Dinner parties with contentious food

Back in the 70s and 80s we had a lot of dinner parties. But I can’t understand why anyone would serve something that their guests weren’t going to enjoy. What’s the point? You’ve just wasted hours in the kitchen ?‍♀️. As for liver, hearts etc well I love offal. Hearts are so rich and tasty, as are kidneys. Cooked very differently - hearts long and slow and kidneys just cooked lightly. Liver is good when cooked properly, if overcooked it’s dry and chewy. But I’ve got some lovely liver recipes that I use.

Missingmoominmama

I have some rabbit in the freezer. It was in the reduced section at Booths. I’d love a good recipe if anyone has one!

Only in Booths! Oh, how I miss Booths since I moved from Lancashire to Glasgow!

Yammy

Has anyone ever been to a dinner party where the food had obviously been chosen to be something that guests had either never encountered before or only liked by a certain percentage of those present on perpouse to wrong foot them? Two of mine would be jugged hare where we were told the cooking method of putting hare in a jug with its own blood and I got a plate of vertebrae, The other sauteed livers on toast before they were served we were asked who did not like liver and the ones of us who dared to admit had a half grapefruit plonked in front of us, the hosts had enviaged it would not to be everyone's taste.

Firstly. Dinner party? Aka Abigail's party?!? How daft! Sounds as if you know a right bunch of social climbers .how hilarious to think they measure their status by trying to create established dishes with their Macdonald's bred palettes! Jugged hare is an ancient revolting thing, and they're Impressing no one! As for the liver dabâcle? Sheer ineptitude and display of nil knowledge of how to cook for a group of varying tastes. Why these people makes such fools of themselves in public is cringeworthy .playing mums and dads ?stick to dead certs I say, rood's for enjoying not navigating your way out of eating it!

Ball as in dance!!!! You obviously have not in the past mixed with the likes of what I had to as a young wife.

Yes, I do know been to many a posh do, it was meant to be a joke!

As for kangaroo road kill, they tend to jump out when they see the car lights approaching because they can see to cross the road. No, SIL won't pick it up, even for the dogs (though I don't know why).

Calistemon

^On another occasion we were invited for preball drinks and nibbles at her house^

Preball? Was it a bushtucker trial? Is that another culinary test (my imagination is working overtime - thinking of delicate parts of a kangaroo).

Ball as in dance!!!! You obviously have not in the past mixed with the likes of what I had to as a young wife.
At the Ball there was a large meal and then dancing in the 80's it was the practise amongst my husbands senior colleagues to invite everyone who would be on the large group table usually 12 + to their home for Champagne and Nibbles in the case in question binis with sour cream ,salmon caviar and champagne, then taxis were shared to go to the "Ball",long frocks, dinner suits the lot. The nibbles went down very well but not the leaving of women with their coats or shawls the men were relieved of theirs.
We were vetted as if we were cattle at an auction, sneered at if we had a career outside the home and made to feel ,if you let them inferior.These young gals had to know their station.
I wish it had been a bush tucker meal especially with Ray Mears it would have been a lot more fun.Though I wouldn't have fancied grubs Aussie relations assure me that road kill kangaroo is delicious.

I have some rabbit in the freezer. It was in the reduced section at Booths. I’d love a good recipe if anyone has one!

I love kidneys cooked with cream and as for lambs hearts-delicious stuffed with sage and onion. Trick is to really properly clean them out and remove all the tubes. My family love them

On another occasion we were invited for preball drinks and nibbles at her house

Preball? Was it a bushtucker trial? Is that another culinary test (my imagination is working overtime - thinking of delicate parts of a kangaroo).

If we're ever invited somewhere for a meal I always tell the hostess we are vegetarian so we never get served meat. It used to be embarrassing but there are a lot of us veggies about now.
Thank goodness anyway that dinner parties are almost a thing of the past. I'm no great shakes as a cook and much prefer to go out somewhere to eat. I do remember in the 80s spending all day in the kitchen cooking up some dish for a dinner party in the evening. Not something I would want to do now, thanks very much.

NannyMags

That sounds delicious, have not had liver and bacon casserole since I got married in 1978! I usually flour it and fry quickly, serve with bacon, fried onions and creamy mashed potatoes and thick gravy. I need to make a casserole soon.

Can I come for tea please? Just the way I like my liver and bacon ?

