On The Hob

Come Dine with Me, How to throw the Perfect Dinner Party

The Channel 4 TV show Come Dine with Me and it’s Celebrity spin off have released a book for all of us aspiring for the perfect Dinner party.  Subtitled “How to throw the Perfect Dinner Party” this is much more than just a recipe book.

Planning the Party

The first 60 pages of the book focus on the planning of a dinner party, it may sound easy but the book makes you sit back and think what recipes complement each other, difficulty, timings and little hints such as keeping track of what you’ve cooked for who in case they come around again!

But planning a party isn’t just about food, this section of the book reminds you to think of drinks, how clean your house is, setting the table, and common cookery mistakes to avoid.  Even a few tips for being the perfect host or guest.

The Recipes

The final 130 pages show winning recipes from the series, split into starters, mains and desserts.  Plus the top ten winning recipes.  The recipes contain a clear list of ingredients and simple numbered instructions.  The only negative is that not all recipes have accompanying images of the dish and while they have clear cooking times there isn’t an overall preparation time, but I suppose everyone cooks at different speeds.

My favourite recipes

Some of my favourite recipes from the book are

Starters

• Latkes & grilled vegetables with goats cheese and a basil oil
• Chilled Melon with parma ham parmesan cheese and rocket
• Slow cooked chilli with nachos

Mains

• Vegetable Mossaka
• Jamaican Chicken
• Filet of Beef in wild mushroom sauce with potatoes dauphinoise & spinach

Desserts

• Spiced orange chocolate cheesecake
• Warm banana tarts served with ice cream & rum
• Hot chocolate fondant with a lemon pot & raspberry coulis.

To be honest I had trouble getting them down to just three favourites (especially the desserts).  If you’re planning a dinner party this is a great book to have to hand for fantastic recipes from the TV series and good tips to ensure your party is a success.
Now I just need to find more excuses for dinner parties!

Often you want to chop something quickly but don’t want the hassle of cleaning a large food processor.  This is where the Marco Pierre White Mini Chopper comes in!

Russell Hobbs Marco Pierre White 14337 Mini Processor

Perfect for smaller items such as fresh herbs, baby food and pasta sauces, the 320W Russell Hobbs Marco Pierre White Mini Food Processor is such a handy kitchen appliance. It comes with a universal blade which is suitable for chopping and blending a wide variety of foods, an ice blade which crushes ice, and also a cream disc which makes extremely light work of whipped cream!

The product has easy one-touch operation button control and the durable glass bowl has a handy lid for storing food in the fridge. It comes in an attractive and contemporary matt black and chrome finish.

Box Contents

Click to buy the Russell Hobbs Marco Pierre White 14337 Mini Processor With Glass Chopping Bowl

There’s nothing like freshly baked bread, with a Panasonic Breadmaker you are able to bake your own.  Think of that delicious freshly baked smell wafting through your kitchen.

Panasonic SD255 Breadmaker with Raisin/Nut Dispenser

The Panasonic SD255 Breadmaker makes 3 different sized loafs – medium, large and extra large. There are many comprehensive bake modes including; 100% wholemeal, multigrain, gluten free, sandwich bread, dough setting for pizzas, rolls etc.

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The Panasonic Bread Maker has a dispenser that adds additional ingredients automatically into kneading process and rye bread mode. For example, it will automatically add raisins if you’re making fruit bread.

It has modern styling and comes in a white finish. A UK recipe book is included.

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