According to a recent survey carried out by Sainsburys a generation divide is opening around our preferred format when we invite others to dine. Whilst 60% of over 55s still prefer a formal dinner and like to be waited on, more than half (56%) of Generation Z and 6 out of 10 (59%) of Millennials, prefer the simplicity of a Picky Tea over hosting a dinner party.
I doubt this will surprise you, dinner parties have been dying out for a while now and I guess it is some consolation to know that the younger generations would still invite friends round to eat, albeit in a different format. Whilst barbeques used to be the preferred summertime method of entertaining, a Picky Tea, which doesn’t even require you to cook, seems to be taking over.
In case you haven’t come across the term before, let me explain that the absence of any cooking is the fundamental point. It might consist of Bread, Cheese and Pickles, or the components might be a somewhat fancier selection of offerings from the Deli. We’ve all eaten them at some time, but the dividing line probably has more to do with how delighted we would be to be invited to this type of offering. The term was reportedly coined by a TikTok user who has also described them as a “girl dinner”, something that women do when their boyfriends aren’t around, and they don’t feel obliged to offer a protein, vegetable and starch. However, others have said that variations on the term have been around for longer, particularly in the North, whatever the origin the term it is now fairly widespread. Take a look at the current advertising of any supermarket’s summer food or indeed, the more upmarket delis such as The Newt which sent me the following email:
From grazing lunches to sunset suppers, our deli range of cold cuts, moreish picky bits and piquant pickles is the easy, crowd-pleasing answer to laid-back alfresco dining.
Many pubs and restaurants have also followed suit by offering sharing platters, although this does seem to be waning somewhat. But at home, other than a lack of a dining table and an inability to cook, what else might lie behind the trend? Number 1 – Fussy eaters. It takes the hassle out of trying to cater for all tastes and allergies, just provide a selection and let people pick what they want. This stems right back to the fashion for baby-led weaning, where babies are encouraged to feed themselves from a selection of finger-sized pieces of food rather than being spoon fed purées. In my experience it certainly encourages fussy eating. Then there is the inability to use cutlery (which can also be traced back to baby-led weaning) but compounded by the said lack of a dining table and an increase in eating in front of the television.
Is all of this such a bad thing?
There’s nothing wrong with the occasional Picky Tea but the problem comes when it becomes the norm, and although I don’t have stats for this, the preponderance of deli style dishes available in supermarkets rather suggests that it is not a rarity. The British single course “meat and two veg” format really does need to change if we are to incorporate as many plant foods as are considered good for us and the planet. However, the Picky Tea is not the vehicle to achieve this. They often contain more carbohydrates and fat than is good for us, and they are not usually high on vegetable content.
And what about portion control? We all know the tendency to overeat when ordering multiple dish meals and by how often people return to a buffet. So, not good for weight control or nutritional balance.
The change I have been advocating for some time now is for our standard meal to include a starter, because this is the course that most readily lends itself to incorporating more vegetables. It could be as simple as some olives or crudités; it doesn’t have to mean cooking. This feels to me a halfway house that incorporates the relaxed element of a Picky Tea without losing the pleasure that comes from someone having gone to the trouble of cooking the next course. Nothing wrong either with a tweak to the dessert or cheese course which gives a nod towards the Picky Tea and will mop up any remaining hunger of those who wouldn’t eat all of their main course. Just keep it heavy on the fruit selection and low on the fat and sugar.
A well-balanced menu is always more pleasurable than the sum of its parts and the feeling of being waited upon, in an unfussy way, is surely one of the important parts of hosting a meal. Whether it is a daily offering to the family or a more occasional event for friends, don’t lose sight of that.
