Irish top chef Clodagh McKenna on creating a perfect supper

Clodagh McKenna's latest book is all about suppersInstagram @clodagh_mckenna

Irish chef Clodagh McKenna's latest book is all about hosting the perfect supper. From delicious recipes to tips on how to plan for maximum effect and minimum stress, it's a go-to guide for home entertaining

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Our sister publication Food&Wine Ireland's Editor Dee Laffan caught up with top Irish chef Clodagh McKenna, in May 2019, to find out why she loves entertaining at home and get her expert advice on hosting the perfect supper.

Where did you get the inspiration for your new book, Clodagh’s Suppers?

It came about very naturally when I moved over to London and I was having a huge amount of suppers at home, getting to know more friends, and creating my own community. When you work in food for so long, sometimes you don’t take a step back to really look at the meaning of having supper.

But for me, that period was very focused on what the suppers meant to my life. I guess I also had the time to be very creative with it and to curate really considered menus.

Then, after about a year or so I wanted to put it all in a book, so that’s when it started.

Did you enjoy the "tablescaping" aspect?

I’ve always love curating beautiful-looking plates and I started styling at the very beginning of my career for magazines.

It’s something I’ve always loved doing and it just adds so much to the whole experience when you sit down at the table and somebody has put a lot of consideration into it. It makes the experience a lot warmer.

Is there a technique for creating the perfect supper?

I think the formula would be to be organized. If you’re having a supper in a week’s time, take some time out in the evenings to plan it out and you’ll really get some joy from the whole experience.

If you’re doing a starter, main course, and dessert, I would always suggest that two of those dishes are ones you can make a day ahead.

I pretty much always do the table the night before because then I get to really enjoy doing it. I can have a bath and get into my pjs and put on the music and dress the table really nicely and really enjoy it. And I get to enjoy looking at it all day long and it’s not like, ‘Jesus I don’t have the table done’.

What your top tips for hosting a dinner party?

I do think it’s really important to have everything done early. If you are having a dinner party and people are coming at 7pm, have everything done by 5pm. That means you have two hours to yourself and really enjoy everybody coming in rather than being a nervous wreck when they arrive at the door because that makes people uncomfortable.

A really important thing to remember is that when you’re a host it is your job to make people feel comfortable. Make sure they are settled next to people that they enjoy and they don’t feel nervous. Making them feel included it’s your number one job, the food is second.

That’s what I really wanted to get across in the book: take time to sit down and read. At the beginning of the book, it goes through the tips on how to get organized and your checklist. Once you’ve got that in your head, it just becomes a lot more stress-free.

What is so special about a supper at home?

If it’s for your friends or family, it creates beautiful memories around the table and it does turn your house into your home.

It’s so much cheaper [than a restaurant] and also the memories are kept in your home rather than somewhere else. Every day you get up and your table has all these wonderful stories told around it and happened around it.

When I was working with [Ballymaloe Cookery School co-founder] Rory O’Connell he used to host the loveliest suppers in his house, with big bowls of gorgeous casseroles in the middle of the table and he'd have it done so beautifully. Everything about it was so relaxed and so enjoyable. He stands out to me as one of the best people at hosting suppers.

What is your favorite recipe from the book?

I always cook seasonally, and at the moment the stand out one for me is the rhubarb, rosewater pistachio galettes. They are so easy to make and rhubarb is so delicious when it’s in season. The rosewater adds an exoticness to it and the pistachio adds beautiful color and texture. You can make them ahead the day before, and you can make them individually or in a large one for the center of the table. That’s one I’m really excited about it.

Clodagh's Suppers by Clodagh McKenna is published by Kyle Books.

* This article was originally published on our sister website FOOD&WINE Ireland.