A festive feast for friends
Supper-club star Laura Jackson creates a mouth-watering menu and stylish table for a pre- Christmas meal with your mates
laura jackson needs no excuse to invite people round for dinner: ‘I love to plan what I’m going to cook, how the table is going to look. And I can never have just two people! I always end up with many more. Once I thought I had invited six people and I had actually invited 14!’
One of her favourite recent nights was a Mexican one. ‘But squeezing all the limes for a margarita killed me!’ she laughs. She often throws a big Thanksgiving meal, too. ‘Saying thank you to everyone who’s supported you is something I really like to do.’
Whether feeding friends or guests at her supper club (which she now runs solo, but started with her friend, broadcaster Alice Levine), Laura – also a TV presenter and fashion influencer – transforms her double front room into an atmospheric dining space. Out go the armchairs and in comes a large folding table and bench, which allow her to squeeze everyone in. The Sanderson wallpaper came with the house when she bought it with her husband, photographer Jon Corrigan, and works brilliantly with her penchant for vintage accessories.
This Christmas, she’ll be ‘touring the North’ seeing family, so a pre- Christmas shindig for friends is definitely in order. On the menu are delicious but easy-to-do dishes, with lots of the preparation done in the preceding days. ‘ You want something that’s stress-free and easy to feed a crowd, as it gives you more time with friends around the table – but you also want to do something that impresses your guests.’
The menu here involves a couple of home-made touches – such as the Middle Eastern soft cheese labneh – that will add wow factor. And, of course, it all begins with a cocktail. ‘It doesn’t have to be complicated,’ says Laura. ‘Something as simple as elderflower and prosecco is a cocktail that will start everything off.’
For the colour scheme, Laura chose mustard and green: ‘It’s a traditional but updated festive palette that will work in different styles of houses. I love the leopard-print crackers for a fun touch.’