FABULOUSLY UNFUSSY FOOD

WHEN JOUDIE KALLA held her first supper club three years ago, she served a starter, main and pudding on individual plates. ‘It was so against my nature, but I thought I should do it that way,’ she says. ‘But the meal was so static. I vowed that the next time I would do it my way or not at all.’

Joudie is the host of the popular supper club Palestine on a Plate, and author of two cookbooks, most recently Baladi: Palestine – A Celebration Of Food From Land And Sea (£26, Jacqui Small), and her way of entertaining is placing large platters of food on the table for everyone to help themselves. ‘At my next supper club, I had large tables and 10 different plates that people shared. People had to reach over, ask for dishes to be passed to them, and this started conversations, people weren’t just speaking to the person on either side of them. The vibe was so different to the one before. It felt like we were all friends at someone’s home and everyone really liked it.’

For many of us, the traditional format of canapés followed by a starter, main and pudding has been replaced by something far more relaxed: platters and large pots of food that everyone can share.

‘If I compare what I do with what my mother did when she had friends round, it’s very different,’ says influencer and author of cookbook A Lot On Her Plate (£25, Hardie Grant) Rosie Birkett. ‘ What she did was more fiddly and elaborate, trying to recreate formal restaurant food. Now we are more tuned into street food, sharing menus and small plates so what we do is far less fussy.’

While starters are optional – never midweek, sometimes on weekends – canapés have definitely been ditched. ‘ They’re such a bore,’ says Lucy CarrEllison of Tart London who’ve written the cookbook A Love Of Eating (£25, Square Peg). ‘Instead, we cheat and have some really nice olives, charcuterie, some cheese. It looks so nice on the table with a cocktail; it looks like you’ve made an effort.’

Rosie does similar and will often add an element of the home-made, such as a dip that she makes in advance. ‘ There’s a strong DIY thing happening now,’ she says. ‘People like to make one amazing thing

that’s really special, but that can be done in advance, such as a dip or a home-made pasta. If you’re busy and don’t see your friends very often, when you do see them you don’t want to spend all your time in the kitchen. By partly prepping ahead, you can still put some love and care into what you serve.’

This applies to the main part of the meal, too. ‘ We always like to include something that has been made in advance, like a glorious pot that you can put on the table with accompaniments,’ says Lucy. ‘A slow-cooked dish is perfect. You can make it a couple of days in advance and, especially with stews and curries, the flavours get better over time.’

While in the summer Rosie will hit the barbecue, at this time of year she often does a slow-cooked meat dish, such as lamb. ‘Not only is it low-maintenance and comforting with delicious flavours, it also gives you time to dress the table,’ she says.

For pudding, anything goes. ‘ We might make a chocolate and salted caramel tart on a hazelnut base the day before,’ says Lucy. ‘But we also love a wonderful cheese platter with home-made chutneys and crackers. It’s whatever you have time for.’