A Friday Night Mexican Fiesta - Recipe Round Up

We had friends over for a Taco Night to celebrate a birthday and this is what I made - the full menu and ALL the recipes for your cooking pleasure. Plus party games, a chocolate finale and Polaroids.

I’ve said before how much I like a themed night. It feels a bit more exciting than just saying ‘come to dinner, I’ll make some food’ and it also enables your guests to bring something appropriate should they wish to contribute. Our friend group are also big fans - previous themed nights have included Pie & Darts Night (inspired by Luke Littler and his prolific darts success) and Sandwich Night (inspired by the fact that everyone likes a good sandwich), both of which have been great successes. Last Friday, it was. a friends birthday so we decided to get together to celebrate; two of our friends are vegan so I wanted to do a menu that worked for everyone and not make them feel as though their meal was second rate to the carnivores. Sometimes, I’ve made massive pieces of slow roasted meat which is the centrepiece of the meal which always feels a bit off. Anyway, I decided that Mexican food was perfect as it’s very vegetable based and isn’t reliant on meat for the main event. Here’s what I made:

I LOVE Mexican food and also, love Mexico. Years ago, when Leo was about nine months old and the older ones were 7 and 5, we went to Mexico after Christmas. This has got to be one of the top tier times to go away. We left Gatwick in the snow and arriving to blue skies, blue seas, white sand and blazing heat. Heaven. Well, it would have been heaven if we were not, all five of us, crammed into one double room with a sofa bed and a pop up cot. I can’t remember how much it was but it was definitely super cheap, booked in the old days of On The Beach when a deal really WAS a deal. We stayed in Riviera Maya and my children, although young, still talk about that break as the best one they’ve ever been on. It was a Dreams Hotel and fully all inclusive, meaning that not only did I not have to cook or empty a dishwasher, but they’d serve cakes every afternoon from 3pm in the lounge which was Utopia for our kids. Dreams, making dreams come true for all.

We had such a great time that when we returned, we invited all of our friends over for a Mexican party (with fancy dress; I have no idea why but, yes) so I stocked up on cook books and made tacos. Ever since then, they’ve been my family go to when we want something that feels a bit fun and special.