Assumptions: 6 people including you, arrival at 20:00, you shop on Friday, one oven, 60 EUR for food only. 1. Menu and reality check Realistic. The only oven dish is the main and everything else is made ahead, so you sit with your guests. - Starter: white bean dip with bread and raw vegetables (cold, made ahead). - Main: vegetable pasta bake with mozzarella, and a green salad (cooks unattended). - Dessert: lemon ricotta cake, baked the day before. No gelatin, so it is vegetarian. - Estimated food cost is about 50 EUR: tight but doable. Swap: if you do not want to bake, serve ricotta with honey and berries. 2. Timeline - Friday: shop, make the dip, bake the cake. - Saturday morning: roast the vegetables, assemble the bake, set the table. - 19:30: take the pasta out of the fridge and put the dip in a bowl. - 20:10: preheat the oven to 190 degrees C. - 20:30: starter on the table, pasta into the hot oven. - 21:10: pasta out, covered with foil to rest, dress the salad. - 21:15: serve the main. 22:10: cake and berries. 3. Shopping list - Produce: aubergine, 2 zucchini, 2 peppers, carrots, cucumber, mixed leaves, basil, 3 lemons, berries. - Dairy: 3 mozzarella, 500 g ricotta, hard cheese (check the label for vegetarian rennet), 4 eggs. - Pantry: 700 g dry short pasta, 1 L passata, 2 cans of white beans, flour, sugar. - Bakery: bread, bought on Saturday. Prices are estimates and vary by shop and city. 4. Prepare ahead Day before: dip and cake. Morning: roasted vegetables and the assembled bake, covered, in the fridge. Do not dress the salad or bake the pasta ahead. After dinner: leftovers into containers within 2 hours, soak the baking dish, leave the rest for the morning. 5. Plan B - Pasta not ready: 10 more minutes under foil, and top up the bread and dip. - Oven fails: boil the pasta and toss it in a pan with the sauce and mozzarella. - Extra guest: smaller portions and more bread. - Emergency meal: pasta with passata and hard cheese, 20 minutes. Any allergies besides the vegetarian guest? Tell me before you shop.