The Dinner Party.

My friend Gill never makes a big deal over her munificence and talent as a cook. Last weekend Glenn and I had the pleasure of yet another of Gill's culinary soirées which included several courses of her delicious, well thought out menu.

Whilst some dinner party givers relish the prospect of having their friends round and cooking several courses of food, there are others who are lacerated by the worry that a good time will be neither provided or had. Personally I have found that the best formula for me when hosting a dinner party is to spend as little time in the kitchen as possible once my guests have arrived.

In fact, Nigella Lawson says, if it's the cooking that makes you not enjoy giving a party, don't cook! By which she means, do as chic Italians and Spaniards do and serve antipasti boards/tapas, low-effort food which can be prepared in advance then placed on the table as your guests arrive.

Since spending time in Spain I can appreciate why tapas is a popular dinner party choice. There is a certain intimacy and casualness about sitting around a table sharing platters of food whilst the drink and conversation flow. Personally I can never fully relax when serving several courses until every last dish has been served, by which time the party has almost come to an end. A friend and neighbour of mine in Spain is a magnificent cook and regularly invites a crowd of us to her lavish dinner parties, the food is excellent, however, I spend the whole evening feeling her anxiety and rather wish she could just sit down, relax and enjoy the company, as Nigella says, people are out to enjoy themselves: they're not coming to carp at your canapés.

With predictions of good weather here in England, many of us will be dusting off the garden furniture and thinking about inviting friends round for food and drinks. Whilst we were at Gill's she served crab crostini with aperitifs, a simple yet creative and delicious idea that went down a storm.

Finely chop 1 spring onion, fresh coriander and 1 fresh chilli (optional) combine with 300g white crab meat, cover with clingfilm and store in the fridge until ready to serve. Just before assembling, stir in 60ml sour cream and 15ml lime juice. Spoon mixture onto gourmet crisps (such as Kettle Chips or Salty dog, cheap thin crisps won't bear the weight of the topping) or tortilla chips and serve.

In fact, tortilla chips and gourmet crisps are the perfect bite size vessel for all types of toppings and look wonderful served on large platters. A veggie option could be some cream cheese flavoured with Worcestershire sauce and paprika, alternatively crumble blue cheese into some sour cream and top with freshly chopped chives. Tapenade (olives blitzed with garlic and freshly squeezed lemon juice) and pate are also delicious options and are all so easy to prepare in advance.

My friend Clarrie sent me some photos of a piece of pork which she cooked in a slow cooker for 10 hours (literally no work involved.) This would be perfect for a dinner party, just place the pulled pork on a large platter alongside some artisan bread rolls and homemade apple sauce and let everyone dig in!

And of course, who can resist a delicious cheese board accompanied with a variety of chutneys or sticky cocktail sausages (marinade sausages in soy sauce, orange juice and cranberry sauce, I sometimes even use jam) cook in a throwaway foil baking tray and et voila! Effortless but utterly moreish. Make it simple (and delicious) be creative, prepare in advance then put on your gladrags and have fun!

'Planning a dinner party in a way that you're actually capable of getting it done without panicking is important. It's bad hospitality for the host to be freaked out.'
- Ted Allen

Love Donna xxxxxxx