Hosting a dinner party can be stressful. From making sure that the house is clean and tidy, setting the table, getting yourself ready and of course the menu! But it doesn’t have to be like that. Not if you put your efforts into prepping everything beforehand.

Make sure you have had time to clean the house and especially the kitchen before you do your prep. Working in a clean kitchen and then tidying up as you go along is the key to a stress-free party later.

Once I’ve done my prep, I make sure that the dishwasher is empty (if you haven’t got a dishwasher make sure everything you’ve used is washed up and put away) and the bin is clear so that there’s no nasty stinks.

I also have ‘designated work-stations’ for the pots, pans, utensils, plates and glasses that will be needed for each course. This includes things that are needed for finishing touches to present your dishes to your guests.

Next, I set the table. We don’t have a dinner service that only comes out for guests, instead we have white tableware so it’s easy to match if we need something new, this makes it easy and I tend to accentuate with a colour depending on the season or theme of the party with napkins (choose linen or the paper linen feel napkins) and a small centrepiece, usually a co-ordinating candle or a flower arrangement. Don’t go overboard with your decorations for your table, the last thing you want is people fighting to get to their plate or having to crane their neck over an ambitious flower arrangement to see other guests.

I use a set of slate table mats, napkin rings and runner that go really nicely with our oak dining table rather than a fancy tablecloth that guests feel awful for staining with food or drink – much better to put them at ease with a wipeable surface!

Now, the important part. Food. When I have a dinner party, I always have to rack my brains for something that is going to cater for everybody’s taste and not keep me in the kitchen all night away from my guests.

I think I’ve cracked it though, with this Italian themed dinner party that has vegetarian options and cocktails included. Plus, you can pre-prepare everything, so you can have fun and enjoy the night.

What’s on the menu?

Apéritif
Aperol Spritz

Starter
Bruschetta

Main
Lasagne served with Garlic Bread and Side Salad

Dessert
Tiramisu with strawberries

Digestif
Espresso Martini

Serve the main course with an acidic red Chianti to really pull out the flavour of the tomatoes or a dry white Pinot Grigio.

Party the rest of the evening away with Raspberry Bellini’s which are nice and fresh and not too heavy after a big meal.

I’ve included all the recipe’s for the meal and the cocktails below. 

About the menu

You may think that serving up a lasagne is not special enough but it’s all about the presentation and the effort you put in. The good thing about this menu is that it can all be prepped before-hand and it actually tastes better for doing so. You can get all the cooking and the preparation out of the way in the morning and then tidy up and get yourself ready and be stress free when your guests arrive – it’s a perfect plan!

Italian food is a favourite of mine because just about everybody likes it. I remember my father in law turning his nose up at pasta dishes, which is totally an age thing, but when I made my lasagne, he cleared the plate! There’s nothing offensive about Italian food which is why it’s a great staple for an evening meal with the family or dress it up and serve at a dinner party.

The other thing I like about Italian and Indian food for that matter, is that they are easy to make vegetarian alternatives, the only trouble with serving Indian food is catering for different levels of spice. We like our food hot but not all guests are the same, so I tend to lean towards Italian food in this instance to be a crowd pleaser unless you have some spice lovers coming round – if so look out for my Indian Dinner Party ideas.

The great thing about recipes that you can make ahead of time is that there are no surprises on the night. There’s no stirring of umpteen pans and trying to open the oven with your feet (I’m sure we’ve all been there? Or is that just me?).

Avoid disaster!

I hate when things go wrong, which is why I have perfected this dinner party. I did this dinner party theme for my stepdaughters 21st birthday but went away from my trusted lasagne and did a salmon carbonara. Thinking it was okay, because it was the only dish that would see me doing a little prep in the kitchen whilst the family chilled out after their starter, it turned out to be big mistake!! I hadn’t tried out the recipe beforehand and I followed it to the letter. I put fresh parsley in before whisking which of course turned the sauce green, I guess it was my Bridget jones ‘blue soup’ moment! The sauce refused to thicken so after my other half stepped in and I cursed a lot, we realised it wasn’t going to be salvaged!

It wasn’t a complete disaster as I whipped up a simple cheese sauce, stirred in the spaghetti, added the salmon, sprinkled the parsley and had a meal that was loved by the whole family… but the point is that you don’t need that stress on the night and you want it to be special, so, mark my word – stick to the plan!

