Setting the scene
Spring flowers, pastel-coloured ribbons tied around napkins and decorative wooden Easter eggs hung on budding branches make lovely table decorations – but leave room on the table for the roast!
Apéritifs
Lunch parties always go well when they’re kicked off by a special cocktail. Try a zesty, exuberant French 75: combine equal amounts of gin and lemon juice in a Champagne flute, then top up with bubbly.
Host with the roast
When cooking for large numbers, a roast is a good option as it mostly looks after itself in the oven, leaving you to get on with the accompaniments. It also provides a magnificent centrepiece.
Take your meat joint out of the fridge half an hour before cooking. After cooking, be sure to rest it on a warmed plate, covered in foil for 10-20 minutes. This ensures juicy and tender meat. Look out for The Very Useful Guide to Meat in branches – it has tips on cooking times and techniques.
Check out waitrose.com/howto for video clips on how to carve.
A bit on the side
Don’t feel you have to make more than one vegetable accompaniment if you don’t have time or space. An abundance of, say, fresh green beans, dressed with some olive oil, a spritz of lemon juice, a thinly sliced clove of garlic and a good sprinkling of chopped mint makes a dazzling dish in its own right.
Perfect pudding
Pile chocolate eggs into the centre of a homemade or shop-bought chocolate cake for an easy Easter dessert. Or, for a lighter option, serve meringue topped with fresh fruit and yoghurt.
Making it all easier
Particularly if you’re catering for large numbers, it makes sense to use WaitroseEntertaining. Whether you want to order the whole meal, or just side dishes or a special dessert, consult waitrose.com/entertaining to see the full range. (Please note that meat orders for Easter Sunday must be placed by 13 March.)
If you want to poach a whole fish such as salmon, remember that fish kettles are available on loan from the fish counter, though you should check availability well ahead of time. Your local branch can also lend you glasses if you don’t think you’ll have enough.
For smaller numbers, the As Good As Going Out range is a great solution. Try the succulent Belly of Pork with Calvados and Apple, or the slow-cooked Lamb Shanks with Redcurrant and Rosemary.
You can even buy the mashed potato and red cabbage sides if you really want to save on washing up and stress!
For every roast there’s a wine
Lamb
Highly fragrant, and often paired with garlic and rosemary, this meat is ideal with a claret such as Château Segonzac 2005 Premières Côtes de Blaye, Bordeaux, France £7.99. Be careful if you’re serving vinegary mint sauce with it – vinegar will flatten the flavour of a wine.
Pork
This is a delicate, sweet-tasting meat, and rich, too, especially when served with crispy crackling. To cut through the richness, it’s often accompanied by apple sauce (try roasting small peeled apples around the meat to make this). This combination works well with Ken Forrester Chenin Blanc 2005/06 Stellenbosch £6.99, a fragrant, mouth-filling wine from South Africa.
Turkey
When served with a herby stuffing, turkey begs a rich and savoury (though not heavy) French Pinot Noir such as Simonnet-Febvre 2005 Irancy, Burgundy £9.99. If you prefer white wine, and especially if your stuffing is a fruity one, try the aromatic and fresh Cave de Beblenheim Pinot Gris d’Alsace 2006 Alsace £5.99* (usually £7.49).
Beef
With its hearty flavours, roast beef needs a wine with weight, such as any Southern Rhone red. Or try Finca Flichman Vino Reserva, Oak Aged Malbec 2006 Mendoza £5.99 from Argentina.
Salmon
The delicacy of cold poached salmon dressed with slices of cucumber would be ideal with a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc such as Waitrose Sauvignon Blanc, Villa Maria 2006 Marlborough £7.99. For a more robust dish of roasted salmon consider a red wine (even if you feel this flies in the face of wine and food matching convention!) Try this fruity Rhône Syrah: Cave de Saint-Désirat Cuvée Prestige 2004 Saint-Joseph, Rhône £7.99* (usually £9.99).
Prices correct at time of print. *Wine offers valid from 26th March until 27th April 2008.