A Table for Friends: The Art of Cooking for Two or Twenty

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McAlpine’s father favoured “relaxed but over-the-top tables, where he’d lay bowls of cherries, big bunches of herbs or pots from the garden as decoration”, she recalls of the days of living in both Hampshire and then Venice, before her parents divorced in 2001. Much like Lord McAlpine, she doesn’t think twice about filling the table with overflowing bowls of fruit, abundant bunches of flowers, candelabra, vintage china and antique glasses. Her recent collection with the global lifestyle brand Anthropologie reflects this mismatched style, with bowls, plates and cake stands softly splattered in the style of Pugliese ceramics, and long oval platters, jugs and mugs illustrated with delicate jasmine, lilac and forget-me-nots. “If you have the right dishes, all you need are some ripe tomatoes and a creamy burrata, or lentils dressed with olive oil and herbs, and within five minutes you have lunch – but it looks inviting too,” she says. In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs with a fork. Add the eggs to the melted chocolate and stir vigorously until well combined. Now add the flour to the chocolate and stir vigorously until you have a smooth, chocolatey cream. I would love to make the semifreddos, of which there are a few, but I bought a fridge without a freezer lately... I need a separate mini-freezer just to be able to make this!

We are experiencing delays with deliveries to many countries, but in most cases local services have now resumed. For more details, please consult the latest information provided by Royal Mail's International Incident Bulletin. Known for her beguiling table arrangements and rustic feasts hosted at her home in Venice, McAlpine insists there are no rules to entertaining, but instead shares suggestions (such as how to decorate the table), for home cooks to learn the basics of planning a meal, and have fun while they’re at it. The approach Christmas cake with glacé fruits –I promise you you’ve never seen a more sumptuous British Christmas cake. It deserves a poem or a painting. A Table for Friends has recipes for every occasion, from last-minute weeknight dinners to large celebratory gatherings. Skye’s recipes fall into four chapters, Stars, Sides, Sweets and Extras, which allow you to intuitively plan a simple and impressive menu, and, because juggling oven space is one of the biggest challenges when cooking for a crowd, each chapter is ingeniously organised into Throw Together, On The Hob and In The Oven so your menu works best for your mood, your kitchen and your time. Alongside these beautiful, deliciously do-able recipes comes Skye’s practical, fuss-free guidance for hosting a stress-free gathering, from what to cook in advance to how to lay the table beautifully, allowing you to step out of the kitchen and relax with your guests. This is a cookbook to cook from: a helpful, approachable, down-to-earth kitchen companion that will give you the confidence to gather friends around your table and the inspiration to do so more often.Set out in four chapters – stars, sides, sweets and extras (McAlpine “doesn’t do starters”) – the recipes are bookended by guides to cooking by number of guests (highlighting dishes to make at the last minute for small parties, and those to prepare in advance for large gatherings) and by timings (make-ahead menus and tips for how to store them). Alongside these beautiful, deliciously do-able recipes comes Skye’s practical, fuss-free guidance for hosting a stress-free gathering, from what to cook in advance to how to lay the table beautifully, allowing you to step out of the kitchen and relax with your guests. For a super-easy roast why not try her Honey-roast poussins, Butter-&-sage roast pumpkin, Saffron fennel, A really good chicory salad with creamy mustard dressing and Winter fruit & mascarpone tart? Or for a wonderfully soothing pasta supper, Tagliatelle with gorgonzola, pear & walnut and Chocolate chestnut meringue cake is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. You’ve not been able to host many parties of late and you’re dying to host some soon; I have what you need. Drawing on years of cooking for more people than it ever seemed possible to squeeze into her kitchen, Sunday Times columnist and cookery author Skye McAlpine shares the secrets to her stylish and relaxed way of hosting, setting you up for success whether you’re cooking for two or twenty.

