The Great 'Dinner party for 4 for under £10' Hunt

A challenge, MoneySavers. Could you put on a glam, glitzy dinner party, for four people, for less than a tenner in total? What would you serve and make? Let's tap MoneySavers' collective wisdom to help with ideas, recipes and tips.
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  • floss2
    floss2 Posts: 8,030 Forumite
    Baked kale crisps as nibbles (allotment kale roasted in oven)
    Carrot & coriander soup in a teacup to start with h/m bread rolls (allotment carrots & coriander with Lidl bread flour)
    Sausages with green lentils with giant polenta chips (8 good butchers sausages, allotment onion & supermarket lentils, polenta/corn meal made up, allowed to chill & cut into big chips)
    Gooseberry crumble (allotment fruit)

    I would hope my guests would bring a bottle, but we have some h/m fruit liquers to have with coffee!
  • Pink.
    Pink. Posts: 17,675
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    edited 17 October 2012 at 11:54AM
    Starter:

    Mushrooms pan fried in butter served with salad and garlic mayo.

    everyday mushrooms 97p....half of them reserved for main course.
    lettuce 1/4 iceberg 20p
    spoonfull of helmans lite mayonaise each 50p
    garlic granules [storecupboard] or a bulb costs 50p
    butter 20p

    Mix garlic into mayonaise and leave in the fridge for at least an hour. Fry mushrooms in a little butter. Serve on a bed of lettuce with garlic mayo on the side.

    Main course:

    Spaghetti carbonarra:

    spaghetti everyday value 30p
    4 egg yolks everyday value eggs 12p each = 48p
    tub of cream 600mls £1.50 [half of which will be reserved for desert] This can be replaced or diluted with milk if you're watching the pennies or the calories.
    packet of everyday streaky bacon 275g 97p
    mushrooms [free...see starter]
    grated cheese about 75p for four

    Put the pasta on to cook. Chop then grill or dry fry the bacon until it's crispy. Fry the mushrooms in the fat remaining from the bacon. If you're feeling decadent add a tiny knob of butter. Beat the egg yolks, cheese and cream together and season with salt and lots of black pepper and garlic. When the spaghetti is ready, drain and add it to the bacon. Pour on the egg/cream mix and stir over a low heat for a few minutes until the egg is cooked. Serve immediately.

    Dessert

    Pavlova:

    4 egg whites [see main course for cost]
    8 oz caster sugar 22p
    1tsp vinegar [storecupboard] or about 3p
    1tsp cornflour [storecupboard] or about 5p
    Cream [see main course for cost]
    Fresh fruit to top depending on what you choose could be cheap, but for this I've chosen strawberries costing £2 at the moment.

    Whisk the egg whites until stiff and gradually add 4oz sugar (a spoonful at a time) whisking well after each addition.

    In a bowl mix the rest of the sugar with the cornflour and add the remaining sugar/cornflour mix into the egg whites all at once and whisk again until firm and glossy. Spoon onto a baking tray covered in greaseproof paper and cook at 130 - 140 degrees for an hour. Leave until the oven goes cold.Once cooled, whip cream and add to the top. Add fruit and serve.


    So, if my maths are right £8.67 in total. Almost enough left over for a cheese course!

    Pink
  • http://uktv.co.uk/food/recipe/aid/536253

    I'd cook a half amount of the above recipe... For the pud. Three ingredients, and I don't bother to strain it. It's fantastic.

    When I was doing to search for the recipe I found a link ( now lost...) for mse post about the topic two years ago, Still my favourite pud so am recommending again....
    nov grocery challenge, £.227.69/300, 9/25 nsd: , 7 Cmo, 10 egm.
    Me, 10 yo dd, and the dog. all food and drinks, in and out, plus household shopping.
  • Hi mse debs. I have commented on the 2010 meal for six for £20 thread as ideas in there. It's on the first page of oldstle forum at the mo but will drop downbeat again if not commented on.

    Hth, poppy
    nov grocery challenge, £.227.69/300, 9/25 nsd: , 7 Cmo, 10 egm.
    Me, 10 yo dd, and the dog. all food and drinks, in and out, plus household shopping.
  • babyshoes
    babyshoes Posts: 1,771
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    Does this challenge include drinks or is it just for the food? I think this would be do-able if you are not serving wine or if the guests bring a bottle (or two). If you are including (reasonable quality) alcoholic drinks, the costs go up considerably! Most wines that I would serve to guests/drink myself rather than using for cooking cost at least half the budget.
    Trust me - I'm NOT a doctor!
  • lostinrates
    lostinrates Posts: 55,283
    I've been Money Tipped!
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    edited 17 October 2012 at 6:59PM
    babyshoes wrote: »
    Does this challenge include drinks or is it just for the food? I think this would be do-able if you are not serving wine or if the guests bring a bottle (or two). If you are including (reasonable quality) alcoholic drinks, the costs go up considerably! Most wines that I would serve to guests/drink myself rather than using for cooking cost at least half the budget.

