TABLE TALK

Follow us on @wednesdaysdomaine

⚙️ Table Talk #104: Is The Dinner Party Over? 🍽️

|
TABLE TALK #104

Given life only ticks faster, restaurants only get better and dirty pans never get sexier, you may well ask: has the dinner party run its course?

Today’s Table Talk debates whether marinades, matching crockery and multiple hours of food prep are a thing of the past.

 

🍝 MAIN COURSE 🍝 
Is the dinner party over? 
 
A provocative question and an interesting one. 
 
Our vote is no, rather, that the dinner party as we know it has been reincarnated, and hosting has become more fluid. 
 
Once upon a time a dinner party meant you were hosting solo and you were cooking from scratch. Today, there are multiple ways you can style one out, without being a slave to the pans.
 
Photo Credit: Dishoom
In our eyes, dinner parties shouldn’t be the domain of the confident cook alone.
 
Hack the format and….
 
1. Order A Takeaway: No, we’re not joking. It’s quick, it means no washing up and there are gazillions of cuisines you can pick from. We love Dishoom for Indian takeaways, delivered in packaging too pretty even to decant. 

2. Try A Meal Kit: We’re all for minimising prep time and a meal kit does just that. We’re suckers for the Ottolenghi Ready Shakshuka meal kit that includes everything from shakshuka sauce, to labneh, to Dusty Knuckle focaccia.

3. Host A Pot Luck Supper: A dinner where everyone brings a dish, means that everyone feels invested and everyone puts in max effort because its ‘just a dish’ they’re bringing. Pick a theme, whack on a new table cloth and let the food arrive with your guests.

4. Stockpile Frozen Food: Brands like By Ruby are changing the game when it comes to homemade frozen food done beautifully. Their Woodland Mushroom Risotto is better than any we could make.

5. Make It A Pasta Party: Get your guests kneading, rolling and drying their own pasta while you crack on with a simple pomodoro sauce and voila - dinner is served!
Photo Credit: Dishoom

 

🍮 SWEET ENDINGS 🍮

If you need persuading on any of the above, or worry it’s a cop-out, rest assured that even Michelin-starred chefs do it.

Listen to Angela Hartnett’s Off Menu podcast interview to hear her favourite hacks for fooling friends and family with supermarket-bought gazpacho, seasoned with cherry toms blistered in olive oil.

 

🍷 WHAT'S NEW
FROM
WEDNESDAY'S DOMAINE? 🍷

If nothing else, Christmas is all about gathering your loved ones over plenty of delicious food and drink.

So if you’re in Bath next week, head to No.15 GuestHouse for their Festive Cheese and Wine Event on November 23rd. We're looking forward to stepping into the Christmas spirit with an evening of carefully curated wine and cheese pairings, featuring yours truly.

Until next Wednesday,

Luke x

Table Talk

More where that came from...

Table Talk
Questions
Table Talk Questions