Selecting guests for a dinner party

Patricia talks you through the history of afternoon tea, how to have afternoon tea in your house, and the proper pronunciation of scone.

In preparation for that moment when the government decides you're now allowed to have 15-20 people in your house for a meal Patricia walks you through how to host a large supper party.

Patricia talks you through how to hold a dinner party. This episode look at the party itself, after you've chosen your guests, prepared the food, and are in the home stretch.

Patricia explains how you go about creating a menu for a dinner party, everything from what foods work well to how many deserts you'll need to prepare.

Patricia walks you through how you go about selecting guests for a dinner party, how many people you can bring, what types of people suit each other, and how to go about getting them to turn up on time.

A dinner party is a fantastic opportunity to sit down with friends, over food and wine, and to just enjoin their company. But for many people the idea of bringing people into their home and having to cook for a large number of people can be rather daunting. In this new short series of podcasts Patricia talks about the ins and outs of dinner parties: what they are, why you would want to have one, and how you go about selecting guests and actually holding a dinner party if you've never held one before.

Ingredients100 g sultanas 2 large eggs75 mls burbon or dark rum (I used brandy) 175 g plain flour4 very ripe bananas (300 g without skin) 60 g chopped walnuts2 teasps. baking powder 1 teasp. vanilla extract½ teasp. bicarb of soda 150g sugar½ teasp. salt 125 g unsalted butter, meltedInstructionsPut sultanas and alcohol into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from heat and leavefor about 1 hour or until sultanas have absorbed most of the liquid.Preheat the oven to 170 degrees/gas mark 3.Put the flour, baking powder, bicarb and salt into a bowl and mix. In a separate bowl mixmelted butter, and sugar and beat until blended, beat in the eggs one at a time, then themashed bananas, followed by the drained sultanas, walnuts and vanilla.Add the flour mixture, 1/3 at a time, stirring well after each bit.Into a 23 by 13 by 7 cm loaf buttered and floured (or with a paper insert) pour in the mixture.Bake for 1-1 ½ hours in the middle of the oven or until a skewer comes out clean.

Ingredients600ml/1 pint chicken stock (or veg stock)10-12 strands saffron1 very large onion25g/1oz butter1 tabsp. olive oil1 teasp. ground cinnamon4 chicken breasts (on the bone if wished)100g/4 ozs. chopped dried apricots25g/1 oz sultanas50g/2ozs while unskinned almondsSalt and black pepperInstructionsBoil the stock and add the saffron. Leave on the side.Peel and chop the onion. Add to the oil/butter mix until soft then stir in the cinnamon Transfer to a plateAdd the chicken to the pan and fry until brown.Add the onion/cinnamon mixture followed by the apricots, sultanas and almonds. Sprinkle with pepper and add in the stock. Bring to the boil. Simmer or cook in the oven for about 40 minutes. Add more pepper and some salt as liked.

IngredientsServes 41 tbsp olive oil 8 chicken thighs 250ml chicken stock or perhaps a little more1 x 400g tin chickpeas drained and rinsed2 tbsp sun dried tomato pesto100g baby spinach or garden peasSea salt and freshly ground black pepperMethodHeat a large frying pan over a medium heat. Sprinkle the skin of the chicken evenly with salt and pepper. Add chicken to pan, skin side down. Cook 8-10 minutes or until skin is crispy, remove any excess fat. Turn the chicken thighs and add the stock, chickpeas, pesto and stir together. Continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes or until the chicken has cooked.Once the sauce has slightly reduced season to taste and stir through the spinach and serve. On its own, or with bread or even boiled potatoes. 

Patricia show you how to make the a classic pork chop served with wild mushrooms and cider cream sauce. It's a perfect meal if you're looking for something special, that won't break the bank or push your cooking skills to the limit. She pairs it with English Country Garden, sung by Jimmie Rodgers.