The Way Sophia Roe Shops and Plans Her Holiday Menu Will Change How You Host

It's that time of year when you're having people over, hosting an open house, and cooking and baking more than ever. But, you're also working to a budget and don't want to go overboard—and you want everyone to have a great time. To help you do just that, we spoke to Sophia Roe, an award-winning chef, TV Host, and writer who has teamed up with Amazon to share her entertaining and cooking strategies for holiday gatherings. She focuses on budget-friendly yet beautiful food preparation. She's also all about not getting stressed out when you're hosting. 

Make It Easy on the Host (That's You!)

Though she has cooked and hosted many a multi-course sit-down dinner, Roe is embracing simplicity when she entertains for friends and recommends that is what we all do. You might think you need to do everything, but you don’t, Roe says. These are your friends and family, and they can help too. And, if you find you’ve forgotten the gluten-free crackers, don’t panic—just order them from a same-day delivery service like groceries from Amazon.

Planning the Menu

When it comes to menu planning, Roe has a radical idea: ask your guests what they want to eat. Query them about dietary restrictions, allergies, and preferences to ensure everyone can enjoy the food served. Then, work out the dishes that will work best for your crowd—and fit your budget and style. 

She admits this is not how restaurant chefs plan their menus; she says it’s more like how private chefs cook. It totally makes sense for home cooking, too, so you can tailor the menu to your crowd and keep everyone happy and well-fed. She recommends keeping the menu accessible and affordable, “I don't think we need to be spending our entire paycheck on entertaining. And I also don't think we need to not entertain because we think it's so expensive.”

Keep it simple, she says; there is no need to have 10 things on the menu, two really strong dishes are fine. Another way to make hosting easier is to serve family-style, says Roe. Have everyone grab their own plates and serve themselves.

Make It Your Own

Letting guests customize their food is another of her pro tips, “I think people really like engaging with their food,” she says. One fun, budget-conscious, yet festive way to do this is to have a baked potato bar. Roe says she stole the idea from a house party she went to and has used it because it’s such a great way to feed a crowd, and it’s fun. Simply order baking potatoes and lots of different toppings. It’s affordable, and you make it special by the way you set up and serve them, making sure there are toppings to suit everyone's taste and dietary requirements.

Have Humble Foods Be the Star of the Meal

Roe is a big fan of humble vegetables like cabbage and cauliflower, not just for any-night meals but also for making them the star of the table when you're having guests. A cabbage braise is beautiful, she says, and cauliflower can be a showstopper. Ditto beans; they are budget-friendly, versatile, and great for winter stews—especially when you cook them from dry. And Roe's tip for cooking beans is to infuse flavor from the start; don't cook them in water, rather she says use tea (green, black, or a favorite herbal tea).

Dessert Options

Continue the streamlined, make-it-how-you-like angle at dessert, says Roe. Have a sundae bar with ice cream, sauces, nuts, chocolate, you name it, or make one cake but have several different toppings to go with it.

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The Drinks

When it comes to beverages, Roe repeats her keep it simple mantra. Choose what you need carefully; don’t buy too much, and don’t feel like you need to have every liquor possible. “Have two of everything,” she counsels, “two red wines, two white wines, two Champagnes, two clear booze, two brown booze, and call it a day.” And just as important is where you set up the drinks. It needs to be a separate area from the food. “This is one of my biggest things—do not have the drinks in the kitchen,” she says.

Your Grocery List

One of the key ways to make your budget work is planning, says Roe. She recommends using an online service like groceries from Amazon so you can easily track what you’re spending in your cart. That means no surprises at the checkout. Also, Roe says order your groceries all at once and by category. Planning out your list carefully means you don’t make unnecessary purchases or buy items you already have. So checking your kitchen before you shop is essential.

Most of us overorder. We make a list of what we need for the special meal we’re hosting, but we don’t check our cupboards, refrigerator, or freezer before we order. Who hasn’t bought a random spice for one recipe and then forgotten it’s there, asks Roe—so then we buy it again for a party. Who hasn't bought brown sugar because they need it, but they didn’t check the cupboard before shopping? If they had, they would have known there were two bags there already!

On the other end of the spectrum, the ingredients you use most often should be on auto-delivery, says Roe. Then you never have to worry about being out of the foods you use all the time.