Meal for 8?

[yelenots]

I have relatives coming over on Good Friday and there will be 8 of us eating (no young children).
Can anyone suggest something I can make (main course & pudding) The only thing I can think of is a roast!
Thank you! :)

[tinkerbell23]

I like venator and boxtops idea, easy and tasty x

[pastafreak]

Does ummmm consider duck breast to be a budget meal???
I wanna shop where she does.... ;-))

[Katie~77]

If there are any God Squad present, don't give them meat. Believe me, I speak from experience :o(

[flobadob]

Bailey's cheesecake is a nice dessert. Quick and would feed 8 easily. Ice cream and fruit cocktail for't young uns.

[DTCwordfan]

sorry to hear that ethandron. I can come around if you wish!

[DTCwordfan]

Seriously keep it simple.....some good smoked salmon or fish, perhaps with a nice green salad to start with and a home made mayo (put some herbs in). Arent you in Cornwall? - if so there is that smokers just south of St Agnes that does amazing smoked fish

A roast lamb - very traditional for Easter and again keep it simple, some roast pots or if you wish to splash out a lovely pots gratin dauphinoise (which can be prepared nicely in advance in the early morning) along with some nice steamed French green beans (4 mins only).

some cheese and a lovely bread (such as from the bakery in Lemon St Gallery in truro)

an Eton Mess or Pavlova - the trick with homemade meringues (and they can be made two days in advance) is to get the oven onto your lowest poss setting for 1 hr/1 hr fifteen, then turn it off and let cool with the meringue in it. This assumes a nice silvery mix that holds on your spatula/beating wires when you add the caster to the whipped up egg whites.

Can feed up to 12/15 on that allowing for size of the basics!

[DTCwordfan]

cracking up in seeing that ethandron was the originator of the thread. Aplogies yelenots, but I am sure you can source such good ingredients wherever you are in these fair isles of Blighty.

[ethandron]

wot you talking about DT? yelnots is the originator of the thread, not me, you been on the wine again?? :)
yelnots, another suggestion, delia smiths chicken basque. always goes down a treat and is really tasty, totally preparable in advance, and better still a one pot dish so you won't end up with a kitchen full of pots and pans to wash. i serve it with fancy bread, and use chicken thighs instead of breasts as i think they' tastier. here's the recipe:
http://www.deliaonlin...n/chicken-basque.html

[ummmm]

Pasta - I asked if she was on a budget as duck breasts can be quite expensive. Especially for 8 people.

[tiggerblue10]

I think I've seen Delia make chicken basque on one of her programmes Ethandron. Looks delish.

I love duck legs.

[mollykins]

I hate it when lots of people come to mine for tea, no matter the day of week or time of year it has to be a roast and if my brothers here then not pork and not chicken if my grandparents come, so i hate it when both are here . . . Everyones so fussy that it's the only thing they hate, but because we have them so often I hate them now.

[tiggerblue10]

I suppose if you have too many roast dinners you can get bored of them. I haven't had a roast since Xmas dinner but I'm not missing it tbh.

[ethandron]

tiggs, it really is worth a go, i'm sure you wouldn't be disappointed if you tried it. trouble is, i've done it that often for various people i've now got to think of something else just as easy and tasty. i hate being stuck in the kitchen when we have friends round and everyone else is drinking, chatting and enjoying themselves. i don't mind making complicated stuff when it's just me and him, in fact i really enjoy it, prefer it to going out for a meal to be honest.

[woofgang]

katie i am puzzled.....I believe in God and I eat meat

[tiggerblue10]

I'm sure I wouldn't be disappointed.

I usually make steak pies a day in advanced. The steak stew part always tastes better the next day.

[Katie~77]

Woofgang - Practicing Catholics don't eat meat on Good Friday. Im Catholic and always remember this rule after a big bacon sandwich for brekkie. My mother, on the other hand, NEVER forgets!!!!

[ummmm]

We don't eat meat on any Friday...

[Katie~77]

My mother would love you, Ummmm.x :o)

[ummmm]

I don't do it for religious reasons anymore. It's a good way to make sure we have a nice fish dish each week....as we've all been brought up to not eat meat on a Friday I thought I may as well keep it going...

Don't tell your mum :0)

[ethandron]

we always have fish on a friday too, for the same reason. when the kids were little and i was working it meant i didn't have to think about what to have for tea and they would always eat fish fingers. now, it's a way of trying to ensure we eat more fish and less meat during the week as i try and serve fish up twice at week.
it's never been for religeous reasons in this house as we're total heathens :)