To get impromptu dinner guests excited with little fuss, you can’t go wrong with duck

Ispent my childhood waiting for the day when I could host a dinner party. It seemed the apex of glamorous adult life – planning a menu, lighting candles, arranging flowers… and then that magical sound as your kitchen fills with laughter and clinking, the voices only becoming more and more raucous as the night rolls on and glasses are topped up.

In this area, at least, adult life has not disappointed. Cooking for people gives me the most amount of joy. Over the years, though, I’ve wasted countless evenings standing over a chopping board while my friends got drunk at the table without me. It all seemed like a great idea when you sent out that group Whatsapp, but when it’s 9.45pm and the pork shoulder that is supposed to be the centrepiece for the meal you’ve planned is just not playing ball, the whole thing starts to feel a lot less relaxing.

The key to a Friday night dinner party, I now know, is low-effort, high-impact. Duck breasts are perfect as they cook quickly and always feel a bit special. I like to brown the fat and keep the flesh a little pink, then slice them thickly and serve on a big platter with this gorgeous sweet-and-sour sauce spooned over liberally. Finish with extra sage leaves (crisp them up a bit first in a pan) and nutty toasted buckwheat and eat with something green and a healthy serving of potatoes. Small ones, steamed and tossed in salty butter and wholegrain mustard, would be good, or you could go all out and make a big dish of dauphinoise.

Then top your glass up, leave the kitchen, and go and sit down with the people you love.