Julie Goodwin reveals her secrets for creating the perfect dinner party

Posted on Apr 24, 2017  | Tags: family favourites, flowers, Julie Goodwin, fruit and vegetables, table setting

Australia’s best-love home cook Julie Goodwin is back with her sixth book, Julie Goodwin’s Essential Cookbook, a stunning collection of her go-to family favourites.

From her secrets to making a great omelette to roasting the perfect chicken to baking classic cakes and mouth-watering desserts, there are over 300 recipes guaranteed to please every time.

But if you really want to win over your dinner guests, reveals the original MasterChef champ, it’s hard to go past a stunning arrangement of your favourite flowers.

With the gorgeous aroma of one of her dinner recipes wafting into the dining room, the icing on the cake will always be a table-setting bursting with colour.

“In terms of setting a beautiful table, I just think that if you’re having a just a couple of people over and you want to take it a bit more special, just the few minutes it takes to put some pretty things on the table makes all the difference,” Julie tells Sydney Markets.

“To get out even some mis-matched crockery, or your best wedding china, put out some flowers and some cloth napkins, it just makes it special and it makes your guests feel like you’ve put effort in for them to be there.”

As for her favourite flowers, Julie says it’s hard to go past “glorious” roses as an accompaniment to any meal setting.

“When we run a high tea classes at the [cooking] school I’ve got friend who is a rose grower and I get her to bring me all the overgrown roses that have opened right up and are just on that cusp – and I think they’re beautiful.”

Julie also admits to a soft spot for peonies, and a long-time love for locals, such as Geraldton wax, tea tree, silver dollar and blue gum, which she had sprinkled through the beautiful white roses at her wedding.

“I just think the natives are very, very beautiful.”

 Julie Goodwin’s Essential Cookbook is published by Hachette Australia. RRP $39.99 www.hachette.com.au