ideas for starter and dessert for dinner party

A soup is always easy to prep and can make huge quantities, chorizo and sweet potato currently my fav!!

How about creme brulee for dessert? Mr F does a mean on, and easy to make!!

My favourite kidn of starter would be a sort of italian antipasti platter with prociutto, caprese salad (tomato, mozz, and basil), bread, olive oil, artichokes, sundried tomatos, etc. Or bruschetta, or something similar. Don't know how you're doing your main, though, so it might not mesh well with it.

As for dessert, do you have a trifle dish? Trifle always looks so good at a dinner party, and there are so many delicious looking berries in the shops now. We just had the biggest mildest juiciest raspberries on the weekend!

If it were me I would do something easy like camembert to start with some lovely bread. I would then definitely do a roast leg of lamb with all the trimmings and then finish off with Eton Mess!

I love a good terrine or pate - you could always buy one? Maybe a ham hock one with some piccalilli? with some lovely sourdough bread...mmmm

Mushrooms with stilton on toast? Antipasti? Figs with buffalo mozzarella and parma ham?

For pudding I'd go for baked peaches with salted caramel sauce. Looks hard, is so easy and tastes incredible.

Some great thoughts here and now making me hungry. (not sure Antipasti would work) Terrine, mushrooms sound interesting. Camembert first course would be out as we would put out a cheese course (of course ?) puddings - trifle and eton mess I love but thinking something a litttle more sophisticated. Peaches sound a good idea, anyone got any chocolate recipe ideas?

this is the mains that is planned (hubby will trial it first)

If I was doing a dinner party for starter I'd do asparagus, mozzarella and prosciutto parcels as you can make them before hand and they look pretty.

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/4494/asparagus-mozzarella-and-prosciutto-parcels

And for pud a chocolate orange creme brulee if you want a chocolatey dessert?

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chocolate-Orange-Creme-Brulee-13066

I've just had lunch but still hungry after reading this thread!

Can't help with the starter as I'm always in charge of dessert, but how about pears stuffed with chocolate wrapped in filo pastry? There are more steps to this (poaching I think) but my H made them once they were lovely. Especially if you use orange flavoured chocolate

For a chocolatey dessert google Nigella's easy chocolate mousse (or something like that). It's made with marshmallows rather than egg-whites, so our pregnant friend made it for us once. It's really rich but so super easy to make. H (who is really not a fan of desserts) said it was his favourite ever! When I made it, I just used normal chocolate, but our friend used orange flavoured chocolate - you could use anything. I made ours in martini glasses and just served with some whipped cream, but you could make it look a bit more fancy with chocolate shavings, orange peel (if you're using orange chocolate) etc.

My speciality for dinner parties is stuffed peppers to start, can prepare the stuffing so they just need chucking in the oven when yr guests arrive. I stuff them with cheese, celery, brazil nuts, breadcrumbs, onions, sounds a bit gross but it really is delicious.

Then for main Morroccan lamb is always a favourite. I usually do this the night before as well as it tastes better and then you just have to cook rice/cous cous/some nice hot bread.

Let me know if you want recipes. x