Cheat Sheet: How To Nail That Dinner Party

No need to order pizza and hide the boxes. You’ve got this.

“When I moved to Paris at 16, I held a dinner party in my first apartment and served only red wine, French fries and mashed potatoes.”

These are the words of supermodel Jerry Hall. And while the dinner party sounds like the stuff my consistently-carb-fuelled dreams are made of, there’s easier ways to, erm, expand that menu of yours.

Whether you’re a first timer or a well-seasoned host, we’ve trawled the wonder that is Instagram to find your go-to’s for your next hosting adventure.

Thanks to @cheesebynumbers

The starter kit
There are plenty of chefs out there throwing out starters that will take you the better part of a week to prepare, but who has time? Save your sweat for the main event. Cheese by Numbers is our go-to for the DIY Cheese Plate experience. Plus, slide by slide, they show you how to build it. Look like a total pro.

Thanks to @arthurstreetkitchen

The budget buster
Feed the masses without dipping into your savings thanks to New-York based Australian cook and author Hetty McKinnon’s chickpea and kale shakshuka.

“My fave breakfast-for-dinner dish … This is an awesome recipe made with pantry staples; use fresh tomatoes, or canned. A delicious option at any time of day, actually. All you need is crusty bread on hand to mop up the sauce!”

Thanks to @ottolenghi

The main game
Yotam Ottolenghi is the man behind some of the best dinner parties we’ve been to. A warning though, his recipes aren’t a just-pull-out-of-the-pantry affair. Instead, the ingredients list is often long and always well worth it. This one? “Asparagus .... With tempura onion and wild garlic and pistachio pesto, it works a dream.”

Thanks to @donna.hay

The dessert
OK, so she’s an obvious choice but she’s the matriarch of the Australian dinner party with good reason. As one of the nation's leading food editor and best-selling cookbook authors, Donna Hay has been serving up the goods since well before the millennium even started. She shares simple yet chic ways to serve your wares. Our pick? Hay’s caramel three milk cake taken from her “all-time favourite recipes.”

If she says it’s good that’s what we’d call a reputable source …

Want to take it to the next level? Get a great dinner jacket...