52 effortless entertaining recipes

Listen to Edd Kimber on the olive podcast talking to Janine Ratcliffe and co-host Gurd Loyal about boozy puddings, hero ingredients and creating the right atmosphere at a party.

Effortless entertaining recipes

Effortless leek fondue toasts

You can cook the leeks, grate the parmesan and make the toast ahead of time in this starter – making it a go-to recipe for entertaining guests.

Paprika crisps and fennel crudités

Quick and easy paprika crisps and fennel crudités with a mojo verde dip can be ready in 10 minutes, perfect for last-minute entertaining.

Smashed falafel platter with pink pickled onions

Using ready-made falafel, this recipe takes just 30 minutes from start to finish, perfect for effortless entertaining. The quick-pickled onions add colour.

Brown sugar breakfast cake

Begin your day by enjoying a slice of yogurt sponge topped with a luscious swirl of brown sugar buttercream. The beauty of this cake is that it tastes even better the day after baking. It’s also a treat that extends beyond breakfast – serve as a dessert with a dollop of cream.

Hummus platter with all the veg

If you’re looking for an effortless entertaining platter, look no further. Combine hummus with your favourite flavours and serve with veg, focaccia or savoury biscuits.

Crab and prawn cocktail rolls

These finger food rolls look really impressive but are simple to whip up, thanks to shop-bought prawn cocktail and brioche buns. Serve with thick-cut crisps and dressed lettuce leaves.

Gildas

All it takes are three ingredients – anchovies, guindilla peppers and olives – to make this effortless Spanish-style snack.

Bloody mary prawn lettuce scoops

Serve this simple and speedy prawn cocktail alternative on a large platter in the middle of the table and let everyone dig in.

Dressed eggs

Present a tray of devilled eggs to a hungry crowd: there are three different toppings here, but the possibilities are endless – we've used nori flakes, sesame seeds and spring onion curls; urfa chilli flakes, coriander leaves and chopped toasted almonds; and chives, fish roe and radish slices.

Bao bun fillings

Experiment with your choice of bao fillings in this easy entertaining dish – we stuff ours with fish goujons, breaded chicken and sweet potato and top with sweet and sour slaw.

Stuffed vine leaves with dill cream

Ready in under 30 minutes, this summery starter pairs fried stuffed vine leaves with a quick and creamy dill sauce. Serve with plenty of crusty bread for mopping up.

Pomegranate glazed lamb kebabs

This recipe sees shop-bought lamb kebabs served with a simple sweet, sour and sticky homemade chilli jam, making an impressive but effortless BBQ main.

Effortless dill butter prawn linguine with chilli crisp fried eggs

Recreate this dill butter prawn linguine for an elegant dinner for two – keep some potted shrimp in the freezer and you’ll always have an instant pasta sauce to hand.

Baked baby pumpkin with red curry prawns

Cut corners by using red curry paste in this gluten-free main. With only 20 minutes to prep time, it’s perfect for entertaining guests.

'Nduja prawns with focaccia

Simply wrap everything in a foil parcel and in a few minutes you’ve got spicy prawns bathed in their own sauce. An easy BBQ starter that's perfect served with focaccia for mopping up the sauce.

Baked feta with roasted grapes and rosemary

With zero prep time required on the day, this simple starter of baked feta with roasted grapes and rosemary makes a fail-safe dinner party starter.

Lamb casserole with hash brown top

Give the oven a break with this effortless, rich lamb casserole recipe, topped with crispy hash browns. Serve with a salad or steamed greens.

Sticky date and sausage traybake

This simple, family-friendly sausage traybake, flavoured with warm spices and maple syrup, highlights the natural sweetness of dates.

Hot smoked salmon, gnocchi and spinach bake

This impressive main cuts corners with ready-made gnocchi and frozen spinach – simply prep the day before then slide into the oven when you're ready to eat.

Turkey au vin

Cook your turkey legs and breast in a heady red wine sauce for a Christmassy take on coq au vin. Once it's in the oven, this effortless dish takes care of itself.

Spatchcock chicken traybake

Harissa-coated roast chicken meets with crispy chorizo and caramelised orange to make a winning one-tin dinner. Stir the wholegrain basmati rice and spinach through the resting chicken juices and oil from the tray, and tuck in.

Spring chicken pie

Use a few cheat’s ingredients to make this comforting chicken and leek pie – perfect if you’re after a filling meal to make ahead of time.

Prawns pil pil

Plump prawns in a deliciously garlicky, spicy oil – a simple recipe that’s perfect for entertaining.

Leftover turkey ramen noodles

Transform left-over Christmas turkey into a cosy bowl of ramen, complete with ginger-spiked broth, thick noodles and fresh coriander.

