Feast of good ideas for the perfect dinner party

Cook Up a Feast, by Mary Berry and Lucy Young, is the pair's long-awaited cookbook filled with a wide selection of recipes for every occasion.

From a family get-together around the kitchen table, to a full-on party, the book gives you all the advice you need to make cooking for a crowd easy and stress-free.

Each of the 150 dishes includes details on how to prepare ahead and freeze, how to cook in an Aga and different amounts depending on how many you are entertaining.

Mary and Lucy have been a winning partnership for more than 20 years and have written many cookery books on a vast range of subjects.

Crab, avocado, and smoked salmon tians

A delicious and impressive starter, which looks stunning at a dinner party, wedding, or other celebration. Serve with dressed salad leaves, lemon wedges and buttered brown bread.

Serves 6

Special equipment, 6x7cm metal cooking rings arranged on a baking sheet lined with cling film

300g (11oz) fresh crab meat

100g (3oz) full fat cream cheese

bunch of dill, finely chopped

juice of 1 lemon

dash of Tabasco

tsp Dijon mustard

salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 small ripe avocados, halved, stoned and peeled

6 handfuls of salad leaves such as watercress, rocket, or lamb's lettuce, to garnish

6 slices smoked salmon

Mix the crab meat, cream cheese, dill, half the lemon juice, the Tabasco and mustard in a bowl and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Mash one avocado with a fork until smooth (two avocados for 12) and cut the remaining avocados into small pieces.

Mix the mashed and chopped avocado together, stir in the remaining lemon juice, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Spoon the avocado mixture into the base of each cooking ring and press down with the back of a spoon.

Divide the crab mixture among the rings and spread to the edges to cover the avocado entirely. Cover with cling film and chill in the fridge for a few hours.

When ready to serve, arrange a handful of salad leaves on each plate, place a ring on top, then carefully remove the cling film and ring. Top each tian with a swirl of smoked salmon.

Prepare ahead: The tians can be made up to six hours ahead. Not suitable for freezing.

Improvising: If you don't have metal cooking rings to shape the tians, don't worry – you can use ramekins lined with cling film.

Lift the tians out carefully before serving and remove the clingfilm.

Chicken with pesto, taleggio, and roasted tomatoes

This is truly scrumptious. It's also quick to make. Home-made pesto is best, but you can use good quality pesto from a jar if you're short of time. Serve with potatoes and salad.

Serves 6

6 skinless boneless chicken

breasts

salt and freshly ground black pepper

175g (6oz) Taleggio cheese (straight from the fridge) cut into small cubes

3 tbsp pesto

2 tbsp freshly chopped basil

3 tbsp full fat cream cheese

50g (1oz) fresh breadcrumbs

a pinch of paprika

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

400g (14oz) cherry tomatoes on the vine

Preheat oven to 220C (200C fan/425F/Gas 7). Arrange the chicken breasts in a single layer in an ovenproof dish or roasting tin and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Mix the Taleggio, pesto, basil and cream cheese in a bowl and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Spoon on the chicken breasts, spreading the mixture out to cover them completely. Sprinkle with the breadcrumbs and dust with a little paprika.

Bake for 20 minutes, then arrange the tomatoes around the chicken, pour the oil and vinegar over them, and return to the oven for a further 10 minutes (30 minutes for 12) or until the chicken is just cooked through. Be careful not to overcook it.

To serve, arrange a chicken breast on each plate with a few tomatoes, then spoon over some of the juices from the dish.

Prepare ahead and freeze: The chicken can be prepared up to the end of the second step up to 12 hours ahead. Freeze at the end of second step for up to 2 months.

In the Aga: Roast on the second set of runners in the roasting oven for 15 minutes, add the tomatoes, and cook for 10 minutes more (30 minutes for 12).

Rhubarb and lemon pots

The combination of rhubarb and lemon is delicious. This pudding looks particularly pretty made with young pink rhubarb, which is available in the shops towards the end of the winter.

Serves 6

750g (1lb 10oz) rhubarb, sliced into 4cm (1in) pieces

finely grated zest of orange, plus 2 tbsp orange juice

25g (scant 1oz) caster sugar

For the lemon topping

300ml (10fl oz) double cream

50g (1oz) caster sugar

finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemons

six mint leaves, to decorate

Put the rhubarb, orange zest, orange juice, and sugar into a saucepan.

Stir over a high heat for 2 minutes, cover with a lid, lower the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes (15 minutes for 12) or until the rhubarb

is just tender. Set aside to cool.

To make the topping, put the cream, sugar, and lemon zest into a pan. Heat gently over a low heat until the sugar dissolves and the mixture reaches simmering point.

Remove from the heat, stir in the lemon juice, and set aside to cool slightly.

Spoon the rhubarb and a little of the liquid into the base of some pretty glasses or tumblers.

Pour the lemon topping on top, then transfer to the fridge for a minimum of four hours to set.

Serve chilled, decorated with mint leaves.

Prepare ahead: The pots can be made up to 12 hours ahead.

Not suitable for freezing.

To order a copy of Cook Up a Feast, by Mary Berry and Lucy Young, (20 by DK) from the Yorkshire Post Bookshop, call free on 0800 0153232 or go online at www.yorkshire postbookshop.co.uk. Postage and packing is 2.75.