Rosh Hashanah is a two day festival of celebrations to welcome the Jewish New Year. It’s a beautiful holiday, punctuated with multiple opportunities for festive feasts, including numerous symbolic ingredients and dishes to commemorate the circle of life and wishes for a sweet New Year ahead. Traditional foods such as apples and honey (round and sweet) pomegranates, new seasonal fruits such as figs and finest autumnal produce, round challahs…..the list goes on….

Lunch on the first day of the festival has become my “thing” over the years. Numbers have grown and it’s now a large, relaxed buffet spread for family, friends, friends like family and anyone who is travelling though and looking for a place to celebrate. We convene like a well curated extended clan.

People arrive leisurely, helping themselves to a spread of dips, finger foods and snacking items, while I dress salads and fill serving plates that eventually make it out on the table for people to help themselves. The feast inevitably stretches into tea (my favourite of all British meals) and the leftovers are pulled out in their containers for the die hards still lounging on the couch for impromptu dinner.

Over the years there are some nostalgic family heirloom recipes that you are guaranteed to find as part of the spread. I love that some of the regulars put in their dish requests before formally accepting an invitation (as it if is conditional on their attendance) which I find incredibly helpful when thinking about the menu. Amongst the favourites there are always new additions to the roster, plus some old beauties that might not have made an appearance for a while.

For anyone else entertaining next week, or looking for a little menu inspiration for future gatherings, celebrations, holidays or any excuse for a feast, I am sharing my menu for this year with my festive lamb shoulder and a new autumnal salad that’s almost too beautiful to eat. This menu sits alongside festive menus of years gone by so you too can choose your own adventure and mix and match to your heart content.

Note: I have not included my regular New Years Chicken or the Pomegranate Chicken even though they are classic Feast winners for such occasions, but they are front and centre on previous menus on the site and this year the lamb takes centre stage.

For all those celebrating, I wish you a sweet year ahead. I’m praying for peace, an end to conflicts and a return of the hostages.