4 three-course menus for February

Thea Everett

Deputy editor (audiences) Thea loves to be in the kitchen and has a particular interest in cooking on a budget and deep frying. She thinks Sri Lankan and Indian food is the food of the gods. Discover her recipes and tune in to our Instagram feed, which she runs on a daily basis.

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There’s always a reason to put on a feast and these 4 three-course menus prove it. We’ve got a show-stopping dinner party menu to have guests ooh-ing and ahh-ing, plus a totally vegetarian-friendly option featuring Ottolenghi’s curried cauliflower cheese pie. Trust us, it’s a winner.

Our romantic meal for two is the perfect way to show someone you care this Valentine’s Day (did someone say caramel lava puddings?) and our menu for Shrove Tuesday features three courses of pancakes, including soufflé and galette varieties.

The show-stopping dinner party menu

Score points for effort and flavour with this spectacular dinner party menu. The star of the show is this special recipe from Elainea Emmott curry goat takes centre stage paired with the classic accompaniment rice and peas. This is Elainea’s attempt to do her Mum’s curry goat justice, and we think she more than achieves that! If you’ve never made curry goat before, now is the time. You will not be disappointed: the subtlety of thyme along with the hum of chilli and sweetness of coconut make this a winning dish that just gets better with time.

Finally, the dessert is a rib-sticking delight from the Hairy Bikers, their pineapple and rum sticky toffee pudding makes a fitting end to a standout meal.

The vegetarian dinner party menu

The main course in this vegetarian menu is a recipe that we think you’ll come back to again and again: it’s Ottolenghi’s curried cauliflower cheese pie a molten lake of cheesy cauliflower is surrounded with crisp filo pastry. You can easily prepare it in under half an hour too, so it’s a winner on all fronts.

To start the meal though, serve up a classic cream of mushroom soup for a simple, make-ahead starter. The hint of tarragon is the perfect pairing for the earthy mushrooms. To finish, we’ve gone for a seasonal blood orange tart: ruby oranges are encased in a buttery pastry with hazelnut frangipane and then served with cardamom cream – for a showstopper that looks as special as it tastes.

The romantic menu for two

Valentine’s Day is a wonderful opportunity to share a thoughtfully-cooked meal with the one you love. And, boy, have we got a line up for you…

Start off with our cheesy scallop gratin for something that really shows you care, before moving on to a classic rib eye steak recipe. Of course, we’ve served it with super skinny oven chips – for maximum crunch – but there’s also a rich pesto hollandaise sauce that will elevate your steak-and-chips game. Finish with a self-saucing caramel lava pudding which can be made ahead and only need 10 mins prep. There’s nothing like a salted caramel Lindor to make your main squeeze feel loved.

The Pancake Day menu

Go to town on Shrove Tuesday (25 February) with three courses of pancakes! Start the day with these soufflé pancakes ready in just 15 minutes – watch them puff up to glorious heights as they cook. For mains, take a tip from the French and make gorgeous spinach, mushroom and cheese filled galettes filled. You’ll be wondering why you don’t have pancakes for dinner more often…. For pudding, only a stack of DOUBLE CHOCOLATE pancakes will do (you can make them boozy if you like, too). Frying pans at the ready…