The Art of Friday Night Dinner

Harper's Bazaar BEST cookbooks to buy now Waitrose Food Magazine The Best Books of 2023 So Far

You've made it to Friday, now what are you going to eat?

Having spent years gathering friends around her kitchen table, Eleanor has perfected the art of Friday night dinner. It usually starts with a sip of something cold and ends with friends tipsily heading home, full and happy. But most importantly, there's always something good to eat.

Here are more than a hundred recipes for the best night of the week. If you're planning to spend the evening on the sofa, have your closest friend over or even host the masses, why not try Eleanor's fail-safe crowdpleasers:

• Frozen jalapeno margaritas
• Bloody Mary rigatoni
• Barbecued lamb rump with griddled apricots, tahini sauce and garlicky labneh
• Smoky aubergines and mozzarella
• Big summer pasta with Little Gem, courgettes, peas and goat's cheese
• Brown sugar pavlova with miso caramel peaches and bourbon cream

And amongst the recipes are thoughts on the glamour of mixing a martini for one, the lifesaving magic of a really good spaghetti carbonara, and the joy of a table laden with bits, waiting for hungry hands.

So, fill your favourite glass, choose something mouth-watering to cook and embrace all that Friday night has to offer.