When hosting friends or family over the festive period, everyone suddenly has a lot of opinions about what drinks should be served, what time everyone should sit down to eat, or indeed, whether you should be sitting down to eat at all.
Ignore them, and follow the wise words of food writer Alison Roman, who espouses in her new cookbook, nothing fancy, that, "it's not entertaining, it's having people over". In speaking to chefs and restaurant founders from London's best eateries for this piece, one common theme kept recurring: it's essential to prepare so that you're not stuck away from the fun on the big day.
Whether that means oven-prepared snacks dotted around the party, a cocktail that can be batch-made, or just letting quality ingredients speak for themselves, here are their tips on making hosting simple, yet special.
The prep
Margot Henderson and Melanie Arnold, founders of Arnold & Henderson and Rochelle Canteen
“During the hectic run up to Christmas we find it is best to get your orders in early, so last-minute shopping doesn’t spring upon you. First on the list has to be the turkey, we always opt for a great, free-range, happy turkey. The trick to making the best and the most delicious turkey is to soak the bird overnight in five per cent brine; this keeps it nice and juicy.”
Charlie Carroll, founder of Flat Iron
“During Christmas I always go to the effort of sourcing a few wonderful ingredients, and then keep things simple. My go-to ingredients during the festive season are a big slab of truffled brie, a whole bavette of amazing Dexter beef from our herd of cattle that I BBQ, or a roast dry-aged duck from Warrens or Pynes, two of the best butchers in the country and long-standing Flat Iron suppliers. I serve the meat with a big salad and some freshly baked bread; nobody needs the stress of juggling five different pans of veg.”
James Lowe, chef at Lyle’s and Flor
“Have everything ready before guests arrive. I try to have everything not only prepped beforehand but the whole kitchen cleaned before the party starts too. Pies are great dishes to cook for a big dinner party as you can make the mix the day before and then just put it in the oven an hour or so before people arrive. Over the years, I’ve learnt that trying to cook individual dishes at Christmas is a recipe for disaster as home kitchens aren’t designed for it.”
The food
Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich, Honey & Co, Honey & Smoke, Honey & Spice
“Always, always offer dessert, whether you serve cookies and ice cream, or try making your own marzipan at home by blitzing almonds with icing sugar and a little orange zest. For a drinks party, we serve our goat cheese and harissa buns, or borekitas that can be made in advance and just warmed in the oven as people arrive. Cook recipes that you know, trust and enjoy, this is not the time to experiment. And if cooking’s not your thing, don’t be afraid to buy in food if it’s easier for you – good quality cheeses, breads, dips, vegetables will always go down well.”
Edoardo Pellicano, executive chef at Mãos
“I like to pre-cook snacks that are easy to scatter around the room so people can help themselves as and when they feel like it. I always make sure they can be cooked in the oven so I can throw them in and go and mingle until they’re ready. For mains, I like to do something that everyone can get stuck into together and share around a large table: my go-tos are braised lamb shoulder or roast pork belly.”
Masha Rener, head chef of Lina Stores
“Roast your potatoes straight in front of the fireplace. I wash and roll the potatoes in foil and cook them for around 45 minutes in fireplace ash. They become golden, fluffy and crispy on the outside. Serve with butter and truffle. Delicious.”
Tomos Parry, chef and founder at Brat
“When I have people over, I like to make smoked cod roe with fennel butter and toast. This makes for a delicious pre-dinner snack or a great canapé. I love the combination of hot charred bread and fennel butter, combined with the rich, smoky and sweet whipped cod roe. The mousse-like texture of the roe makes these very moreish."
Makes around 12 sticks:
For the whipped smoked cod roe
- The best quality smoked cod roe, 250g
- Egg yolk, 1
- Lemons, 2, juiced
- Table salt, 1 tsp, or to taste
- Rapeseed oil (not extra virgin, a neutral oil), 500ml
- Cold water, 50ml
For the fennel butter
- Fennel, ½ bulb, roughly chopped
- Rapeseed oil, 10ml
- Fennel seeds, 1 pinch
- Chilli flakes, very small pinch
- Pernod, 20ml
- Water, 50ml
- Unsalted butter, 150g, diced and cold
- Sea salt, 1 tbsp
To assemble
- Day old sourdough bread cut into sticks, 1.5cm x 12cm
- Lemon, 1
- Good quality olive oil, 50ml
- English sandwich cress, 50g
Method
The cod roe will come in its lobe skin; scrape it all out with a kitchen spoon to do this. It takes time, but it’s worth it. Add the roe to the a mixing bowl with the egg yolk, lemon juice and 10g of the salt (keep the rest back to add later if needed). Whisk slowly.