So, back to our dinner party prep…

You want to start off by making the Tiramisu. This can sit in the fridge overnight if need be, but I tend to make it first thing in the morning and just leave it for the day to infuse.

How to make a Tiramisu

Ingredients
Serves 6

  • 300ml Espresso or you can make it with a couple of tbsp of normal coffee diluted in boiling water.
  • 600ml Double Cream
  • 250g Mascarpone
  • 95ml Dry Sherry. Typically, this is made with Marsala, but I always have a Sherry in the cupboard for when my Aunt visits, so I use that.
  • 5 tbsp golden caster sugar. You can use normal caster sugar, but golden caster sugar gives the dish more of a buttery, caramel flavour.
  • 175g Sponge Fingers
  • 30g Dark Chocolate
  • 2 tsp Cocoa
  • Strawberries to garnish (optional)

Method

  1. Make the espresso with boiling water and 25ml of the Marsala or Sherry, pour into a shallow dish and put aside to cool.
  2. Place the double cream, mascarpone, golden caster sugar and remainder of the Marsala or Sherry in a large bowl.
  3. Whisk together until they have a consistency of whipped cream and all the ingredients are completely combined.
  4. Get your dish ready and using just half the pack of sponge fingers start dipping them one by one into the espresso mixture and layering them in the bottom of your dish.

    Tip: Only leave these for a few seconds in the mixture so that they soak enough of the coffee up but don’t go too soggy or break up. You should use up all the coffee by the time you’ve dipped all the sponge fingers.
  5. Spread half of the cream mixture on top of the sponge fingers and grate about 25g of the chocolate over the cream (the remainder of the chocolate will be used when you’re ready to serve).
  6. Prepare the other half of your sponge fingers by dipping them in the coffee mixture and layer them over the grated chocolate.
  7. Finish with the remainder of the cream layered over the sponge fingers.
  8. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least a few hours.
  9. When you’re ready to serve, sieve a couple of teaspoons of cocoa powder over the top of the dish to lightly cover and grate the remaining dark chocolate to decorate.
  10. Cut in to squares and pop a strawberry sliced in half on top to add some colour.

One course down, two to go…

Next, you need to prepare your lasagne. I am going to put two recipes up here, one for a meat lasagne and one for a vegetarian lasagne. All the recipes serve 6 people, but even if you only have 1 vegetarian at the table make the full amount as you’ll have others tucking in, plus, any leftovers, pop in the freezer for an easy mid-week meal. I think the veggie lasagne is so good because it doesn’t pretend to be meat, it is packed full of loads of yummy veg and with the mixture of colours it’s aesthetic too.

How to make a vegetarian lasagne

Ingredients
Serves 6

  • 2 Red peppers
  • 1 Medium courgette
  • 1 Large sweet potato
  • Olive oil Fry Light (You can use olive oil but I mostly cook with Fry Light as it doesn’t affect the flavour and there are far less calories, especially as this lasagne is very cheesy anyway)
  • 2 Red onions
  • 2 Garlic cloves or cheat and use 2 tsp easy garlic like I do!
  • 2 tsp Dried chilli flakes
  • 2 x 400g Tins of chopped tomatoes
  • 1 tsp Dried oregano
  • 1 tsp Dried basil
  • 1 Vegetable stock cube dissolved in 200ml water
  • 100g Baby spinach
  • 10-12 Lasagne Sheets
  • Salt and pepper to season
  • 50g Grated mature cheddar
  • 25g Grated mozzarella

Cheese Sauce

  • 75g Plain flour
  • 75g Butter
  • 750ml Semi skimmed milk
  • 75g Grated mature cheddar
  • 50g Grated mozzarella

