Herb immunity: celebrating freedom day

July 2021

When you are cooking for a couple of friends you haven’t seen in many months (say, for example, after a pandemic?) you’re going to want to make sure that most of your time is spent chatting to them with a glass of fizz in your hand, rather than sweltering in the kitchen preparing something overly fancy.

This Italian-inspired (but definitely not authentic) menu was conceived for just such an occasion. In May this year, COVID restrictions relaxed a little further, allowing us to have our first dinner party since early 2020. We lost no time in inviting two of my oldest and dearest friends round for a night of food, wine and a long-awaited hug.

I designed this menu so that (with the exception of the gnocchi ) everything could be made ahead and assembled at the last minute. The starter, in particular, is really easy to put together – just buy the best quality antipasti you can afford and assemble on plates while the spicy nduja twists puff up in the oven. You can have the starter with everyone seated at the dinner table, or more informally, standing up in the kitchen with everyone picking at the selection at their leisure.

Although all of the ingredients here are seasonal – May is excellent for lamb, and cherries are just coming in you could also consider making it in the early autumn. September is the very end of the season for both lamb and cherries. You could also substitute plums if the cherries are hard to find by then).

Below, I share the three recipes that make up this meal (you don’t really need a recipe for antipasti) and step-by-step guidance for putting the whole thing together, with enough time to spare for a drink (or two) before you eat.