A special occasion

Some of the UK's top chefs share their go-to recipes when planning a dinner party to remember

- CHET SHARMA, TIM SPEDDING and LOUISE RØDKJAER, ODEN OREN, AYO ADEYEMI and SELIN KIAZIM

Manhattan

Mayfair's Bibi serves contemporary Indian cuisine. For chef-owner, Chet Sharma, a classic cocktail is the best way to entertain your guests. "For me, a manhattan is the most elegant way to start a meal. In the colder months, I love to explore the warmer, darker spirits. Wherever I tend to have a negroni during the summer, I find myself replacing that with a manhattan in the winter. Opt for your favourite whiskey or bourbon - my favourites include Maker's Mark. bibirestaurants.com

SERVES 1 PREP 5 MINS | EASY

• 40ml bourbon (we used Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon)
• 20ml vermouth (we used Martini Rosso)
• 2.5ml maraschino liqueur
• 3 dashes of Angostura bitters
• 1 cocktail cherry

1 Combine the bourbon, vermouth, maraschino liqueur and bitters in a mixing glass with a few cubes of ice. Stir for 30 seconds, then strain into a small coupette glass and garnish with a cherry.

San choy bau

It's no surprise that a recipe from Tim Spedding and Louise Rødkjær, founders of food delivery service Lola's in Cornwall, would be an ideal dinner party dish. "We love to cook san choy bau when we have friends round. It is simple yet very flavoursome and fragrant, easy to adjust to larger numbers, cheap to make and can be made vegan/ vegetarian-friendly as well as meaty. We serve our baus with rice in a bowl underneath, so when you eat your bau the juices will drip onto the rice and you have that after you finish." @lolas_cornwall

SERVES 8 PREP 20 MINS | COOK 10 MINS | EASY