Method

  1. Cut the peppers (seeds removed), courgette and sweet potato into 2cm chunks and place into a large baking tray. Spray with Fry Light ensuring all the vegetables are covered and season with salt and pepper.
  2. Roast the vegetables for 30 minutes, they should be soft and have a little colour to them.
  3. Meanwhile, finely chop the red onion and fry gently in a large pan (you need to add the vegetables when they’re ready) on a medium heat for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the dried chilli flakes and garlic and gently fry for 30 seconds.
  4. Add the tomatoes, dried oregano, dried basil and vegetable stock. Stir and simmer gently for about 10 minutes. Take off the heat and set aside.
  5. To make the cheese sauce cut the butter into cubes and put in a saucepan with the flour and milk. Whisk together over a medium heat until the ingredients are all combined and smooth and the sauce has thickened. Stir in the grated mature cheddar and grated mozzarella cheese until it has melted. Take off the heat and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
  6. Once the vegetables are ready, add them to the pan with the tomato sauce, stir in the spinach and season with salt and pepper.
  7. You’re now ready to layer! I usually do this in 3 layers in an ovenproof lasagne dish. Take a third of the tomato and vegetable mixture and spoon it into the bottom of the dish, cover with a layer of lasagne sheets and a layer of the cheese sauce. Repeat 2 more times with the majority of the cheese sauce on the top of the final layer of lasagne sheets.

    Once cooled, cover and put in the fridge.
  8. When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Cover the cheese sauce with the grated mature cheddar and mozzarella.
  9. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes until the cheese is golden and the pasta is cooked through.

I allow the lasagne to stand for a few minutes to settle as it is easier to cut. Whilst you are waiting for this you can dress your plates with the salad (salad ingredients further down).

The meat lasagne is very classic and is a definite crowd pleaser, the more you make these recipes the more you will find your own little changes, all these recipes started life from a cook book and I’ve adapted them and (in my opinion) improved them. Instead of a white sauce I make my lasagne with a cheese sauce, it does add calories, but who doesn’t love cheese?! And let’s face it, who’s counting the calories at a dinner party? If you are making both the vegetarian and the meat one, you can just make double the amount as the sauce is exactly the same.

How to make a lasagne

Ingredients
Serves 6

  • Fry Light
  • 2 Red onions
  • 2 tsp Easy garlic (or two minced garlic cloves)
  • 500g Beef mince
  • 2 tbsp Tomato purée
  • 400g Tin chopped tomatoes
  • 200ml Beef stock
  • 200ml Red wine
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp Dried Oregano
  • 1 tsp Dried Basil
  • 10-12 Lasagne sheets
  • Salt and pepper to season
  • 50g Grated mature cheddar
  • 25g Grated mozzarella

Cheese Sauce

  • 75g Plain flour
  • 75g Butter
  • 750ml Semi skimmed milk
  • 75g Grated mature cheddar
  • 50g Grated mozzarella

Method

  1. Chop the red onion and fry gently in a large pan on a medium heat for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and gently fry for 30 seconds.
  2. Add the beef mince and fry on a medium heat until browned.
  3. Turn up the heat and add the red wine, stir and let it bubble until it has reduced.
  4. Stir in the tomato purée, chopped tomatoes, beef stock, dried herbs and Worcestershire sauce and let it simmer for 15 minutes or until the liquid has reduced. Season with salt and pepper and set aside off the heat.
  5. To make the cheese sauce cut the butter in to cubes and put in a saucepan with the flour and milk. Whisk together over a medium heat until the ingredients are all combined and smooth and the sauce has thickened. Stir in the grated mature cheddar and grated mozzarella cheese until it has melted. Take off the heat and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
  6. You’re now ready to layer! I usually do this in 3 layers in an ovenproof lasagne dish. Take a third of the meat and tomato mixture and spoon it into the bottom of the dish, cover with a layer of lasagne sheets and a layer of the cheese sauce. Repeat 2 more times with the majority of the cheese sauce on the top of the final layer of lasagne sheets.

    Once cooled, cover and put in the fridge.
  7. When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Cover the cheese sauce with the grated mature cheddar and mozzarella.
  8. Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes until the cheese is golden and the pasta is cooked through.

I allow the lasagne to stand for a few minutes to settle as it is easier to cut. Whilst you are waiting for this you can dress your plates with the salad (salad ingredients further down).

I serve both the lasagnes with a simple side salad and of course, you’ve got to have some garlic bread thrown in for good measure too.

A bit on the side

The salad, not only makes the plate look nice but it complements the heavier dish with a light, refreshing addition. The peppery taste of the rocket against the juicy tomatoes, crunch of the cucumber and tang of red onion really sets your dish off.

Get all your ingredients ready and prepped, covered and put in the fridge so that dressing the plates is as easy as it can be. But only do this just before the party otherwise the cucumber and onion can dry out. Here’s what you need to get ready for the salad.

