Any suggestions please?

Aliss08

I have invited four family members for lunch. I don't see them that often and they live about an 1hrs drive from me. They would be happy with a sandwich and a coffee but I would like to do something really nice for lunch. I would like to keep it simple purely so that I can spend the time with them and not in the kitchen cooking. Any ideas please?

ceridwen

Homemade bread, home made soup (something like leek and potato is nice), "nice" cheese or two, butter, salad and appropriate dressings, selection of fresh fruit - bingo. Job done.

McKneff

Individual tuna/salmon pie.

4 pots, half fill with tuna/salmon, top with mash, grated cheese, can be done in advance and then just heated up in the oven
while they are there.

Trifle for pudding (Sainsburys fruits of the forest is just scrummu)

happierdaystocome

Pasta bake or Lasanga, with salad and bread, as can be made the night before and bunged in the oven to reheat.

Larumbelle

ceridwen wrote: »

Homemade bread, home made soup (something like leek and potato is nice), "nice" cheese or two, butter, salad and appropriate dressings, selection of fresh fruit - bingo. Job done.

Just what I was going to suggest A nice home-baked cake for pud would go down well, too. And it can all be made / prepped in advance then just heated and served.

Aliss08

Thank you all for your suggestions. I like the sound of all of them and making/preparing in advance is an excellent suggestion.

TRYINGTOSWIM

how about quiche,can be made in advance too. would also suggest lasagne which always goes down well. or homemade pizza, get it asll ready and just pop in oven at lunchtime.
a simple victoria sandwich would be lovely for sfter lunch.
have good time

babyshoes

For something light like that where they would be happy with a sandwich, I would tend to just buy a load of nice bits from the deli like artichoke hearts, peppers, olives, stuffed vine leaves etc etc, add some nice cheeses and maybe some sort of deli meat like salami, and a dip or two like hummus and taramasalata, then serve it all with a nice rustic loaf either bought or HM.

When they arrive, simply put the bread in the oven on low to warm up for a few minutes, decant the 'bits' into bowls or onto a board. Add knives etc, give out side plates, and let everyone dig in as they wish, tearing the bread and dipping it into bowls, etc. Best eaten around a table. People can then literally eat until they are full (as long as you have enough bread), so you will probably find that a light dessert is sufficient. I am thinking of things like fruit salad and ice cream or more 'finger food' like some pieces of fruit and a bowl of melted chocolate in the middle of the table.