The Mock Turtle

I am looking for some recommendations for a kind if dinner party cookbook. I have lots of regional cuisine books, lots of quick/easy meals and a fair few Ottolenghi style sharing meals books but really I think a bit of a classic dinner party / faffing around in the kitchen for ages type books do you recommend? I've cooked a few things from Bruno Loubert which has been good and I'm sure Marcus Waring has one but anything you recommend?

Hardly a new recommendation and perhaps not fancy enough for what you’re looking for, but Nigella’s Feast is based around celebratory meals and menus. She does something similar in How to Eat with the Dinner section built around entertaining and three+ course menus.

Anything Sabrina Ghayour is always good, (have you got Feast?) but again not a new recommendation. (Although I love Simply for being able to do loads and loads of dishes for a bigger group).

Sunday Supper at Lucques is built around menus (starter, 2 mains and pudding) with a seasonal focus, and has, I think a good balance between faffing and not. I would show you the contents page whuch lists them, but my copy is packed - amazon look inside shows it though. I think Goat and emma also have it.

Do you have Nopi? That's less sharing oriented.

There's a Simon Hopkinson one which is also built around menus (often plus a cocktail), which has a classic (mostly British iirc) vibe. I loved the idea of it but never use it. It survived a recent cull though, at I still think I'd like to use it. (eta. Its called Simon Hopkinson Cooks)

Alison Roman's Nothing Fancy is all based around dinner party stuff, and has recommendations for what goes with what, and general tips about how to manage the workload etc. You won't learn impressive new techniques or anything, and a lot of it is about minimising faff and aimed at the unconfident cook, but it has some really nice, interesting recipes.

NB also has a page on "sausage party" for Pov.

ETA: Oh sorry, I don't have the book abs mentions.

Rather shamefully I have Feast and How to Eat and I don't find them amazing. I also have all the Sabrina Ghayour books but strangely I feel like they should all be sharing plates regardless of the recipe. I do cook a fair bit from them all actually. I love doing sharing plates for dinner parties but Mr Cos is a bit more traditional and I think wants fancy potatoes of some form, a nice bit of meat and a fancy jus type recipes.

Sunday supper at Lucques sounds good though, I shall peruse, and also will check out Simon Hoppys book.

And I shall also peruse Alison Roman's books.

I knew you guys would have some ideas.

I absolutely love that Suzanne Goin Lucques book too for dinner party planning I would also suggest Athena Calderone's Cook Beautiful which is similar but more casual. Alison Roman's Nothing Fancy is also along those lines. Basically US female cookery writers/chefs are my inspo always and forever

It's not a dinner party book per se, but the Great British Chefs book has a lot of recipes in it that I would use in those circumstances, ie a bit fancy, and quite a lot of simple meat + fancy version of the same meat but cooked a different way + complex sauce sort of thing. Also in the area of impressive dinner party stuff, the Simon Rogan book is great if you want a challenge (and he uses a huge amount of foraged ingredients which is probably FINE if you have a restaurant in the middle of the Lake District but more tricky when you're abutting the south circular ;) )

I have a couple of Gordon Ramsay ones that might fit the bill. Best Menus & Sunday Lunch. I can photograph the contents pages if that would help.

Oooh we've got the 3Star Ramsay book and it's beautiful to look at but pretty impossible to cook from. If you could do a couple of content pages that would be ace Pip. He's surprisingly reliable for tasty food isn't he?

And yes, Goat, I actually used the Great British Chefs website for my last dessert (bancomiagiare - really good!) I was wondering whether the book would be a good idea.

I shall check out your range of American female cooks too emma.

Happy to take a photo of the Suzanne Goin menu plans Cos.

Oooh yes please!

Here you go:

They sound fabulous. I think I might purchase that! Thanks Emma, SOLD!

The Gordon Ramsay ones might be a bit dated.

This is Sunday Lunch.

The Best Menus one is like a flip book with the pages split in three so you can mix & match starters, mains & desserts.

And more.

Pippedydeadeye wrote: ↑Sat Jun 12, 2021 11:42 am The Gordon Ramsay ones might be a bit dated.

To be fair, so is my husband sometimes

I shall look at them when I'm not in my phone. Thanks Pip