How to make a simple side salad

Ingredients
Serves 6

  • Pack of rocket
  • 18 Santorini cherry tomatoes
  • Small cucumber
  • 1 small red onion
  • Balsamic glaze

Method

  1. Place a small handful of rocket leaves on to each plate.
  2. Halve the Santorini cherry tomatoes and place 6 halves on each plate
  3. Cut the cucumber in quarters lengthways, then cut into approx. 1cm cubes. Put around 12 cubes per plate.
  4. Slice the red onion as thinly as you can and put around 6 slices on each plate.
  5. Decorate the salad with a zig zag of balsamic glaze.

What’s next?

Make the garlic bread topper and the bruschetta mix next, and then it’s simple to put together in the evening. The fresh basil in this garlic butter recipe adds colour to the side dish and makes it look attractive. For the garlic bread and the bruschetta, I use ciabatta, but you can use any crusty bread or a French stick.

How to make Ciabatta Garlic Bread

Ingredients
Serves 6

  • 3 Small ciabatta sticks
  • 120g Butter
  • 4 tsp Garlic or 4 garlic cloves minced
  • Handful of fresh basil

Method

  1. Mix the butter and the garlic thoroughly in a bowl. Add the chopped basil and mix gently.

    Place in the fridge to chill if prepping before.
  2. Preheat grill. Slice the ciabatta sticks in half lengthways and toast the crusty side of the bread for 2 minutes until golden and crispy.
  3. Spread the garlic butter evenly across the ciabattas and place under the grill for 5 minutes until the butter has melted and the bread is golden.
  4. Serve immediately.

The next thing to get ready and chilled is the bruschetta mix, this can then chill in the fridge with everything else. I love bruschetta, it is a really nice, light starter that’s easy to make and you can make it look really good on the plate.

How to make classic bruschetta

Ingredients
Serves 6

  • 8 Medium ripe tomatoes
  • ½ Small red onion
  • 3 tsp Easy Garlic (or 3 cloves of garlic minced)
  • 8 Basil leaves and some for garnish
  • 30ml Balsamic vinegar
  • 60ml Extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 Loaf of Ciabatta (you can use French stick or any crusty bread you like)

Method

  1. Chop the tomatoes into chunks and drain any excess juice.
  2. Finely chop the red onion and basil. I layer the leaves of basil on top of each other and roll up into a sausage shape and then cut finely.
  3. Carefully mix the tomatoes, red onion, basil, garlic, extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a bowl together and season with salt and pepper to taste.

    Cover and place in the fridge to cool.
  4. When you’re ready to serve your bruschetta, cut the loaf into 12 slices (2 per person) I find it best to do this on the diagonal.
  5. Toast both sides of the bread until they are light brown.
  6. Spoon the tomato mixture on to the slices of bread and garnish with basil leaves to serve.

You’re nearly done for your prep!

Get your glasses out for the cocktails, you’ll need a wine glass for the Aperol spritz, Martini glasses for the espresso Martini and champagne flutes for the Bellini’s. Make sure you have ice in the freezer and your prosecco is chilling.

Once the dishwasher is clear, everything is put away, the house is tidy and the table set, you’re ready to pamper and get yourself looking fabulous!

It’s important to let your guests know what time to arrive so that they are not late for the main event, so make it clear that you will be serving your apéritif at a set time. As your guests arrive, you can get on to the cocktail making. I have listed the ingredients to make one cocktail, so that you can just multiply for however many drinkers you have.

Top Tip
When making cocktails or completing the finishing touches of your dinner party, always wear an apron – I can’t stress this enough! I have had many a ‘splash’ moment, greeting my guests with the next course with a sopping wet dress! It’s not the care-free, “I’ve got this covered” image you want to promote.

Cocktails

First up, serve your guests with an Aperol spritz on arrival. This cocktail is a great show-stopper with its zesty, bright orange colour and a perfect apéritif to get your guests in the mood. Aperol can be a little bitter, so I make mine with more prosecco which I have found is more of a crowd pleaser.

Aperol gets its name from the French word for apéritif and has been around since the 1900s. Brothers Luigi and Silvio Barbieri experimented in the liquor company they inherited from their father to create this bright and bold liqueur. Acquired by Campari in 2004 the Aperol Spritz cocktail was born as the classy ‘go-to’ drink.

How to make an Aperol spritz

Ingredients
Serves 1

  • Ice
  • 50ml Aperol
  • 75ml Prosecco
  • Splash of soda
  • Orange sliced

Method

  1. Place a couple of ice cubes into a wine glass.
  2. Pour the measures of Aperol and prosecco over the ice and top up with a splash of soda water.
  3. Serve with a slice of orange.

What beer to serve?

If you’ve got beer drinkers who don’t stray from the amber nectar, then serve a classic Italian beer. Peroni remains the favourite in our house. Peroni has fragrant aromatic hops and Italian maize to maintain the light and refreshing taste, combined with its delicate citrus flavours – reminiscent of an Italian summer, and the perfect accompaniment.

What to serve with the meal?

With your meal, as mentioned at the beginning of the blog, serve the main course with an acidic red Chianti, a dry white Pinot Grigio or a dry prosecco. These wines will bring out the flavour of your Italian meal nicely. Steer clear of wines with a high tannin content as this will impair the flavour of your dish and make the tomatoes taste metallic.

Dessert cocktail

After your meal serve your Tiramisu and an espresso Martini. I absolutely love these, but you need to be careful to get the espresso strong enough to balance out the other ingredients. I think I’ve cracked the perfect balance, but this is one that you may want to practice beforehand to get it right for your taste. And, to be fair, if it’s in the name of research then it would be rude not to!  

An espresso Martini is rumoured to have been created in the eighties by a London bartender, Dick Bradsel in a Soho brasserie where he was working. A famous model apparently asked him to create a drink that would ‘wake her up’ and the espresso Martini is what he conjured up!

The iconic features of the cocktail are the frothy top which can be achieved by vigorously shaking the cocktail and pouring with haste and the 3 beans that decorate the top of the cocktail. The three beans are meant to represent health, happiness, and prosperity so make sure you get your garnish right for a lifetime of good fortune.

How to make an Espresso Martini

Ingredients
Serves 1

  • Double shot (50ml) of Vodka
  • Single shot (25ml) of Kahlua
  • Single shot (25ml) Espresso
  • Ice Cubes
  • 3 whole coffee beans

Method

  1. Make the espresso for as many drinks you require and allow to cool.
  2. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice cubes and pour in all the ingredients.
  3. Shake vigorously and strain into the glass.
  4. Decorate with 3 whole coffee beans.

After dinner drinks

After your meal serve your guests a Bellini. This light, prosecco based cocktail is perfect after a heavy meal.

The Bellini originates from Venice, sometime in the mid 1900’s by Giuseppe Cipriani, the founder of Harry’s bar. Giuseppe named the drink after Giovanni Bellini a 15th century Venetian artist who painted a saint in a pink coloured toga that reminded him of the colour of the drink.

Traditionally, the Bellini uses a white peach purée, with a touch of raspberry to produce the iconic pink colour and topped with prosecco. As I’m not a fan of peach, probably something to do with an excess of Archers in my younger years!! I opt for the full-on raspberry flavour and rather than messing around with purée’s, I make it ultra-easy and use a good raspberry liqueur like Chambord.

Chambord is a fruit infusion from the Loire Valley in France and combines both red and black raspberries which are soaked in Madagascar vanilla, Moroccan citrus peel, honey and cognac for several weeks to create this sophisticated taste sensation. Paired with a prosecco this drink is a light elegant drink that you can sip all night.

How to make a Bellini

Ingredients
Serves 1

  • 1 shot (25ml) of Chambord
  • Chilled prosecco
  • 3 Raspberries

Method

  1. Pour a shot of Chambord into a champagne flute.
  2. Add 3 raspberries.
  3. Slowly pour the prosecco to fill the glass.

So, there you have it – the perfect dinner party! Try it out on your family and have a classy night in. We have done a lot of this in lockdown and had themed nights to try out new foods which will make their way onto our staple crowd pleaser menu.

Let me know your verdict in the comments and what improvements you’ve made to the recipes. Everyone is different and perfecting this to suit your tastes or even trying a vegan alternative to appeal to your guests is a great way to have a ‘go to’ menu when you fancy a night in with friends.