Simple menu, minimal stress, banging playlist: top chefs’ tips for a dinner party even the host will enjoy

Love to feed your friends but hate spending a fortune and working yourself to exhaustion? Here’s how the experts ramp up the flavour while dialling down the chaos

One of the great joys in life is enjoying good food with friends. It can taste all the better if you have cooked it yourself, but this isn’t something that comes naturally to everyone. What are the best tricks to pull off a meal – whether it’s for two or 20? Here, chefs share the simplest ways to wow at a dinner party.