There is a quiet sadness in the slow death of the dinner party.
Not the formal, white-tablecloth, stress-yourself-into-a-migraine kind. The good kind. The one where you invite a few friends over, put something decent on the table, open something drinkable and spend an evening laughing until someone says “is it really that late?” and nobody quite wants to leave.
For many Australians in their 60s, entertaining at home used to be a regular part of life. But between the cost of living, the price of meat, the price of cheese, the price of everything – it has quietly become one of those things that feels like an indulgence rather than a given.
We want to push back on that. Because the truth is, you can feed six people three courses and a punch bowl for under $50 if you are smart about what you cook. The secret is choosing dishes that taste expensive but use affordable, everyday ingredients – and leaning into the kind of cooking that rewards a little effort rather than a big spend.
Here is the complete menu. A citrus and herb punch to start, a roasted pumpkin soup, a one-pot chicken and chorizo bake for the main, and a self-saucing chocolate pudding to finish. Everything can be prepared in advance, nothing requires specialist ingredients and the whole lot comes in comfortably under budget.
Sparkling Citrus and Ginger Punch
A sparkling citrus and ginger punch that looks beautiful in a bowl or a jug and costs almost nothing to make. Festive enough for a dinner party, refreshing enough for a warm evening.
Servings 6
Ingredients
1 litre ginger ale, chilled
750 millilitre bottle inexpensive white wine (Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio), chilled
250 milliliters orange juice
2 tablespoons tbsp honey
1 orange, thinly sliced into rounds
1 lemon, thinly sliced into rounds
1 small handful fresh mint leaves
2 cups cups ice
Method
1 Dissolve the honey: Whisk 2 tablespoons tbsp honey into 250 millilitres orange juice in a small jug until dissolved.
2 Combine the base: In a large punch bowl or jug, combine the sweetened orange juice with inexpensive white wine (Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio), chilled. Add 1 orange, thinly sliced into rounds, 1 lemon, thinly sliced into rounds and 1 small handful fresh mint leaves. Stir gently.
3 Add the fizz and serve: Just before serving, add 2 cups ice and pour in 1 litre ginger ale, chilled. Stir once, very gently – you want to keep the fizz. Ladle or pour into glasses immediately.
Tip
This punch can be made without the wine for a non-alcoholic version – just double the ginger ale and add a splash of apple juice. For a slightly more grown-up version, replace 100ml of the ginger ale with sparkling water to reduce the sweetness. The honey dissolves better if you whisk it into the orange juice before adding it to the bowl. Make the punch just before guests arrive – the ginger ale loses its fizz quickly.
A good soup is one of the great dinner party secrets. It looks elegant, serves beautifully, can be made entirely in advance and costs almost nothing per person. This one uses a whole pumpkin, which is one of the cheapest vegetables in any supermarket, and the sage butter drizzled over the top lifts it from weeknight to dinner party in about thirty seconds.
Roasted Pumpkin Soup with Sage Brown Butter
Velvety, golden and deeply satisfying – this soup can be made entirely in advance and reheated while your guests arrive. The sage butter on top makes it look far more expensive than it is.
Servings 6
Ingredients
1.5 kilograms kg butternut pumpkin, peeled and cut into chunks
1 large onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 litre chicken or vegetable stock
2 tablespoons tbsp olive oil
40 grams butter
8 fresh sage leaves
1 pinch salt and pepper to taste
6 tablespoons tbsp sour cream or Greek yoghurt, to serve
1 crusty bread, to serve
Method
1 Cook the onion and garlic: Heat 2 tablespoons tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add 1 large onion, diced and cook for 5–7 minutes until soft. Add 3 garlic cloves, crushed and stir for 1 minute until fragrant.
2 Simmer until tender: Add 1.5 kilograms kg butternut pumpkin, peeled and cut into chunks and 1 litre chicken or vegetable stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 25–28 minutes until the pumpkin is completely tender and falling apart.
3 Blend until silky: Remove from heat and blend until completely smooth using a stick blender or jug blender. Season generously with 1 pinch salt and pepper to taste. The soup should be velvety and golden.
4 Make the sage butter: Just before serving, melt 40 grams butter in a small frying pan over medium heat. When it begins to foam and turn golden, add 8 fresh sage leaves and fry for 30–1 minute until the sage is crisp and the butter smells nutty. Remove from heat immediately.
5 Serve with style: Ladle the soup into warm bowls. Add a spoonful of 6 tablespoons tbsp sour cream or Greek yoghurt, to serve, drizzle with the sage brown butter and lay a crisp sage leaf on top. Serve with 1 crusty bread, to serve.
Tip
This soup can be made up to two days ahead and refrigerated. Reheat gently on the stove while you greet your guests and make the sage butter fresh just before serving. A stick blender is ideal – if using a jug blender, work in batches and never fill it more than half full with hot liquid. The sage butter takes 90 seconds and transforms the presentation entirely.
This is the workhorse of the evening – and the dish that will have everyone asking for the recipe. A one-pot chicken and chorizo bake sounds like something from a restaurant menu, but it uses inexpensive chicken thighs (which have far more flavour than breast), a single chorizo sausage stretched across six serves, tinned white beans for bulk and protein, and cherry tomatoes that burst and caramelise in the oven to create their own sauce. One tray, one oven, almost no washing up.
One-Tray Chicken and Chorizo Bake with White Beans
A one-tray dinner party main that looks spectacular, tastes like something from a restaurant and costs a fraction of what your guests will assume. The chorizo does all the heavy lifting.