Steamed sea bass with soy

Entertain the easy way by serving this steamed sea bass whole, meaning less prep yet offering impressive results. Cooking en papillote means the fish delicately steams to perfection and you don’t have to stand over it fussing.

Celeriac chimichurri salad

This herby salad cuts corners by using pre-cooked puy lentils and chucking a handful of ingredients into a processor to make a piquant chimichurri dressing.

Crudités with chipotle aïoli

This crudité dish requires minimal effort, but the results are impressive – perfect for bringing out at dinner parties over the summer.

Warm bean dip with chorizo and prawns

Using just four ingredients, this go-to recipe is easy to make and ready in under 30 minutes.

Picnic platter

Turn a few picnic favourites like cheese, chutney, pâté and salami into a no-cook dinner party centrepiece, and finish it off with some quick and easy pickles.

Cheese grazing board

Three types of baked cheese, served with plenty of crackers, crudités and chutneys for the ultimate sharing starter.

Cheese pastry

Use any left-over cheese in this effortless pie – you don’t need a huge amount, so if you’ve got a strong cheese, a little will go a long way.

Burrata and tomato salad

This salad requires minimal effort, but looks impressive – simply pair creamy burrata and sweet, ripe tomatoes with a punchy dressing of olive brine, lemon and black pepper.

Two-tray Christmas dinner

Christmas lunch doesn't have to be complicated: cook everything on oven trays – the turkey, golden roasties, pigs in blankets and all the trimmings – in just two hours.

Lemon cream cheese pie

Try our fuss-free cream cheese pies for a spot of weekend baking – simply cut into six squares or 12 fingers to serve.

Dessert board

Sharing boards are perfect for easy entertaining. Make the choc pots and white russians ahead of time and buy a few extras to feed a crowd.

Effortless madeleine 'baba'

Check out our cheat’s version of rum baba. It’s winningly simple, and you can use your favourite rum to make it more special.

Christmas tart

Fill a shop-bought tart case with brandy-soaked dried fruit and two types of almond for an effortless festive dessert, best eaten with brandy butter.

Espresso martini pancakes

These sweet pancakes cut corners with shop-bought ingredients, making entertaining completely fuss-free.

Fruit and cream layer cake

Panettone and pandoro have become popular Christmas gifts – if you’ve got one you haven’t used yet, give this effortless bake a try.

Double chocolate and passion fruit tart

A dessert with wow factor without any of the effort – this zingy tart is unbelievably quick to make thanks to a few ready-made ingredients. It's easy to prepare ahead of time, too.

Blood orange curd crêpe cake

Use shop-bought crêpes and curd to make this speedy yet impressive blood orange layer cake.

Strawberry sgroppino

Dinner party guests will never guess this refreshing strawberry pud takes just five minutes to whip up.

Plum and pistachio frangipane tart

Use a shop-bought block of shortcrust pastry to make this impressive frangipane tart, featuring squidgy plums and crunchy pistachios.

Raspberry chocolate pots

Double cream, raspberries and dark chocolate are all you need to make this silky and decadent pud – a restaurant-level dessert with minimal prep required.

Brunch sharing board

Be the host with the most with our epic brunch board, featuring overnight oats, sausage sarnies, pancake bites and enough bloody marys for you and five friends.

Cardamom buns

Our cheat’s version of cardamom buns uses bread mix as a genius shortcut – just add butter and spices for the ultimate swirl bun.

Brioche ice cream sandwiches

Fill shop-bought brioche buns with velvety ice cream for an easy yet crowd-pleasing sweet treat.

Grapefruit and mint syllabub

This super-easy dessert is made with floral rosé wine and sharp, refreshing grapefruit – it may take just 10 minutes to make but will end your dinner on a high note.

Pomegranate ice cream

Pomegranate molasses adds a fruity, sweet-and-sour smack of flavour to this creamy no-churn ice cream.

Berry tiramisu

It might look impressive but you can whip up this berry tiramisu, made with tart raspberries, rosé wine and creamy mascarpone, in just 15 minutes.

10 minute berry dessert

This dessert was made for easy entertaining, whipped up in just 10 minutes. And it’s not just limited to frozen berries – try mango and passion fruit (fresh or frozen) or apple or pear purée.

Halva topped rice pudding

Cut corners on this warming dessert by using a ready-made rice pudding, which is topped with cinnamon, cardamom and a little orange zest, plus halva and extra cream.

Peach melba smashed pavlova

Ready-made meringue nests and custard make this an effortless dessert that's brilliant for entertaining.

Grilled peaches, pancakes and ricotta

Ready in just 15 minutes, round off a BBQ feast with this simple dessert of grilled peaches, pancakes and ricotta.

Tinto de verano granita

Tinto de verano means ‘summer red wine’ – sangria-like but much easier to make. Here it’s frozen into a granita or slushie and doubles as a post-lunch drink