DO you break out in a cold sweat at the thought of hosting a dinner party? Maybe all those episodes of Come Dine With Me and the ultra picky guests judging their host’s efforts have put you off.

Fear not, we have asked three chefs to come up with a course each for a dinner party. These failsafe recipes are achievable to make at home and always impress. They include easy dishes that can be whipped up when you get in from work and other more time-consuming cooking for when you have a bit more time to prepare in the kitchen.

"Peter's tempura prawns with Bloody Mary shot"

IF you are feeling adventurous, former Masterchef winner Peter Bayless has put together a showstopping starter that will keep your guests talking about it for years to come. Peter, who teaches cookery, at Braxted Park Cookery School, near Witham, among others, likes to pull the stops out when it comes to cooking at home.

He says: “This starter is for an all-out celebratory dinner party at home. As you will see from the instructions, almost everything can be done in advance of the evening. That is the top tip, get as much as possible done before your guests arrive!

“If home buying and selling is all about location, location, location, then cooking great meals without stress is about preparation, preparation, preparation.”

(Serves 10) Ingredients For the bloody Mary 750ml tomato juice, 100ml Vodka, Splash Worcestershire sauce, Splash tabasco sauce, Salt and freshly ground black pepper, Pinch celery salt, A few drops of Tio Pepe sherry, Celery leaves

For the tempura prawns 20 king prawns, beheaded, shelled, de-veined with the tail left on, Two tbs self-raising flour, Two tbs cornflour, Pinch chilli powder, Pinch turmeric, Four to six tablespoons of cold fizzy water, Vegetable oil for frying, Extra cornflour for dusting

Method For the bloody Mary Mix together all the ingredients except the sherry. Shake well and chill in the fridge. Pour into shot glasses and top each with a few drops of Tio Pepe. Garnish with celery leaves.

For the tempura prawns Mix together all the batter ingredients and whisk well. Heat the oil in a deep pan (only 1/3 full) until a piece of bread will sizzle with bubbles all around.

Lightly dust the prepared prawns with cornflour, then coat with batter and fry in batches until crisp and golden brown. Drain on absorbent kitchen paper before serving with the bloody Mary.

"Padmaja's curry in a hurry"

Despite her busy working week, Padmaja Kochero loves to entertain guests at her home in Thundersley.

She runs regular cookery classes, including new half-day classes at Great Wakering’s Delightful Tea Bake School, which start from January. Padmaja is also a taster for big Indian food brands and still has her day job in the purchasing department of a local manufacturing company.

With so little free time her dinner recipes need to be quick and super tasty. She says: “I have people over to eat maybe twiceamonth. It is usually a family affair, with adults and children. Cooking for people is a real pleasure for me.

“I don’t have a huge amount of time so I have to be selective with the recipes I choose. They need to look impressive, taste great, but be quick tomake.”

Padmaja, 39, adds: “People always love my chicken curry and coconut rice and they imagine I have been slaving over a hot stove for hours making it. In reality it only takes about 20 minutes to cook from start to finish. But they don’t need to know that!”

All details on her website at www.cookwith padmaja.com.

(Serves 6) Ingredients For the chicken curry: Four chicken breasts cut into medium-sized pieces, Two large onions finely chopped, One tablespoon of ginger-garlic paste, Three to four green chillies slit lengthways, One large tomato finely chopped, Three tablespoons of masala paste, One and a half teaspoons of salt, Two tablespoons of sunflower oil.

For the coconut rice: One tin of coconut milk, 120ml of water, 400g of washed basmati rice.

Seven to eight saffron strands, Half a teaspoon of turmeric, Two-inch piece of cinnamon, Two bay leaves, Two cardamom pods, Four cloves, One star anise, One tablespoon of clarified butter (ghee), One tablespoon with sunflower oil.

Method For the chicken curry: Heat the oil in a cooking pan, add the onions and saute until pink.

Add the green chillies, gingergarlic paste, masala paste and saute for another four to five minutes on medium heat.

Add the cleaned chicken pieces and cook on high heat for four to five minutes.

Add the turmeric, chilli powder and salt. Add the chopped tomatoes and let it cook for three to four minutes without cover.

Let the chicken cook in its juices for a few minutes before adding half a cup of water.

When the oil starts accumulating at the top, check the consistency of the gravy and remove from the heat. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve hot.

For the coconut rice: Take a saucepan, add oil and clarified butter. Add all the whole spices, bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, star anise and fry for a minute.

Add rice and fry for couple of minutes to coat the rice with the oil and clarified butter.

Now add coconut milk and water. Mix well and let it boil.

Now add saffron strands and salt. Mix and put a lid on it and simmer.

It takes around ten minutes to cook the rice on very low heat. Do not mix the rice at all.

Try to gently shake the pan if needed. Once the rice is cooked, take a fork and fluff the rice through.

"Kay's aromatic roasted plums"

Retired home economics teacher Kay Ager runs a cookery school at her home in Leigh. After years of teaching and entertaining guests at home, Kay is unflappable in the kitchen. However, she says the key to staying calm is all in the planning.

She says: “Hosting a dinner party can be intimidating because people have quite high expectations. You can’t turn on the TV without seeing a food programme.

“The perfect recipes for dinner parties are ones which are impressive to look at, are tasty, but easy to prepare for all abilities.”

Kay also believes good food should make us feel good too. She says: “I regularly make this dessert for dinner parties. It is not too filling, so perfect to end a meal with, and you can buy a punnet of plums for £1 or so.” Visit www.kayskitchenlos.co.uk or call 07941072895.

(Serves 4) Ingredients 10 medium size plums, Two clementines, Three heaped tablespoons of sugar, Six cardamom pods (only use the seeds not husks), One vanilla pod cut into 1cm pieces Method Pre- heat the oven gas 6/elec 190°C.

Cut the plums in half and remove the stones Arrange the fruit cut side up in a shallow baking tray or dish.

Grate the zest from the clementines and put it into a blender, halve and juice them, then add it to the zest with the sugar, the cut-up vanilla and the cardamom seeds. Blend well and you should end up with a syrupy mixture.

Spoon over the plums and bake for 30 minutes until they are soft, but still hold their shape. Serve with a dollop of mascarpone or a scoop of cinnamon ice-cream.