Servings 6
Ingredients
12 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs (2 per person)
1 chorizo sausage (about 200g), sliced into rounds
800 grams tinned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (2 tins)
400 grams cherry tomatoes
1 red onion, cut into wedges
4 garlic cloves, unpeeled and lightly crushed
1 teaspoons tsp smoked paprika
3 tablespoons tbsp olive oil
1 pinch salt and black pepper
1 small handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1 lemon, cut into wedges
1 crusty bread or steamed greens, to serve
Method
1 Preheat and prepare the chicken: Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced). Pat 12 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs (2 per person) completely dry with paper towel – this is essential for crispy skin. Season generously with 1 pinch salt and black pepper and 1 teaspoons tsp smoked paprika.
2 Build the tray: In a large roasting tray, scatter 800 grams tinned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (2 tins), 400 grams cherry tomatoes, 1 red onion, cut into wedges, 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled and lightly crushed and 1 chorizo sausage (about 200g), sliced into rounds. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons tbsp olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Spread into an even layer.
3 Add the chicken: Nestle the seasoned chicken thighs skin-side up over the beans and vegetables. Press them down slightly so they sit snugly. Do not cover – the skin needs to be exposed to the oven’s heat.
4 Roast until golden: Roast for 45–47m 30s until the chicken skin is deeply golden and crisp, the tomatoes have burst and the chorizo has rendered its fat into the beans. The juices should run clear when you pierce the thickest part of a thigh.
5 Rest and serve straight from the tray: Remove from the oven and let the tray rest for 5 minutes. Scatter with 1 small handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped, squeeze 1 lemon, cut into wedges over the top and carry the whole tray to the table. Serve with 1 crusty bread or steamed greens, to serve alongside for mopping up the juices.
Tip
Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs are cheaper than breast and infinitely more flavourful – they also forgive overcooking, which makes them ideal for a dinner party when your attention is elsewhere. The chorizo renders its own fat as it cooks, which flavours the beans and tomatoes beautifully. One sausage is enough for six because it’s acting as a seasoning rather than a protein. This can be assembled on the tray up to four hours ahead and refrigerated – just add 5 minutes to the cooking time if going straight from the fridge to the oven.
Nothing ends a dinner party like a self-saucing pudding. Nothing. It comes out of the oven looking improbable – a cake on top, a pool of molten chocolate sauce underneath – and the fact that it costs about $4 to make for six people is a secret you should take to your grave. Serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a pour of cream and accept the compliments as though you did something difficult.
Self-Saucing Chocolate Pudding
The ultimate budget dinner party dessert — a spongy chocolate cake on top with a molten chocolate sauce hiding underneath. Made entirely from pantry staples, costs almost nothing and never fails to impress.
Servings 6
Ingredients
150 grams self-raising flour
3 tablespoons tbsp cocoa powder (for the batter)
150 grams caster sugar (for the batter)
125 millilitres milk
60 grams butter, melted
1 egg
1 teaspoons tsp vanilla extract
100 grams brown sugar (for the sauce)
2 tablespoons tbsp cocoa powder (for the sauce)
375 millilitres boiling water
6 scoops vanilla ice cream or pouring cream, to serve
Method
1 Preheat and grease: Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Lightly grease a 1.5 litre baking dish.
2 Make the batter: Sift 150 grams self-raising flour and 3 tablespoons tbsp cocoa powder (for the batter) into a large bowl. Stir through 150 grams caster sugar (for the batter). In a jug, whisk together 125 milliliters milk, 60 grams butter, melted, 1 egg and 1 teaspoons tsp vanilla extract. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until just combined – do not overmix. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking dish.
3 Add the sauce layer: In a small bowl, mix together 100 grams brown sugar (for the sauce) and 2 tablespoons tbsp cocoa powder (for the sauce). Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the top of the batter. It will look like you are ruining it. You are not.
4 Pour on the boiling water: Gently pour 375 millilitres boiling water over the back of a spoon onto the top of the pudding. Do not stir. It will look completely wrong. Trust the process.
5 Bake until set on top and molten underneath: Bake for 35–37m 30s 37:30 until the top is set and springy and a rich chocolate sauce has formed underneath. The edges should be slightly pulling away from the dish.
6 Serve immediately with ice cream: Serve immediately – spoon generously into bowls, making sure you scoop deep enough to get the sauce from the bottom. Add 6 scoops vanilla ice cream or pouring cream, to serve and accept the compliments.
Tips
The magic of a self-saucing pudding is that the sauce creates itself. You pour the cocoa and sugar mixture over the batter, then pour boiling water on top – it looks completely wrong and it is entirely correct. During baking, the cake rises to the top and the sauce sinks to the bottom, creating a molten pool of chocolate underneath. Serve immediately – the sauce thickens as it cools. This can be assembled in the baking dish up to two hours ahead, with the sauce sprinkled on top but the boiling water left until you are ready to bake. Put it in the oven as you sit down to the main course and it will be ready by the time you’ve cleared the plates.
The beauty of this menu is that almost everything can be done before your guests arrive. Here is the plan:
The day before: Make the pumpkin soup. Refrigerate.
Four hours before: Assemble the chicken and chorizo tray. Cover and refrigerate. Mix the chocolate pudding batter and sprinkle the sauce layer on top – leave the boiling water until baking time.
One hour before guests arrive: Take the chicken tray out of the fridge. Preheat the oven.
When guests arrive: Make the punch. Pour generously. Reheat the soup gently on the stove.
Serve the soup. While everyone is eating, put the chicken tray in the oven.
Serve the main. While everyone is eating and telling you how good it is, boil the kettle, pour the water over the pudding and put it in the oven.
Serve dessert. Accept applause. Refuse to reveal the budget.
The entire menu – punch, three courses, bread and ice cream – comes in comfortably under $50 for six people. The fact that your guests will assume it cost considerably more is the best kind of dinner party secret.
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