I was brought up in the north of England where lunch was actually referred to as “dinner”. Dinner was referred to as “Supper”. So, to ensure we are all talking about the same thing, I thought I would start by setting some context!!! Menus are presented in context of having an evening dinner with friends or relatives, hence the reference to Dinner Party. This does not mean that you cannot use the menu for a lunch or other gathering at a different time of day – you can!
The menu is just a collection of recipes that I feel compliment each other when served together. Menus are a guide, and are great to use when you want to ensure everything works well together and want to be confident that someone else has done this before and it worked! Over time, you will see that some recipes come up in different menus and menus are dissected and merged into other menus.
Every recipe also stands alone in its own right. You can try any recipe and just use it to complement other dishes you are making. I have a collection of Desserts. However, when I am putting a menu together, I actually sometimes select the desserts based on what my guests have requested or like. I also consider dietary requirements so if one of my guests is gluten intolerant then I will choose a dessert (or at least one of them) that they can eat. Be flexible, be bold and do not be afraid to mix and match things based on what you like!
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