we've just had a successful get together with some of our friends last weekend and I wanted to do something other than the normal burgers, chicken drumsticks etc... and also didn't take much effort. so went to my local butcher and bought 2 big joints of meat (one lamb and one pork) marinated the pork to give a lovely crackling and cooked them really slow, while they were roasting i then got some big platter plates (you can get the foil types from supermarkets) and put different types of salads on them such as :- tomato and mozzarello, watermelon feta and mint, roasted vegtable cous cous, potato salad,bread cobs and pitta breads, and I also boiled a bag of new potatoes
just before we were ready to eat with a large knob of best butter over the top of them. and then if you don't feel like doing a dessert just get one of those big party gateau they sell at most supermarkets. most of the recipes for marinades and salads can be found on bbcgoodfood.co.uk or uktvfood.co.uk. Everyone commented on how tasty and different to the usual sunday afternoon BBQ or roast dinner and a fraction of the effort was needed. whatever you decide hope the weather stays good for you and have a great time x