Once the ingredients are mixed, add the oil gradually while whisking, to emulsify (as you would with mayonnaise). Stop with 100ml to go. Now add the water – this will lighten the mix and alter the colour. Add the remaining 100ml of oil and salt. The mix should be nice and mousey by now. Transfer it into a piping bag and make a 1.5cm cut at the end.
Sweat the chopped fennel in the rapeseed oil, until soft. Throw in the fennel seeds, chilli and cook for one minute. Add the Pernod and cook on full heat for another minute, then add the water. With the fennel mixture boiling, gradually add the cold butter, then the salt. Allow to cool, then strain.
To assemble, toast the bread sticks (ideally on a charcoal grill, but a domestic grill will work). Brush liberally with the fennel butter, pipe on the roe, then season with lemon and olive oil. Place the cut English cress on top. Avoid the temptation to polish it off before your guests arrive.
The music
Paul Noble, artistic director at Spiritland
"Just because it's cold outside, there's no reason to let standards slip. Resist the lure of the generic Christmas playlist with the same fortitude one might spurn the charms of a reindeer-themed jumper. A well-picked playlist can keep things wintry and jolly, without feeling like a sales meeting. Dig into the Christmas albums of The Beach Boys, Sufjan Stevens, She and Him, Jacob Miller and Lisa Mychols for seasonal gold. Jimmy Iovine's A Very Special Christmas has the double whammy of a Stevie Nicks track and Keith Haring cover artwork."
The drinks
Fred Campbell, founder of cocktail caterer Cock & Tail
- Batching
"Get drinks batched up before guests arrive. This includes juicing your lemons or limes (fresh is always best). The best way to batch: multiply your cocktail measurement by 10, into a jug. Get a one-litre measuring jug and use this to fill up another glass jug or bottle of the cocktail mix. Make sure you don't add any sodas into the mix as these won't shake; add these after you shake. You can then pour the jug into a shaker, or even get your guests to do this so you don't have to shake every drink."
2. Choose wisely
"Shaking cocktails takes time and is messy, so choose a stirred cocktail like a negroni that can be easily poured over ice and stirred quickly to dilute. If you have a lot of guests coming then you can also dilute the negroni with 10 per cent still water, then just pour over ice and serve."
3. Ice
"You always need more than you think, especially if you are shaking cocktails. I'd suggest always having two bags of cubed ice in the freezer. Ice trays will last about two drinks, they are no good for a party."
The afters
Will Lankston, operations director at Jeeves of Belgravia
Spills and stains are inevitable. When they happen, breathe – nothing kills a party quicker than you rushing around with kitchen roll. Once everyone's left, deploy these clean-up fixes.
Ash and coal
Don’t try to brush it off – this spreads the dust and pushes it deeper into the fabric. Try to remove as much surface dust as possible by blowing it or using a hairdryer, then soak in warm water with normal detergent before washing as normal. If it's silk, take it to a dry cleaner.
Goose fat
As long as the item isn’t delicate and is definitely colour-fast (check by dipping a corner in a cup of warm water – if the dye doesn’t bleed, you should be OK) then dish soap is your best bet. There is a reason you use it to wash up your pans – it's great at breaking down grease and fat. Put the item in warm water and then use a clean toothbrush to apply Fairy liquid to the affected area. Once done, wash as normal.
Red lipstick
This isn’t easy. To treat red lipstick you need something to break down the oil or grease that allows the lipstick to spread, then something else to remove the red pigment. Different pigments are made using different base ingredients, so it isn’t always easy to know how best to remove it. If you feel confident in trying to remove the stain at home, mix liquid detergent with warm water and soak to remove the oil. Then apply a stain remover to the affected area. If in doubt, head to your dry cleaner. At Jeeves of Belgravia we have a much wider variety of stain removal solutions to tackle different pigment compositions.
Mulled wine
Red wine is easier than you think. For non-delicate, colourfast items, mix liquid detergent with cool water and soak the item until the stain lifts. Then you should be able to wash as normal.
Candle wax
If the item can be ironed, place baking paper on the affected area and then iron over the top. The heat will melt the wax and it will be absorbed into the paper. If the item is delicate, take to a reputable dry cleaner, where we have heat guns to help remove the wax.
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