Food for Friends

by Gary Rhodes

The secret to stress-free entertaining is good planning. If you can do as much as possible in advance, you can spend time with your guests rather than in the kitchen. Food With Friends is packed with great menus for casual lunches, dinner parties and more formal get-togethers. From a spring Sunday lunch to a smart dinner for eight, it is full of delicious recipes, as well as lots of advice on shopping lists and details of what to prepare the week/day before and even between courses. Accessible recipes with an interesting twist are what one expects from top TV chef Gary Rhodes, and this handy book, on a winning subject, should have a place on every cook's bookshelf.

224 pages, Hardcover

First published July 4, 2002

About the author

Gary Rhodes was an English restaurateur, cookery writer, and chef, known for his love of British cuisine. He fronted shows such as MasterChef, MasterChef USA, Hell's Kitchen, and his own series, Rhodes Around Britain. Rhodes also had his own line of cookware and bread mixes.

Reviews

[Mitch Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Food with Friends (2002) by Gary Rhodes is an excellent cook book.



The book has three chapters in it and a helpful index. Each chapter has sections of a starter, a main course and a desert which go together which makes things really easy. I love how this book has options for so many people. There is three course meals for vegetarians which is not something always included and there is gorgeous options such as the herb risotto. The deserts are also amazing especially the Turkish Delight ice-cream in my personal opinion because I love Turkish Delight and what could be better than Turkish Delight ice-cream?

I think the food in this book is sensational. Examples of great courses include Roast Pork with Cider Sauce and beef Carpaccio. I love so many of the sections like the Thanksgiving section, the vegetarian sections and Supper on a shoestring for example. This is a delightful book, clearly created by a master of the game. Gary Rhodes, R.I.P, excellent book and thank you for leaving it with us all.

[Meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pros -- good format. Sections for entertaining groups of different sizes. Each meal menu has a starter, main with veg (some totally vegetarian) and dessert. Each has a shopping list and step by step instructions including what can be done the day before, then a countdown until your guests arrive.

Cons -- I found only a few of the recipes appealing, and only one or two of the menus. Not enough were things you could prepare ahead; I really prefer a menu where at least one course is pre-done, whether dessert or starter. A few had that but the majority of menus required all courses to be done on the day. The vast majority of the make ahead desserts required an ice cream maker.