Start from the main
Choose the main course first. Then pick a lighter starter from the same kitchen or a close one, and a dessert you can make earlier in the day.
Make two of the three ahead
Soups, cold starters and most desserts keep well in the fridge for a few hours. Make them first, so the evening is only cooking the main.
Plate like a restaurant
Warm the plates in a low oven. Serve smaller portions than usual, put the sauce under the food rather than over it, and wipe the rim of each plate before it goes out.
Give each course its time
Serve, eat, clear, then pause before the next course. A short gap is what makes three courses feel like an evening out.
A British dinner
- Starter: Pea and mint soup (30 minutes)
- Main: Roast chicken thighs with leeks and potatoes (1 hour)
- Dessert: Apple and blackberry crumble (1 hour)
An Italian dinner
- Starter: Tomato and basil bruschetta (20 minutes)
- Main: Mushroom ragu with soft polenta (1 hour)
- Dessert: Classic tiramisu (30 minutes)
A South Asian dinner
- Starter: Crisp onion bhajis (40 minutes)
- Main: Pakistani chicken karahi (55 minutes)
- Side: Jeera rice with toasted cumin (35 minutes)
- Dessert: Gajar halwa, slow cooked carrot pudding (1 hour 15 minutes)
Times are each recipe's own, as written. Diets and allergens are as each recipe is written: check every packet.