New Year's Eve carries a notorious reputation for culinary pressure and potential disaster in the kitchen. The expectation to deliver a flawless, celebratory feast can often lead to stress and disappointment, a sentiment well-known to chefs and home cooks alike.
Lessons Learned from NYE Kitchen Nightmares
Itamar Srulovich of London's Honey & Co restaurant recalls years of overambitious menus that led to chaos. One year, a misjudged dessert preference resulted in a 'caramel-slicked nightmare' of individual tarte tatins. Another, a poorly tested 'high concept' surprise menu left the kitchen in disarray and customers so dissatisfied he offered to order them pizza. These experiences led to a decade-long vow to avoid complicated New Year's Eve service.
A Simpler, Firework-Friendly Celebration
The solution, discovered after moving to a flat with stunning views of London's fireworks displays, was to adopt a simple, abundant, and forgiving approach. The strategy centres on a buffet with one generous main dish and plenty of accompaniments, perfect for a crowd where chairs are scarce. The star of this spread is a one-pot chicken and rice dish served with amba, a vibrant Iraqi condiment made from fermented sour mangoes and spices.
Amba offers a tangy, funky brightness that elevates the entire meal. For those who cannot find it, chunky piccalilli makes a worthy substitute, offering similar spiced, fermented notes. The dish is served with pickles, chilli sauce, a fresh chopped salad, and a bowl of tahini sauce, allowing guests to build their own plates.
Itamar's One-Pot Chicken with Amba or Piccalilli
This recipe serves four as a main, or eight as part of a larger spread. It begins with 1kg of boneless chicken thighs, ideally skin-on, seasoned with cumin, paprika, turmeric, and flaky sea salt. The chicken is seared, then set aside while sliced shallots, carrots, fennel, and crushed garlic are softened in the same pan.
For the rice, diced shallot and grated carrot are cooked before adding 500g of jasmine rice. The chicken and vegetables are returned to the pan with their juices. The dish is then moistened with 400ml of boiling water mixed with 100g of amba or piccalilli, covered, and baked in an oven preheated to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6 for 25 minutes.
After resting for ten minutes, it is served garnished with chopped flat-leaf parsley and lemon wedges. This method ensures deep flavour with minimal fuss, as the seasoning from the chicken permeates the entire dish during cooking.
This approach transforms New Year's Eve hosting from a high-stakes performance into a relaxed, communal experience. It embodies a festive spirit without the fuss, pairing domestic comfort with the spectacle of fireworks—whether viewed from a London window or a bathtub turned viewing platform.
