Party! Food: Essential Guide to Menus, Drinks, and Planning [Hardcover]

Lorna Wing (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1998

A party can make or break one's reputation. Oily fondue, dubious onion dip, and limp crudites might be remembered, but they are far from memorable. Lorna Wing, premier caterer and professional party thrower, teaches the reader of her new book all the essentials of hosting a fabulous fete.

In addition to over 150 recipes, which are divided into Finger Food, Fork Food, and Drinks, Lorna includes menu suggestions; advice on location, lighting, music, and atmosphere; and guidelines for calculating how much food and drink to make according to your guest count. Her suggestions and ideas are drawn from her wealth of experience, which runs the gamut from simple, spontaneous brunches to the most extravagant and elaborately themed parties. Lorna's expert advice will ensure that your party will be remembered for all the right reasons.

Editorial Reviews

Review

People are made to party, but parties don't succeed on mere spontaneous enthusiasm. That's the message Lorna Wing, a British Martha Stewart, delivers in "Party Food, the Essential Guide to Menus, Drinks, and Planning."

Wing arrives with an imposing list of references as a party planner. Giorgio Armani, English entrepreneur Sir Terence Conran and Estee Lauder are on her client list. More important, the book she has procduced is artfully conceived and beautifully presented. And if her message is not a revelation, the earnest and detailed manner in which she draws blueprints for entertaining with food deserves kudos. So do the close-up photographs of food... -- Chicago Tribune, August 25, 1999

Splashed with vivid, acid washed colors, bold graphics and most importantly tempting, appetizing fare, "Party Food" is useful on a number of levels. First, you'll be inspired to entertain--heck, with a do-ahead menu of saffron lamb tagine with couscous; arugula, French beans, red onion and crouton salad and an apricot tart for dessert, who wouldn't be tempted to make a few phone calls and whip up a spontaneous dinner party of six. Second, the recipes are creative without being wacky (save for the camembert ice cream on parmesan toasts) and most of them will have creative cooks slapping the side of their head saying, "why didn't I think of frying fish and chips and stuffing them into tiny, hand held paper cones...Genius!" -- Houston Chronicle.com, April 6, 1999

About the Author

Lorna Wing is a professional party thower and caterer who has been entertaining people of all stripes for over twenty years. Her list of clients includes a veritable "Who's Who" of the famous and fashionable: Tom Cruise, Eric Clapton, and Giorgio Armani all count on Lorna to do it right.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Soma Books; First Edition edition (December 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579590403
• ISBN-13: 978-1579590406
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,452,551 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Who needs a party for these tasty menus?, October 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Party! Food: Essential Guide to Menus, Drinks, and Planning (Hardcover)

Well, I just polished off another pound of garlic potato chips! This book is filled with step by step instructions and photos of what things are supposed to look like on the table. The recipes aren't just for parties, either. Easy to make, this food is sure to delight guests and family. I recommend this for people who like different food, but sometimes the ingredients are too difficult to obtain outside of large cities.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Book sucks, but who cares, it was cheap, September 28, 2010

By 

Sara Yunginger (MOHNTON, PA, US) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Party! Food: Essential Guide to Menus, Drinks, and Planning (Hardcover)

The book didn't hav the kind of recipes I would make for parties let alone for anything else. My experience with the sender was good though.