If you have been following my previous columns and doing what I've told you to do, you will now have most of 'a' dinner for 6 or 8 or even 10 people in your freezer. What you are missing is a grand salad to start off the dinner with, and a main course, which you will make the day before the dinner; on the 'great' day, you will make the salad, set the table, put all the bits together, and lie down for three hours in the afternoon. Then, have a private drink with your L&M (Lord and Master) or just by yourself.

The salad is very important and it is even more important to make a very BIG one! We eat a very large salad as a first course every evening. We are used to filling our plate. Please! Do NOT serve your salad on a small plate. Make sure it's a good- sized plate. The same goes for desert. If you want to show off your food, you need a large plate. Even if you serve a small desert; it looks 'richer' on a large plate!

Years ago, we were invited for dinner; there were 10 of us and the hostess made the mistake of starting to serve salad with my L&M; he filled his plate the usual way, handed the bowl back to the hostess and said: 'you better fill this up again!" She went white in the face; there was no more. SO, a very large salad please! If you have left over-salad, you dump it into the food-processor; add another two tomatoes, a clove of garlic, some wine-vinegar, a raw egg, (makes it creamy!) and let it run; you will have your very own version of Gazpacho for the next day! Keep it covered in the fridge and taste it next day; it may need more spicing. Believe me, it's a delicious cold soup. Decorate it the usual way with a grated hard-boiled egg and a bit of parsley.

OK! Back to the salad; you can make it the morning of your party, and dress it just before you serve it; just cover it well and keep it chilled. Take a very large bowl; and start layering; it's really up to you what you put into it. Try to make it interesting; I start with some lemon juice and dice a couple of avocados into that. If avocados are not in season, add hard-boiled eggs but forget the lemon! For large salad boil 4 eggs; grate and add together with the dressing.

Do you know how to really boil eggs??? You put them into cold water, cover, bring them to a galloping boil, boil for ONE minute, turn off the heat, and let them rest for 20 minutes; only then dump them into cold water and smash the shells. You knew already...

Where were we? Ah. OK: we are "layering". Slice or cut up tomatoes. Slice thinly an onion (and I mean THINLY!) Onions are there to add flavour; you do not want anybody to bite into a raw onion ring, you really don't!). Or chop up scallions; yes, the green part as well. Remember to salt and pepper them tomatoes, grated carrots, cucumbers, pickles... Remember you are not making this for yourself. You, do not like pickles? You eat no eggs? So what... The nine other people around your table probably do! So think what will taste right together when you mix it with a dressing; cooked beans? Chickpeas? Corn? It all adds colour and taste. Some diced sausage, diced red pepper... Colour! Now add the lettuce or different types of lettuce. Cover it well and refrigerate.

There are dozens of dressings; I use mostly two; Debbie's Creamy and Debbie's Lemon and Olive. Both are simple.

For a large salad you need 1/2 a cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup of ketchup a generous tablespoon of Dijon mustard, and less then 1/4 cup of Tonic water. Yes, the one you poured onto your Gin. Same one! Smash it well together, pour into a jar, cover and let it rest next to the salad in the fridge.

The other one is just as simple; take a small jar and dump a large tablespoon of sugar into it; crack a lot of pepper on that and add some salt; cover the dish with a small sieve and juice a large lemon over it. Mix this well and try to make the sugar dissolve.

When you are ready to dress the salad, pour olive oil over the lettuce (I really cannot tell you how much! You must try I out... some people like a lot, others do not!). With your hands, turn the lettuce gently over and over until it is all coated with oil; only then dump in the lemon and mix well again!

I read somewhere that if you do not oil the lettuce first, you 'bruise' it with the lemon. I really have no feelings for the blooming lettuce, and if she feels 'bruised' it's just too bad! So, I pour the oil and lemon and mix it all together but really, this is up to you!

Main course - next time! And then we will bring it all together and have "Friends for Dinner".

See you next friday.