lighting from above can really help set the scene. Besides, who (or indeed what room) doesnt look better in the soft glow of candlelight?

Flowers make any home look more dressed up, but that doesnt necessarily mean investing in bouquets from the florist. Even just some little vases or jars of hand-picked flowers from your garden add a thoughtful touch. And you dont need to limit them to the table-put them in the kitchen, living room, even the bathroom.

If youre having a larger group of people and are feeling creative (and have the time), you may even wish to make table decorations and/or place settings for each of your guests. It also means you can control who sits next to who! Its great fun to make name tags and people love taking them home. Be as creative as you wish. Below are some of my favourite table-decorating ideas:

* Everyone loves place cards! Try old-fashioned packing labels with the guests name written on and tied around a napkin or the base of a wine glass, or even pierced through onto a satay stick. Or if youre feeling ambitious, make cookies or biscuits for each guest with their name written in icing or chocolate.

* If you dont have napkin rings, just tie a pretty piece of ribbon around your napkins, perhaps in different colours for each napkin. To jazz it up further, you can tie on fresh rosemary and/or bread sticks.

* For a really special event, place mini wrapped presents on each place, tied up with twine or ribbon and with a name tag.

* For a seaside theme try candles in oyster or scallop shells or sand in the bottom of glass candle holders or pretty glass jars with tea lights; pebbles, slate or driftwood pieces with guests names in chalk; shells on the table.

* For a holiday splash, place Christmas baubles in little glasses or shallow tumblers around the table; spray some holly lightly with glitter, place small branches in a flower vase with baubles hanging off (place sand in the bottom to keep the branches in place). You can write guests names on bay, holly or ivy leaves with gold or silver pen.

* At Easter, you can try a similar trick-from small branches hang painted eggs. You can also spray the branches silver or gold. You could even do a mini version with quails eggs! Place mini pastel-coloured Easter eggs or little chicks around the table.

* In autumn, place pumpkins and squashes in groups on the table and/or outside the front door.

* For national holidays, place little flags at each setting or down the centre of the table.

* For your floral arrangements, try not to have one enormous bouquet in the middle of your table. Instead, make smaller arrangements in lots of small glass holders of different sizes so your guests can see over them. Or try small terracotta pots of herbs or little flowering plants, or put miniature bulbs, such as bluebells or narcissus, in a pot or glass vase for a temporary display. Avoid overly scented flowers, which may overpower your food.

Not everyone has an extensive range of cutlery to set a formal place setting, so dont panic about doing this properly. But I often do get asked, Where should the water glass go? or Where should I put a side plate?, so if you want to set a fancy table, here is the general thinking on how your place setting should look:

Choosing your menu is the first important step to a good party. More often than not in planning what you serve, seasonality is the key. But menu planning is also about choosing dishes that will both complement each other and be enjoyable to eat together. So avoid a repetition of ingredients from course to course, as well as ensuring you have different colours and textures of food throughout. Ensure, too, that each of the elements when added up are not too heavy.