Alexandra Dudley shares three recipes perfect for an easy dinner party

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A self-confessed “serial dinner party host”, Alexandra Dudley has written three cookbooks, with the latest, Come For Supper, out now, published in early March.

A specialist in helping those eager to host, Dudley has long provided tips and tricks on how to “effortlessly entertain” and create the perfect evening, with recipes that are easy to recreate but which always please the crowd.

Of her latest cookbook , she says: “Simple is a word that can mean different things to different people, particularly in the kitchen.

What might sound simple to a practiced cook, can seem very daunting to someone else with less confidence.

However, years of cooking has taught me that many of the things I perhaps once deemed as complicated, are in fact not.”
Dudley also writes a recipe column for the online lifestyle magazine Sheerluxe and her podcast Come For Supper, which “delves into the lives of chefs, restaurateurs, authors, actors and artists revealing their most memorable dinner parties”, has featured guests such as Mark Hix, Monica Galetti and Prue Leith.

She has also contributed to the Standard.

“Baking your own bread may sound tedious until you’ve made a loaf of soda bread and seen just how simple it can be,” Dudley explains.

“You may look at a squidgy focaccia and assume that only hours of kneading could have produced those bubbles, when in fact most of the magic happens as the dough has a 12-hour chill in the fridge, leaving you free to get a good night’s sleep.

“Whipped feta, labneh, gnudi or sage and pecan browned butter may all sound rather impressive, but the truth is most of them involve two simple steps.

I’ve tried to fill this book with recipes that look great and taste even better, and that anyone can cook, no matter their level of experience.

If you come across recipes that seem intimidating, I encourage you to read on and cook on.

You’ll be left with something delicious to eat, and the even better feeling of ‘I made that!’.”
Find three of Dudley’s recipes below
Full recipe: Alexandra Dudley's simple recipe for asparagus and green bean mimosa salad
I love this salad .

Crunchy and satisfying, it is one that I often make for lunch.

The eggs are pleasingly filling, while perky blanched greens and toasted pine nuts deliver on crunch
Full recipe: Alexandra Dudley's simple recipe for herby meatballs with green tahini
If you are thinking of classic Italian meatballs in a slow-cooked tomato sauce, these are not that.

They are light, zesty and full of herbs and are what I make when I am in need of a speedy supper as they require little preparation.

Full recipe: Alexandra Dudley's simple recipe for harissa honey chicken wings
A good chicken wing should be saucy and the meat should be tender and juicy.

I think these are perfect and they are incredibly simple to make.

Cooking Made Simple by Alexandra Dudley is published by Ebury Press (an imprint of Ebury Publishing, part of Penguin), £28.00