41 spring dinner party ideas

Easy spring dinner party recipes

A seasonal spring feast

Create a simple yet effective dinner party menu which celebrates fresh, springtime flavours.

Starters

Start your seasonal spring menu with moreish salt-crusted Jersey Royals, served with a punchy crab and chilli dip. These asparagus spears wrapped in crispy bacon make sophisticated yet simple finger food.

Main

Showcase the best of spring with this new potato, pea, asparagus and spinach sformato, topped with zingy pickled onion for a vibrant centrepiece. Or highlight the best of the season's flavours with an asparagus risotto, finished with a mountain of parmesan.

Dessert

Impress guests with this a sophisticated showstopper – creamy white chocolate is offset by the sharpness of rhubarb in this seasonal panna cotta. See more of the best rhubarb recipes.

Drinks

Seasonal rhubarb is the magic ingredient and this easy rhubarb gin. Take trimmed rhubarb, add sugar and gin, then reap the rewards neat over ice or in a pink-tinged G&T.

Alternatively, give a classic Italian aperitivo a fresh pink twist with this rosé negroni sbagliato, requiring just three ingredients. Take a look at our best spritz recipes for more tipples which can be whipped up in minutes.

Spring garden party

Take the stress out of entertaining with make-ahead salads, breads and dips. Perfect for a leisurely lunch guests can nibble on throughout the afternoon.

Sharing lunch plates

Spotlight seasonal asparagus in this asparagus quiche with punchy capers and gruyère, made up to three days in advance. Serve alongside this wedge salad with blue cheese dressing, which also works well with crispy skinned, soft-in-the-middle potatoes. These peppery pink miso-buttered radishes make a simple yet effective side.

Dessert

For a sweet finish, impress guests with homemade pea, coconut and lime ice cream, combining fresh garden peas with coconut milk and a splash of vodka.

Drink

These handy bottled cocktails are pre-made and perfectly portable, balancing citrussy Aperol with a dry vermouth and zesty orange peel.

Easy spring BBQ ideas

If the sun starts to shine, that can only mean one thing – time to fire up the barbie. See our easy ideas below for a stress-free barbecue dinner party.

Starters and sides

These juicy grilled prawns – paired with a pleasantly sour salsa – make for a quick, simple and delicious barbecue dish. Serve alongside a flavour-packed charred lettuce salad with bacon bits and creamy ranch dressing. If you've never grilled a carrot before, try it out with this epic barbecue side dish, layered with ricotta and toasted pecans.

Mains

Tired of burgers and buns? Switch things up with our BBQ kofte with whipped feta and nutty tahini slaw – this dish will steal the show and win over party guests. Veggies don't have to miss out – our paneer BBQ skewers with charred naans will make your meal much more interesting.

Dessert

You can make this classic rum and ginger cake a day before – it’ll get fudgy and hold together better when crisping up on the barbecue or under the grill.

Drink

Take the stress out of hosting with a boozy batch cocktail. This gin garden fizz is the perfect addition to any barbecue, while our white wine sangria mixes white sangria with delicate elderflower and fruity flavours.

Italian spring dinner party

A simple and seasonal Italian-inspired feast will have your guests swooning.

Starters

Our broad bean and mint panzanella with burrata makes an appealing spring starter, packed with tangy flavours from anchovies and capers.

Pasta and pizza

Asparagus has a short season in the UK, so why not make the most of it with this simple yet delicious asparagus spaghetti? It features a crunchy fennel seed pangrattato topper that really makes the dish sing. Alternatively, our tagliolini alle vongole packs a flavour punch, combining clams with garlic, fiery red chilli and fragrant herbs, including salty samphire. Fancy throwing a pizza party? Our recipe for pizza bianca is a must-make, layering spring onion, rocket and smoked salmon.

Desserts

Turn a handful of ingredients into a sgroppino, a fun cocktail-dessert hybrid that takes just five minutes to assemble. Alternatively, a classic Italian tiramisu will always deliver, made with mascarpone, marsala and savoiardi biscuits.

Drinks

A negroni sbagliato makes for a lively party drink, swapping gin for prosecco for a lighter serve which softens the bitterness and booze levels. For an easy and quick cocktail to whip up while entertaining, pour peach purée and lemon juice into a chilled champagne flute, then top with prosecco.

Crowd-pleasing spring dinner party

Treat a large group of guests to a menu filled with crowd-pleasers, from buffalo chicken dip to rhubarb upside-down cake.

Starters

Get the party started with our irresistibly rich and creamy buffalo chicken dip, blending shredded chicken thighs with three types of cheese and soured cream. Serve with pretzels, celery and tortilla chips for dipping.

Main

This comforting chicken and leek pie is as creamy as it is rich, filled with the freshness of spring. It cuts a few corners to help you save time, too. Or you could pair melt-in-the-mouth pappardelle with indulgent lamb ragu in this lamb pasta dish.

Dessert

Wrap things up with our pink patchwork cake, flavoured with forced rhubarb, two types of ginger and white chocolate. It's even more delicious served with thick clotted cream.

Drinks

Pink fizz and a homemade pomegranate shrub are the star ingredients of this pretty pomegranate fizz, boasting gently tart and fruity notes. A real easy win at a dinner party is preparing a large jug cocktail and letting guests help themselves– see our jug cocktails for inspiration.

Easter dinner party

Celebrate the Easter holidays with a menu showcasing the classics.

Starters

Pair crisp, golden potatoes with fresh radish and zingy aïoli in this new potato salad – a perfect way to enjoy the first new potatoes of the season. Alternatively, whizz up this homemade hummus, levelled up with a sprinkling of jewel-like pine nuts, raisins and olives.

Mains

Perfect for sharing, these lamb cutlets with mustard and shallot sauce make a fantastic addition to your Easter spread, allowing everyone to serve themselves and enjoy as much or as little as they like. For a crowd-pleasing veggie main, try our spiced chickpea bake with potatoes, topped with thin crunchy filo pastry. It's ready in under an hour and serves four. Serve with a green bean salad with mustardy dressing for a fresh, crunchy side.

Dessert

Got leftover hot cross buns to use up? This hot cross bun bread and butter pudding is a ramped up version of the British classic pudding, perfect for Easter entertaining.

Drink

A classic tom collins is winningly simple to mix and makes for a refreshing aperitif. Feel free to swap the gin for other spirits – vodka, cognac, blanco tequila, white rum and blended whisky would all work well.