Rosie Mackean’s comfort food dinner party menu (with time plan)

Rosie’s comforting dinner party menu for six

Wheaten scones with comté and pickled walnuts
“I have Northern Irish family, and wheaten bread (soda bread made with wholemeal flour) is something I’ve grown up eating. These wheaten scones are a bit different – more buttery and flaky, and they’re an elegant way to start a meal while still being simple, nostalgic and delicious. I love serving them with shavings of comté cheese and pickled walnuts as a wondrously easy starter.”

Crab and prawn pot pies with chips and salad
“February is my birthday month and this menu is a version of my dream birthday dinner. I adore crab and prawns – and all seafood, really, so a luxurious celebratory pie like this one, with lots of chips and a zingy salad, has ‘me’ written all over it. The filling is where most of the work is done here, including a fair bit of prawn shelling, but the results are scrumptious and worth every second.”

Chocolate pannacottas with pine nut and puffed rice praline
“Chocolate pannacotta can easily go wrong because chocolate sets quite hard. This one, though, is silky and rich, and a real showstopper. I like to top it with a crunchy, nutty pine nut and puffed rice praline and a dollop of crème fraîche. Heaven.”

How to prepare ahead

“My hosting philosophy is that you should be doing minimal cooking while guests are around. Spreading the workload is easier than you think – restaurant chefs prep or cook nearly everything before service to make life easier, and so should you. This plan for these recipes will make the cooking – and the party – more pleasurable.”

Browse Rosie’s cosy winter dinner party menu, with wine-braised chicken and honeyed mascarpone tart, next.