It used to be one of my favourite things to do, hosting a dinner party, having friends round to cook and chat and drink wine. I always made too many elements and I always loved it.

I haven’t done that for a while but as with everything I am trying to get back into the habit. Tuesday I hosted my friend Laura E (I know too many Lauras). The goal of the evening was to make Pasteis de Nata. We travelled to Lisbon together a couple of years ago and spend several hours during our trip sipping coffee outside with a warm custard tart. So, when a recipe popped up in my emails it was the perfect excuse to get together and have a go, especially as we hadn’t seen each other in a while.

For dinner I made a Sausage and Lentil dish which was delicious (recipe below) though I did get distracted talking and burnt the lentils….and the grill set the fire alarm off…not the chicest dinner I’ve ever hosted but we were too busy talking.

The focus of the evening was the custard tarts and a word from the (now) wise, start these earlier in the day. There were difficult and every element needed constant watching and it took ages. We had to restart the custard three times because we werent concentrating and the sugar syrup took a lot longer than we were anticipated. All in all they were delicious and we felt pretty proud of ourselves but I’m not 100% sure it was worth it when you can buy some pretty good ones across London. We used Nuno Mendez’ recipe from Country and Townhouse Magazine. We were still making them at 10.30pm.

Recipe: Nuno Mendes’s Portuguese Custard Tarts

Sausage with Mustardy Lentils and Garlic Bread (serves 2) (based on a Hello Fresh Recipe)

• 1 Carrot (or more if you fancy)
• 1 large shallot
• 2 garlic cloves
• Handful Flat leaf parsley
• 1 tin lentils (I used dry Puy lentils so just follow box instructions if you do this)
• 4-6 sausages (Toulouse sausage is best for the authentic french taste but good quality sausages from your local supermarket are great too)
• Chicken stock pot
• 200ml water
• Ciabatta or small French baguette (or just buy garlic bread if you cant be bothered)
• Small bag baby spinach
• 2 large spoonfuls of Crème fraîche
• 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
• Half a lemon
• Olive Oil and Seasoning
• Preheat grill to medium high

1 Prep the veggies – top and tail the carrot, half lengthways and chop into thin half moons. Halve and peel the shallot and slice into thin moons. Roughly chop the garlic and parsley. Drain and rinse the lentils (if using a tin)

2 Pop the sausages on a foil line baking tray and grill for 20 mins (until no longer pink in the middle) Turn a few times to brown all over. When cooked set aside covered in foil to keep warm

3 While sausages are grilling, heat a splash of oil in a large frying pan on medium heat. Add the carrot and cook until softened, stirring occassionally. Add the shallot and cook for further 5 mins, then stir in half the garlic. Cook for another minute than add the stock pot and the water. Stir to dissolve then simmer until stock has reduced by half

4 Garlic bread (if you are making your own). Mix the remaining garlic, half the parsley and a couple of tbsp of olive oil. Cut the ciabatta in half lengthways or slice your baguette almost all the way through). Place on a foiled baking tray and spread with the mixture and pop under the grill for a couple of mins until golden

5 Once your stock has reduced, stir in the baby spinach and cook until wilted. Add the lentils, Crème fraîche and mustard and warm until hot. Taste and add seasoning and a squeeze of lemon juice as needed.

6 Enjoy!