A Bollywood Big Night In

A 'Big Night In' - The perfect social life compromise for parents.  All the fun of going out whilst staying at home - no taxis, no designated drivers, no babysitters, no need to even dress up (or get dressed at all if you are that way inclined!)  Sounds ideal.

So when challenged to come up with an idea for the ultimate Big Night In by Little Stuff and Two Little Fleas, my mind went into overdrive, thinking of ways to have fun at home with a mahoosive £750 budget. Just imagine what that could buy you!  Combine this spending power with a bit of imagination and you have the recipe for a night in to remember.

My usual idea for a good night in would consist of a takeaway curry and a glass of beer for myself, Ian and the older kids. So I would use this as the seed from which to grow my grand idea for a Big Night In.

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Firstly I would need to pick a suitable theme to add some glitz and glamour to the event.  So I'm going with Bollywood!  It's theatrical, it's colourful, it's exciting and it lends itself beautifully to my favourite Indian cuisine.  A real excuse to indulge our flamboyant sides and immerse ourselves in the exotic, rich culture providing a fantasy escape from our everyday lives.

My Guests

I'm lucky to have such an amazing, close family.  My older kids are also my best friends and we have a huge amount of fun when we get together.  Naturally they would be on my VIP list along with their partners. When we have a family get together it's like having an instant party so we're half way to an amazing night already! Ever since my eldest children spread their wings to start their new lives of work, university, parenthood and general grown-upness, I have loved having an excuse to get them all back into the nest. A Bollywood Big Night In would be that perfect excuse!

Decor

I would hire a pagoda marquee for the garden and would hang colourful drapes of red and gold alongside glistening fairy lights to make a palatial and luxurious backdrop to my family party.  Cushions on the floor would make a comfortable and relaxing space to relax, chat, laugh and generally celebrate our big night in.

Clothing

I have always longed to dress up in a gorgeous silk sari and have Ian wear a Shirvani shirt.  It is such a stunning look.  We would feel like Bollywood film stars!  Looking on Ebay, you can pick up a gorgeous outfit for as little as £35.  As hosts we owe it to our guests to get into character (that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!) Dressing up would add to the spectacle and make our night in even more special. Some DIY henna mehendi hand painting would be a fun activity to try out on each other. 

I'd have some bindi jewels, silk scarves and other Indian accessories on hand so everyone can dress up and get fully immersed into the theme and I'd set up a photo booth to record every little detail of our big night in.

Food

My local Indian, Oruna Cuisine, serves the most exquisite food...paneer tikka massala, tarka dal, mushroom biryani...my mouth is watering just at the thought of it.  I'd commission them to create a sensational vegetarian banquet delivered to our door.  I love eating good food and sharing the pleasure with my family.  I can just imagine how wonderful it would be, lounging in our Indian themed pagoda, eating a culinary feast together whilst wearing authentic Indian outfits.

Music

A bit of Bollywood's finest music would get us up and dancing.  We could copy the Pussycat Doll's moves in the Jai Ho video and work off some of the calories from our Indian feast!  It would be hilarious (if you saw me dancing you would understand just how funny it would be) - and the real magic of a big night in is sharing laughter and making memories, so it would be a perfect addition to the evening!

Drinks

It's always fun to make up some cocktails and add all the paraphernalia to turn your drink into something super impressive!  Some fruit and some straws can transform a non-alcoholic mocktail into something quite stunning.  I'd love to set up a cocktail bar with the ingredients for a few delicious Indian inspired cocktails. How about Mango Mojito or a Chai Martini or a Vodka Lassi? It would be fun to shake up some delicious drinkies to enjoy and as nobody is driving we wouldn't have to worry about that. (The cocktails may also help loosen our limbs for our Bollywood dancing!)

Cake

No party, event or big night in is complete without a cake.  I would commission a cake from a fabulous local baker, that would encompass the theme perfectly. Vibrant shades, hand painted gold detail, paisley, bold floral patterns and intricate Indian designs in fondant icing would adorn a luscious, rich chocolate, truffle cake. It'd be a real centrepiece to the event and I can just imagine how totally delicious a dessert it would be.

Just take a look at Bollywood Cakes on Pinterest to feast your eyes on how beautiful this cake could be!

Budget

Marquee Hire £150

Drapes and cushions from Ebay £150

Sari £35

Shirvani Shirt £35

Indian banquet £150

Cocktail Ingredients £100

Mehndi henna, bindi jewels etc £50

Cake £80

Total £750 (Budget well and truly blown but it would be totally worth it!)

Lovepickle if You Like it HOT!!

When it comes to spicy food, the hotter the better is Ian's motto.  So how could I resist letting him try this authentic Indian pickle made from premium ingredients.  Lovepickle is made from fresh tomato, chilli and a selection of quality spices to give a deliciously spicy kick to everyday dishes or to accompany an Indian meal.

Is it available in Mild, Medium, Hot and Extra Hot.  I went for Hot so that I could try some too.  Extra Hot with 50% extra chillies would have been just too much for me!  (In fact I'm probably more of a Mild girl these days!)

