I have got to cook a memorable main course for 8 at a surprise family party. Starter (by someone else) will be a variety of home made pates.

I am utterly devoid of inspiration for what to do. It needs to be special but not complex. Meat, fish or veggie.

What on earth can I do? Has anyone got any bright ideas?

Chips and pouncy crap chemical oil with stinking cheese?

seafood paella or rissotto.

Prawn cocktail
Gammon and chips with an egg and pineapple slice
Black forest gâteaux
After eight mints and coffee

Its all about retro dinners for 2009

A whole fish done in foil with a herbs and white wine. "en papillote" IIRC. Easy to do and you can bring the whole fish to the table and carve it.

Need about a 6-8 lb fish for 8 folk. farmed salmon works and ain't too expensive, turbot is great but the last one I did like this cost me £80 for the fish

Duck breasts marinated in ginger, garlic, chilli and soy. Pan fry, then set on a plate.
Serve with a noodle, spring onion and tomato salad, topped with the marinade cooked up (has to be cooked as it's had raw duck in it).

Tidy.

Luxury Fish Pie

8 times 4 is 32.

32 sausages, but really expensive ones, then super mash and beans/peas.

Big mound of mash, 32 sausages stuck in, old school-dinner stylee!

Coq au vin. simple recipe that works well in chalets where cooking can be a pain

yep bangers and mash Anna

I have not forgotten 😉

Love the serving suggestion for bangers and mash! saladdodger/bangers hmmmmm …….

had also thought a fish dish, liking idea of risotto. Thanks guys!

£80 for a fish crikey, I could just get me that big carp that died today.

big dead carp

A salmon big enough will be much less. Or a whole cod is good.

TJ, anyone with taste knows you need trout, not salmon!

Anna, Robinson's in Stockbridge do a simply brilliant dressed and prepared Test Valley trout if you want a simple option.

I do like the idea of whole fish, but I'm never very good at removing skeleton post cook. I know there's a knack, I don't have.

CFH but anyone with a taste for salmon knows you need salmon… Robinson's idea worth a google for me though, ta.

Not sure that the chaps have a website yet, Anna!

They concentrate on good food, nothing more!

CFH – If you can get a good sea trout or sewin. Farmed rainbow trout are not worth eating. Rare to get an 8 pounder as well.

You have to be confident everyone likes fish for that one, I'd not touch it. Fish tastes vile. I'd go for a big massive chicken stew. Plenty of veg thrown in to keep it tasty, really full flavour stuff like celery, carrots and onions.

Simmer it for a while in proper gravy, not oxo but meat juice and cornflower.

Season it well and then provide pots of rice and potatoes (mash and new) for people to grab themselves.

Hard grill (burn) some tomatoes and peppers and put them on the table too.

Bangers and mash is the best shout. Get some top quality sausages, some heritage varieties of potato (more than one so you can have a couple of types of mash), proper onion gravy = perfect

Go for a simple roast done well, with creatively thought-out veg.

Chicken heavily basted in garlic butter wrapped in parma ham served with roast potato/sweet potato/turnip, sauteed red cabbage, freshly podded FRESH peas served with lashings of butter/mint and finally some quickly boiled carrots.

Remember to season everything well with good salt and finally – presentation is everything…

Crikey – I went with your suggestion! Different types of sausage with differently flavoured mash, sausages sticking out of the mash. Veg and onion gravy. Looked and tasted great. So thank you for your idea – everyone thought I was very clever 😉

swan

A whole fish done in foil with a herbs and white wine. "en papillote" IIRC. Easy to do and you can bring the whole fish to the table and carve it.

Often the head and tail still on freaks people out lol

annabananna

big dead carp

Researchers shot bee venom into the lips of trout and found sites in the heads of the fish that responded to damaging stimuli

😆

i hope they ate it afterwards eh TJ?

TJ, anyone with taste knows you need trout, not salmon!

Smoked trout knocks salmon into a cocked hat.

Beef Wellington :o)

(a.k.a. filet de boeuf en croute, but that name not so popular in Napoleonic times)

Pretty easy to make (if you use packet pastry – which even my mum uses now!), and bloody lush!

Dave

I could have done you some brown trout if you'd asked in time. Never mind, next time…

Define 'posh' – fish, beef wellington etc all fine but take prep and care –
for larger numbers we normally do a big 'one pot' solution – curry or stew or similar – i.e something you can prep, put in the oven on low and, the longer you cook it, the better it tastes (just don't cook too long or meat will be so tender it falls apart on serving…)
Get your meat from a decent butcher and hey ho….
less pressure on you (if you're likely to feel it…) more time out of the kitchen, with family, glass of wine in hand……

Fish is good as it indicates a level of culinary expertise.

Try monk fish tails wrapped in parma ham.

Wrap your fish in parma had, colour quickly in a skillet, then transfer to the oven for 15 mins at 200 degrees.

Veg how about some asparagus, carrot and swede mash, and new potatoes par boiled then finished off in the oven tossed in olive oil/rosemary on the way in (the best roast potatoes in my mind)

roast rib of beef is simple and utterly delicious, yorkies dead easy to do as well

Lamb steaks,New potatoes n peas with Jus

Seal steaks then cook skin side down in over 10 mins
par boil new potatoes add cooked peas and bash into a rough mash, add mint sauce

Make Jus out of juices from steaks and wine etc etc

Cutsteaks should still be pinkish then dollop of mash and serve

Right nice and simple

gunna do the sausage one this weekend for my lot sounds like good comfort food now the autumn weather is here!