    I used to cook a fair number of 'glamourous' dinner parties and would not try a full on 'glitzy, glam dinner party' with a tenner, BUT, for two friends I would not be doing that glitz glam thing either, a wonderful simple supper though....would leave enough for one bottle of wine, great for the one of my friends having to drive home. Plus, it would be a more companionable night more likely.

    Almost certainly I would opt gor vegetarian or low meat and simple. At this time of year most of our friends request my pumkin soup, which is thick enough to march to war on, and delicious. Our other seasonal favourtie in volves butternut or other FLAVOURFULL squash, and sweet chestnuts ( free under trees now) a bit of blue cheese and maybe a few rashers of pancetta, and over pasta it's a seasonal feast.

    Apple dumplings are always what I long for in autumn, and again, these can be found free under many apple trees.

    Two delectable warning courses of great food and a decent bottle of wine would be my choice over a stretched three courses. ( plus if I could squeeze in a nice cheese to have before or instead of pud I would be happier still, but hard on the budget if including wine)
  • daisiegg
    daisiegg Posts: 5,395 Forumite
    Why do these threads get called 'hunts'? Just out of curiosity :)
  • Caterina
    Caterina Posts: 5,919
    First Post First Anniversary Combo Breaker I've been Money Tipped!
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    edited 17 October 2012 at 9:01AM
    Vegetarian Dinner Party

    Starter: Cream of tomato soup (1 tin value tomatoes 25p, 1/2 onion from L1dl 5 Kg bag 10p, 1 potato from allotment - or market, 10p - , 1/2 box value cream cheese 50p, water), with croutons (from leftover bread crusts which I regularly store in freezer, 5p), pinch salt pinch spice. Total £1

    Main: Spinach, squash and goat's cheese risotto (Spinach and squash from allotment - or from market: total £1 extra as would only use a bit of spinach bunch and half a squash - Approved Food Arborio Rice 300g 50p, 1 Caprino cheese from L1dl £1.20, the remaining half onion from soup, 1 stock cube, salt and spices to taste 5p, sprinkle of freshly chopped parsley 10p), accompanied by foraged rocket salad (small head of lettuce, handful of rocket, glug of olive oil total £1 if all stuff bought). Total £4 MAX

    Pudding: Allotment Rhubarb and (market) apple crumble (if rhubarb from market add £1), with oat and toasted hazelnut (Turkish shop bulk buy) crumble 50p, with custard from Approved Food 20p, milk 30p, sugar 10p. Total £2.50-£3 depending of provenience of fruit base

    If food from allotment or foraged counts, then total £7 MAXIMUM but if no allotment and food bought entirely in markets and/or discount shops, then the figure comes nearer to £10 but if shopping in a savvy way and use ingredients bought cheaply in bulk (like the 1 Kg hazelnuts for £4 = 50 g in crumble for 20p) then it is possible to do it for less than £10.

    This is a real menu that I am going to serve to a couple of friends coming to eat with us in a few days, well tried and tested!
    Finally I'm an OAP and can travel free (in London at least!).
  • Homemade Soup with homemade Soda Bread

    Easily prepared beforehand, and cheap, using whatever vegetables you have to hand . If no veg, use a tin of plum tomatoes and a tin of pulses, i.e. cannellini or butter beans, with a chopped onion and stock. If you have fresh herbs, put some in. If you have a bit of cream or crème fraiche lurking in your fridge, put in at the last minute and swirl.

    Liver, Bacon & Onions with Mashed Potatoes & Cabbage

    Very much in vogue now to eat offal, this recipe by the Hairy Bikers (featured only last night on TV) is so tasty, and takes people back to their childhoods. Just don’t overcook the liver, follow their instructions!

    Bread and Butter Pudding

    Use your stale bread up. Everybody loves this. If feeling extravagant, or have some open, substitute some of the milk for cream. Serve with custard.

    All fairly substantial courses, so you don’t need to serve such large portions.
  • Quick question before I think of something.

    Is this one of those recipe threads where the £10 is the actual full cost in total or is it one of those where someone can say "Use 2tbsp Olive Oil - 6p" when in reality the bottle price is £3 or "1tsp rock salt - 3p" when a box costs £2 so the actual meals ends up costing £20-30?

    Obviously most people already have oil and salt in their cupboard but I hope people get the point I'm reaching for.
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