Can You Recommend Make-Ahead Dishes For a Large Party?

Our answer

If you are feeding a large number of people it really partly depends on what cooking facilities are available at the venue. Of course dishes such as Nigella's Cheesy Chilli and the base of the Cornbread Topped Chilli Con Carne are easy to reheat if you only have a hotplate. Or a stew, such as Beef Stew With Anchovies And Thym, the Slow-Cooker Moroccan Chicken Stew or the Moroccan Vegetable Pot And Cous Cous With Pine Nuts And Dill an be easily scaled up, made ahead and reheated. The couscous only needs a kettle to be boiled on site and would also go well with the Moroccan Chicken, or you could omit the pine nuts and replace the dill with parsley to serve with the beef stew.

If there is an oven then you could make a few pans of lasagne to bake on site. Nigella's Lasagne Of Love is very popular, or the Pumpkin And Goat's Cheese Lasagne. Both of these recipes serve approximately 12 people, so you would probably need to make 2-3 pans of lasagne as, although in theory this would serve 24-36, it is unlikely that people will eat full portions if it is part of a buffet. The lasagnes can sit at room temperaure for a maximum of 2 hours after baking.