I can’t believe that, after five years, this is my last column for 
The Times. So, I thought I’d leave you with the answer to the question that I am most commonly asked: what is the perfect 
dinner party menu?

I know I’ve gone on record in the past as 
saying how much I hate dinner parties, but it’s not entirely true 
– I just don’t like it when people use them as a way of showing off 
and then end up getting so stressed they can’t enjoy the evening themselves. It misses the whole point of a dinner party: to share 
a fun time at the table with friends.

If you’re aiming to impress, choose dishes that are relatively simple 
to prepare but still have that luxurious and glamorous edge. Quality ingredients such as fresh oysters or fillet steaks require very little doing to them; cook them well and they will always be good investments. 


Also, do try to cook seasonally, using fresh local produce to enhance 
key ingredients in your meal. There is no point in serving asparagus 
with your steaks in the middle of winter, for example – the tasteless imported spears will only detract from the excellence of the main ingredient, which is the meat.

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It may sound like a cliché, but do yourself a favour and keep it simple. The less complicated a menu, the less likely you will be to run into problems on the night. Always try to prepare as much as possible in advance and choose dishes that don’t require too much attention on the evening; the more that you can do during the day, the better.

I always try to finish a dinner party menu with a strong dessert. It is often an afterthought, but it is also the final dish that your guests will taste, so it should leave the right lasting memory. A pudding made with excellent chocolate or an easy crumble using seasonal fruits are always safe bets. If you’re still lacking in inspiration, here are a few of my favourite recipes for entertaining.

Scallop tartare 
with crème fraîche 
and caviar

Serves 4

This has to be one of the all-time easiest starters to serve if you’re entertaining. It does not require any cooking and, even better, 
the entire dish can be prepared in advance. You can make 
the scallop tartare a couple 
 of hours ahead of your guests’ arrival and even garnish individual serving plates with 
the cucumber slices, wrapping them in clingfilm and setting them aside in the fridge until you are ready to serve.

20 fresh scallops without roe

1 lime

Sea salt

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