Setting the table and serving plates –the sections you’re dying to read if you’re anything like me. Brush the pastry edge with the egg, then line with baking parchment and baking beans. Blind-bake in the oven for 10 minutes, until dry to the touch and lightly golden at the edges. Take out of the oven and leave to cool for 10 minutes or so.Publishers Text 'This is a beautiful cookbook, full of joyous, life-enriching recipes. I love it.' Nigel Slater Combine the white chocolate, butter and sugar in a small saucepan and set over a low heat to melt. Stir regularly to stop the chocolate from catching and take the pan off the heat as soon as it is melted. Would suit someone who often hosts people and prefers no fuss cooking that still looks and tastes amazing. As WISH wanders with McAlpine on a hot July day around the shady cobbled streets of Venice, the author is heading early to the canal-side fruit, vegetable and fish market in Rialto. “Food is such a source of joy in Italy, where everyone talks about what’s coming into season, what they had for lunch, what they’re cooking for dinner. It creates such a wonderful quality of life,” she muses as she shops for fresh peaches, which she will later poach in Amaretto, and pretty, sunshine-yellow zucchini flowers for dressing the top of a deceptively simple taleggio puff pastry galette. Alongside these beautiful, deliciously do-able recipes comes Skye’s practical, fuss-free guidance for hosting a stress-free gathering, from what to cook in advance to how to lay the table beautifully, allowing you to step out of the kitchen and relax with your guests. For a super-easy roast why not try her Honey-roast poussins, Butter-&-sage roast pumpkin, Saffron fennel, A really good chicory salad with creamy mustard dressing and Winter fruit & mascarpone tart? Or for a wonderfully soothing pasta supper, Tagliatelle with gorgonzola, pear & walnut and Chocolate chestnut meringue cake is sure to be a crowd-pleaser…

A Table for Friends has recipes for every occasion, from last-minute weeknight dinners to large celebratory gatherings. Skye’s recipes fall into four chapters, Stars, Sides, Sweets and Extras, which allow you to intuitively plan a simple and impressive menu, and, because juggling oven space is one of the biggest challenges when cooking for a crowd, each chapter is ingeniously organised into Throw Together, On The Hob and In The Oven so your menu works best for your mood, your kitchen and your time. How to cook by timings – dishes thrown together at the last minute; dishes you can prepare up to six hours ahead / 12 hours ahead / the day before / days beforeCoffee and mascarpone biscuit cake –there are many beautiful cakes in the book, but it is the texture of this that I dream of; and the coffee, because I can’t drink coffee normally. It is impossible to grow up in Italy and not love food,” enthuses bestselling cookbook author Skye McAlpine. British born but Venice raised from the age of six to 18, McAlpine recalls a childhood of long, convivial lunches and dinners thanks to her very social parents, the late property developer (renowned for his transformation of Broome in the eighties), art collector and former Thatcher Conservative Party treasurer Lord Robert McAlpine (best known as Alistair), and former magazine contributing editor Romilly McAlpine. “It was never just the three of us,” their daughter says. “For lunch or dinner there would always be friends, or friends of friends, joining us. It became a way of building family and creating a sense of home.” It’s a winner – a book I’ll turn to again and again, especially when friends come over’– Delicious magazine The recipes themselves are charmingly simple; this is unpretentious food that affords the host more time with their guests. The recipes

Skye’s recipes fall into four chapters, Stars, Sides, Sweets and Extras, which allow you to intuitively plan a simple and impressive menu, and, because juggling oven space is one of the biggest challenges when cooking for a crowd, each chapter is ingeniously organised into Throw Together, On The Hob and In The Oven so your menu works best for your mood, your kitchen and your time. Ongoing Covid restrictions, reduced air and freight capacity, high volumes and winter weather conditions are all impacting transportation and local delivery across the globe.

2. Spoons

Summer berry cloud cake –I love summer berries and, with that name, I'm dreaming of pillowy marshmallowy clouds. Drawing on years of cooking for more people than it ever seemed possible to squeeze into her kitchen, Sunday Times columnist and cookery author Skye McAlpine shares the secrets to her stylish and relaxed way of hosting, setting you up for success whether you're cooking for two or twenty.