My MiL used to cook us liver when we went to stay - we always got there long after they had eaten so I thought she was saving us dinner. The liver was always like shoe leather but we ate it. When she came to stay with us I decided to do liver and bacon because I knew they liked it. They ate all their dinner, had seconds, and then asked what it was - I was a bit confused but said 'liver' and they were horrified, they hated liver. All they has ever tasted was 'shoe leather liver'. I then found out that they only bought liver for us but I never did get to the bottom of why they thought we would love shoe leather for dinner whenever we went to stay.

We once went to a dinner party on Valentine’s Day and we had stuffed hearts !!!!! No alternative offered !

It always had a slightly different taste, to me, although it was tender.
You can see why "Don't start!" was said to me so often at meal times, I suppose.

@MissAdventure, my mum cooked skirt, she must perhaps have cooked it long and slowly as it was always tender, and I could easily cut off any fat, I think maybe if it wasn't cooked to be tender it might be different

Been to many dinner parties. (Before COVID obviously)
Occasionally, when we’ve left, on the way home and due to the portion size, we’ve made a visit the local ‘chippy’

Invite friends, usually just one or maybe at a push two cou-les to meal. It’s either a Sunday lunch or an evening both cases I let every one know what we are eating a, no starters and is everyone happy.

win

Both jugged hare and liver is delicious I can’t believe any hostess would serve that thinking people would not enjoy it, she was very considerate having an alternative to the liver in my opinion. I thinkOP reacted as she did because the food was different to her usual diet. Who would go to all that trouble to offend guests no way

You don't know either hostess or the situation we were in.
You might find them delicious but a lot of people would not .
We were on trial and knew it and I could not let my husband down by walking from the table. I also wonder where she got the hare from in the middle of a large North Eastern city.
Who gives guests offal or unusual meat at a dinner party especially as a lot of posts on here have pointed out the hare was not cooked properly.
I have never eaten offal or blood products and was not going to start to please her I probably would have been sick.
By the amount of grapefruit the second had to hand out she knew the chopped liver would not be to everyones taste .On another occasion we were invited for preball drinks and nibbles at her house, she accidentally on purpose did not take the coats or wraps of any of the women. We had learned our lesson by then and all threw their coats on her stairs. I also know someone who went for dinner and the flowers she took were never taken from her she just put them on a table.
I was not brought up to be picky my parents had liver and onions ,black pudding and tongue but I never ate them.Also the pigeon my gran cooked when grandad had culled his flock.
I think a good hostess makes sure the guests will eat what they cook or why bother I have veggie and Jewish friends and would never dream of giving the first meat or the second a bacon quiche.

Ooh Nanny, just how I do it!

smileless I couldn’t eat tongue either. It’s probably very nice but no way!

win jugged hare might be delicious (hopefully I will never find out) but it’s not something to be served to guests unless you know they like it. Ditto liver - I enjoy it but would never assume that a guest shared my taste.

Kali2

Yes, twice. Friends who cooked horse, and then teased. They are still friends as we have been so since we were kids- but it took me a while to get over the fact they thought it was 'funny ahaha'.

And another time when we were served kidneys, which everyone knows is a very special and acquired taste. I could not eat anything, not even the gratin and veg served on same plate.

I always ask guests well in advance if there is anything they can't or won't eat- I invite them so they can enjoy their evening, not to test or torture them. I won't cook halal meat, so if we have Muslim friends, I'll cook vegetarian or fish.

I definitely like you.

That sounds delicious, have not had liver and bacon casserole since I got married in 1978! I usually flour it and fry quickly, serve with bacon, fried onions and creamy mashed potatoes and thick gravy. I need to make a casserole soon.

I remember my first Christmas going out with Mr. S. I was invited by his mum for tea on Boxing day. She proudly bought in tongue that she'd prepared herself.

I couldn't eat it, not even the tiny morsel she tried in vain to tempt me with.

Both jugged hare and liver is delicious I can’t believe any hostess would serve that thinking people would not enjoy it, she was very considerate having an alternative to the liver in my opinion. I thinkOP reacted as she did because the food was different to her usual diet. Who would go to all that trouble to offend guests no way

I never realised it was made from an actual oxtail.

I thought it was just the name, until I saw one floating in a sink of salty water ready to be skinned (I presume)

Oxtail is another no no for me - sadly husband loves it but no way will I cook it. I thought it went out with mad cow disease but still seems to be available.

But not just plonked!

Re grapefruit; I can’t eat it myself now as on blood thinners, but back in the 70s it was quite the thing for a starter, cut in half, separate out the membranes to be kind to your guests, sprinkle with brown sugar and caramelise under the grill. Topped with half a cocktail cherry!