The flavour is rich, tangy and distinctive and not completely overpowered by the heat (although it does come with a very fiery kick!)  It is perfect with poppadoms but also is great in a sandwich.  Ian is adding some full-on oomph to his cheese sarnies at lunchtime and assures me that it is delicious.

The real beauty of Love Pickle is that it is very versatile.  It is an authentic condiment with Indian food, but it isn't out of place served as an alternative to ketchup or chutney with any meal.  If you like a bit of heat, Lovepickle will add a whole new dimension of flavour to your dinners.  With four different heat varieties, there will be a Lovepickle that will be just right to spice up your life!

Lovepickle Mild, Medium, Hot and Extra Hot is priced at £2.95 per jar. The full range is available to purchase directly from the website www.love-pickle.com and can be found in specialty food stores, delis as well as fine food shops and markets across the UK.

The product is made in the UK and does not contain any added colours, flavours or preservatives.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/lovepickleuk

Twitter: @Lovepickle_uk

The Red Hot World Buffet Manchester

A Food Lover's Fantasy

My daughter Megan lives in Manchester and one of her favourite places to dine is the Red Hot World Buffet.  So when I was offered the chance to review the chain I was only too pleased to take Megan and her two sisters for a Sunday lunchtime buffet.

We arrived at 2.30pm and there was a queue to get in.  It moved quite quickly though as families were directed to tables or diverted to the bar area.  The restaurant is housed over two floors and we were seated on the second floor in a really attractive dining area with decor from Mexico.  It was really modern and funky, bright and spacious.  We were served by our waitress who took our drinks order and explained the buffet system to us.

The restaurant prides itself on serving a huge range of healthy, fresh dishes that are replenished regularly.  Diners pay a set fee which allows them to visit the buffet as often as they wish.

The buffet area is huge with dedicated areas such as Indian, Italian, Chinese, Tex-Mex, Starters, Salads and Desserts.  Up to forty chefs are busy cooking a selection of the 300 dishes and keeping the food topped up.  There are  ten live stations where you can get food cooked to order.  Megan had an Asparagus Risotto freshly cooked in front of her.

As we are all vegetarians we were really impressed with how many veggie dishes were available to us, however a V sign on the labels would make it easier to identify which foods are suitable for vegetarians.  Kizzy almost piled her plate with Calamari thinking they were some sort of fancy onion rings.  A veggie friendly symbol would have avoided this mix up!

The food is beautifully presented with some dishes ready served into little bowls, others in big lidded serving vessels and some on platters.  It really is a treat for the eyes for any foodie!

The temptation is to go for a big mix and match plateful of different cuisines, and although I promised myself not to do this, I couldn't resist adding more and more tasty offerings onto my plate making a combination of Indian, Chinese, Italian and Tex Mex dishes.  I did actually enjoy having a little bit of everything and sampling all the different veggie food.

My favourites included Paneer Mather, Chinese Noodles, Thai Vegetable Curry, Four Cheese Pasta, Corn and Spinach Gratin, Spicy Veg Quesadila and Chana Dahl.  The Indian, Thai and Tex-Mex food was really quite hot and spicy and not for the faint hearted.  However, there are plenty of other offerings such as traditional roasts and pizza for anyone who prefers their food mild!

The desserts really were impressive to behold with up to 40 homemade puddings on offer.  A beautifully decorated ice-cream counter served up a selection of flavours including bubblegum, coconut, mango and my favourite banana and caramel.  There were gateaux, cake, brownies, fruits, mousses, jellies, cheesecake, apple crumble and sweets galore to chose from.  Everything was so pretty!  

Dirty plates were collected regularly from the table and we were given a jug of tap water to drink on request.    Lots of waiting staff worked the dining areas and the service was very efficient.

Lunch is served from 12-4pm and is £8.49 during the week and £9.99 at weekends.  Dinner is from 5.00pm -10.30 (or 11pm Friday and Saturday) and is priced at £13.99 (or £14.99 Friday and Saturday).   The later sitting has more food options including a Sushi Bar and Waffle and Pancake Station.   Children under 10 are half price.  Drinks are priced not included (a small fizzy drink costs £1.75).

Kizzy, who is 9, was charged adult price on the bill and I had to query this with the manager who promptly refunded me the £5 difference and apologised.  So if you take the kids make sure that you specify their age prior to being billed to be sure they are charged the correct price.

I would definitely recommend booking in advance because the place gets so busy, especially at peak times.  However the buffet area is huge and there is plenty of food which is constantly replenished so it copes well with the amount of people dining.

We had a really enjoyable meal with a great range of vegetarian food to choose from.  The Red Hot World Buffet is a slick and impressive operation that well deserves the string of awards and accolades it has achieved over the last couple of years.  I don't think anyone would be disappointed with the range and quality of food available.  Restaurants are located in Cardiff, Milton Keynes, Leeds, Liverpool, Nottingham, Northampton and Manchester.

To find out more visit the website at www.redhot-worldbuffet.com

*We were given £30 towards our bill for the purpose of this review.*