Forget fish knives and boy-girl-boy-girl: modern entertaining sweeps away all the rules. These days, we're far more relaxed about inviting people round on the spur of the moment for sofa suppers and big, loud Sunday lunches, but there are still a few secrets to mastering the art of feeding people and having fun.

In Perfect Host, Felicity Cloake ensures that you have every base covered. Whether it's having a few friends round for an impromptu after-work supper (lamb, harissa and courgette kebabs with jewelled couscous), knocking up a feast to accompany a DVD boxset (pulled pork and black bean chilli and tex mex slaw) packing a basket for that perfect picnic (scandinavian picnic loaf), planning the menu for a seductive dinner (pollack en papillotte with basil and tomatoes, and my last Rolo) or deciding what will wow at a raucous birthday party (chocolate and rose layer cake), Perfect Host is packed with delicious recipes (and helpful hints) for all occasions.

'A discursive, chatty, knowledgeable and didactic kaleidoscope of a book, the sort of thing Mrs Beeton would no doubt be writing if she were alive today. As we all know, entertaining has the potential for stress and disaster. Felicity Cloake has provided us with the means to reduce the risks' Daily Mail

'Sprightly and engaging . . . this is a girl who will not hesitate to give you a recipe for English muffins and for a breakfast martini; my sort of cook' Evening Standard

Felicity Cloake is a journalist and food writer from London. She writes for the Daily Mail, the Metro and Fire & Knives magazine and has a weekly column in the Guardian. She was named Food Journalist of the Year and won the New Media of the Year Award at the 2011 Guild of Food Writers Awards. Her first book, Perfect is available in Penguin.

Felicity Cloake's Perfect Host: the complete guide to dinner parties - for people who think they don't do dinner parties

Forget fish knives and boy-girl-boy-girl: modern entertaining sweeps away all the rules. These days, we're far more relaxed about inviting people round on the spur of the moment for sofa suppers and big, loud Sunday lunches, but there are still a few secrets to mastering the art of feeding people and having fun.

In Perfect Host, Felicity Cloake ensures that you have every base covered. Whether it's having a few friends round for an impromptu after-work supper (lamb, harissa and courgette kebabs with jewelled couscous), knocking up a feast to accompany a DVD boxset (pulled pork and black bean chilli and tex mex slaw) packing a basket for that perfect picnic (scandinavian picnic loaf), planning the menu for a seductive dinner (pollack en papillotte with basil and tomatoes, and my last Rolo) or deciding what will wow at a raucous birthday party (chocolate and rose layer cake), Perfect Host is packed with delicious recipes (and helpful hints) for all occasions.

'A discursive, chatty, knowledgeable and didactic kaleidoscope of a book, the sort of thing Mrs Beeton would no doubt be writing if she were alive today. As we all know, entertaining has the potential for stress and disaster. Felicity Cloake has provided us with the means to reduce the risks' Daily Mail

'Sprightly and engaging . . . this is a girl who will not hesitate to give you a recipe for English muffins and for a breakfast martini; my sort of cook' Evening Standard

Felicity Cloake is a journalist and food writer from London. She writes for the Daily Mail, the Metro and Fire & Knives magazine and has a weekly column in the Guardian. She was named Food Journalist of the Year and won the New Media of the Year Award at the 2011 Guild of Food Writers Awards. Her first book, Perfect is available in Penguin.