For me, the essence of summer food is the rapidly changing produce that becomes available. Really fresh food, i.e. ideally just picked, needs very little cooking to enhance it and so the host should also find it relaxing. Of course, the problem now is in getting hold of really fresh ingredients and most seasons have now been extended so that very few things have the old power to excite. The exact menu will depend on what you can lay your hands on, but the following is an example of what should be around in July. I have suggested a butterflied leg of lamb as the centerpiece, grass-fed of course, and admittedly expensive, but cooked over an open fire this always feels special. The recipe for chewy British-style Macaroons is given below, but you don’t have to cook everything yourself, just source well.
For comparison I also give the menu currently on offer from Waitrose. You decide which appeals most.
Suzanne’s Relaxed Summer Entertaining Menu
Aperitif with Padron Peppers and Tomato Crostini
Raw Pea, Pea Shoot and Feta Cheese salad
Butterflied Leg of Lamb with baked Fresh Garlic, Carrots roasted with cumin,
Mint and Parsley Tabbouleh
Raspberries with yoghurt and cream topping
Macaroons with Coffee or Fresh Mint Tea
Waitrose current “Easy Breezy Grazing Menu” – no-prep deli delights 2 for £5
Nocellara Olives
Creamy Pecorino Dip
Mac ‘N’ Cheese Quiche
Popcorn Chicken with BBQ Sauce Dip
Chorizo and Gouda Cheese Involtinis
´Nduja & Mozzarella Calzones
Welsh Rarebit Pork Scotch Eggs
Cheddar & Hot Honey Pinwheels
Macaroons
These are the old-fashioned type traditionally served in the UK, crisp on the outside but chewy in the centre, as opposed to the modern macaroons, pronounced macaron, which were developed in France in 1900.
Makes 20 – 36 (depending on whether you want to serve them as biscuits or a petit four)
2 egg whites
250 g caster sugar
125 g whole blanched almonds (+ flaked almonds for decoration)
30 g semolina flour (or rice flour)
1 tsp orange flower water
Edible wafer paper (or rice paper)
Pre-heat the oven to 140°C (Fan)
Put 4 sheets of rice paper, smooth side down, on a large baking sheet.
Process the almonds until finely ground.
Whisk the egg yolks until fairly stiff. Add the orange flower water.
Combine the caster sugar and semolina flour with the almonds and fold into the egg whites. It will make a stiff paste.
For petit fours use a teaspoonful of mixture or for biscuits a dessertspoon. Place the heaps on the rice paper allowing room for them to spread out to about double the size. For biscuits add a flaked almond in the middle of each.
Bake for 15 minutes for petit four size or 30 minutes for larger biscuits – until just lightly coloured.
As soon as the macaroons are cool enough to handle move them to a wire cooling rack tearing off the excess rice paper that surrounds them.
Store in an airtight tin for up to 10 days.
These are the old-fashioned type traditionally served in the UK, crisp on the outside but chewy in the centre, as opposed to the modern macaroons, pronounced macaron, which were developed in France in 1900.
Makes 20 – 36 (depending on whether you want to serve them as biscuits or a petit four)
2 egg whites
250 g caster sugar
125 g whole blanched almonds (+ flaked almonds for decoration)
30 g semolina flour (or rice flour)
1 tsp orange flower water
Edible wafer paper (or rice paper)
Pre-heat the oven to 140°C (Fan)
Put 4 sheets of rice paper, smooth side down, on a large baking sheet.
Process the almonds until finely ground.
Whisk the egg yolks until fairly stiff. Add the orange flower water.
Combine the caster sugar and semolina flour with the almonds and fold into the egg whites. It will make a stiff paste.
For petit fours use a teaspoonful of mixture or for biscuits a dessertspoon. Place the heaps on the rice paper allowing room for them to spread out to about double the size. For biscuits add a flaked almond in the middle of each.
Bake for 15 minutes for petit four size or 30 minutes for larger biscuits – until just lightly coloured.
As soon as the macaroons are cool enough to handle move them to a wire cooling rack tearing off the excess rice paper that surrounds them.
Store in an airtight tin for up to 10 days.
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