The best-laid dinner plans (+recipes)

Portobello mushrooms, lentils, sage and goat's cheese. Photo / Babiche Martens

The cooler weather is a good excuse to stay in and host your own dinner parties. Here are three dishes guaranteed not to fail.

Why not invite your friends and family over to eat and enjoy the change in seasons?

Setting the table with fine crockery and cutlery then choosing the perfect music and lighting are all you have to do to set the mood.

A three-course dinner celebrating the best of winter could include the seasonal flavours of mushrooms, leeks, garlic and sage.

Vichyssoise is a classic cold leek and potato soup, but is also delicious served warm with added fried leeks and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil to top off a deliciously delicate soup. Pair with a crusty chunk of bread.

For the second course I have used rich and flavoursome portobello mushrooms - you can use field mushrooms if you are lucky enough to be able to access them - stuffed with buttery garlic lentils, goat's cheese and fried sage.

This is a hearty dish but still light enough to let you thoroughly enjoy all three courses.

Look out for a new mushroom being marketed as a "stuffed cap" which is ideal for a recipe such as this.

It is smaller than a portobello but has a similar flavour and more room to stuff with tasty ingredients.

Finally, pears are tasting pretty good now as the supply starts to hit full swing.

They are especially good when slow-baked then served with home-made honey and cardamom ice cream.

If you are short of time, find the best quality vanilla bean icecream you can, soften it a little then stir in runny manuka honey and some finely crushed cardamom seeds.