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A Table for Friends: The Art of Cooking for Two or Twenty
'This is a beautiful cookbook, full of joyous, life-enriching recipes. I love it.' Nigel Slater
'Its collection of foolproof, elegant recipes calls to mind Nigella Lawson at her best' Vogue
A Table for Friends celebrates the joy of eating with friends and family, with over 100 simple and wonderfully inviting recipes that allow you to relax with your loved ones whilst the cooking takes care of itself.
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.
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.
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.
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.
'Its collection of foolproof, elegant recipes calls to mind Nigella Lawson at her best' Vogue
A Table for Friends celebrates the joy of eating with friends and family, with over 100 simple and wonderfully inviting recipes that allow you to relax with your loved ones whilst the cooking takes care of itself.
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.
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.
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.
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.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published July 28, 2020
44 people are currently reading
305 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 5, 2022
This kind of drove me crazy with contradictions and just generally being pompous.
First page:
"I decorate the table not with fancy floral arrangements"
except you know lots of photos of those, and there you have then long paragraphs a few pages later long paragraphs about flowers and how to arrange them (kind of preciously, buying supermarket roses apparently is the trick to not being "fancy"). And that is just an example, there is plenty more. This is also long winded, long long winded about everything the author feels about cooking and entertaining and very micromanaged (repetitive) lists of things organized by cooking time (subjective surely, since some things can be divided into tasks), number of people, and season of the year (in a 4 season climate surely).
It is also basically an italian cookbook, acknowledged in a few paragraphs, but I wish that had been clearer, because it is not something I am actively looking for. It is also an italian cookbook "for foreigners" which picks things which would have been the pasta dish (in a small dose, as a primo piatto, with a later secondo and side dishes) and serves that as a (basically protein-less) main dish. Not my cup of tea, and there are far better italian cookbooks around.
First page:
"I decorate the table not with fancy floral arrangements"
except you know lots of photos of those, and there you have then long paragraphs a few pages later long paragraphs about flowers and how to arrange them (kind of preciously, buying supermarket roses apparently is the trick to not being "fancy"). And that is just an example, there is plenty more. This is also long winded, long long winded about everything the author feels about cooking and entertaining and very micromanaged (repetitive) lists of things organized by cooking time (subjective surely, since some things can be divided into tasks), number of people, and season of the year (in a 4 season climate surely).
It is also basically an italian cookbook, acknowledged in a few paragraphs, but I wish that had been clearer, because it is not something I am actively looking for. It is also an italian cookbook "for foreigners" which picks things which would have been the pasta dish (in a small dose, as a primo piatto, with a later secondo and side dishes) and serves that as a (basically protein-less) main dish. Not my cup of tea, and there are far better italian cookbooks around.
November 22, 2021
Beautiful with gorgeous photos and delectable-sounding recipes. Totally aspirational in that it's pretty far removed from my current cooking habits. I think I'd love to cook my way through this one summer and just make all these stunning "simple" dishes and invite all my friends over all the time.
July 12, 2020
I have not bought a cookery book for years as I found them quite disappointing and they all seemed a copycat style. I am so glad that I decided to preorder ‘A Table for Friends’. It is an absolute gem of a book, both beautiful and practical. The recipes both work and are explained thoroughly with fantastic advice and comments, whether you are cooking for two or more. I know that it will be well used and my first recipe the pistachio cake was exquisite. I can thoroughly recommend buying a copy and I doubt that it will sit unread on your shelf...I am already getting another two copies for family as gifts...
October 29, 2020
Aspirational cookbook. Enjoyed flipping through, wish I lived in Italy and loved cooking, likelihood of me making any recipe ....highly unlikely.
December 4, 2023
Already planning my next dinner for friends. Such a beautiful book! , it really invites you to enjoy cooking for your friends and family, and for yourself of course! I am an obsessive buyer of cookbooks and this one certainly will be on my top list. For those that complain about the metrics, come on! it is not so difficult to make conversions nowadays, right? Make google your friend, or just download an app.
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June 26, 2021This is a beautiful cookbook, full of joyous, life-enriching recipes. I love it
Nigel Slater
McAlpine's entertaining relies on celebratory, family-style dishes, the kind that are pretty unfussy to prepare (a roast chicken for dinner, frittata for brunch, a pile of spaghetti for lunch), but that can be dressed up with a gorgeous platter and some peak-season produce.
Epicurious
Nigel Slater
McAlpine's entertaining relies on celebratory, family-style dishes, the kind that are pretty unfussy to prepare (a roast chicken for dinner, frittata for brunch, a pile of spaghetti for lunch), but that can be dressed up with a gorgeous platter and some peak-season produce.
Epicurious
July 15, 2020
This is a fabulous, beautifully photographed cookbook. Every recipe looks sensational and I will cook them all and then buy her other book too! If you love Italy, Italian food, great writing, stunning table settings and flowers, this is the book for you!
January 23, 2021
It is like the author is looking at the world of food from a much different angle than I am.
Interesting and entertaining.
Also features some very good photos.
Interesting and entertaining.
Also features some very good photos.
September 26, 2021
It was a well written book. Great book for inexperienced cooks. But, for me it didn’t really cover any new ground food wise.
May 27, 2024
The recipes are delish ♥️
January 5, 2025
Beautiful cookbook! A bit fancy for my style but there are a few recipes I’ll definitely try.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews