Why Staying In Is the New Going Out: Delicious Ideas for Entertaining at Home
There's something rather lovely about swapping a busy restaurant for an evening at home. No reservations, no rushing for the last train and, best of all, you get to choose the menu.
Whether it's a Friday night with friends, a relaxed date night or a spontaneous Saturday gathering, staying in is becoming the new going out. And with a few delicious ingredients, you can make an ordinary evening feel like a proper occasion.
At Pimento Hill, we believe great food doesn't have to be complicated. Sometimes all it takes is a cheeseboard, a homemade cocktail and a little Jamaican-inspired flavour.
Here are three delicious ways to make your next night in something special.
1. Build a Cheeseboard Worth Staying In For 🧀
Forget the standard cheese and crackers. A really good cheeseboard is all about contrasting flavours, textures and a few unexpected additions.
Start with three or four cheeses: a mature Cheddar, creamy Brie, tangy blue cheese and perhaps a soft goat's cheese.
Add crackers, fresh grapes, toasted nuts and some crusty bread. Then comes the good bit – the chutneys and preserves.
Our Pimento Hill favourites for cheeseboards:
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Fig & Date Chutney: Rich, fruity and delicious alongside mature Cheddar or blue cheese.
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Caramelised Red Onion Chutney: Sweet and savoury, perfect with creamy Brie or a strong hard cheese.
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Scotch Bonnet Chilli Jam: A sweet, fiery kick that works beautifully with soft cheese and crackers.
Arrange everything on a large wooden board, add a few small bowls of chutney and let everyone help themselves.
Our tip: Take your cheeses out of the fridge around 30 minutes before serving to bring out their flavour.
Explore our chutneys and preserves for your next cheeseboard.
2. Shake Things Up with a Sorrel Jelly Rum Cocktail 🍹
Who needs a cocktail bar when you can make something a little different at home?
Sorrel is a much-loved Caribbean flavour, known for its distinctive fruity, floral and slightly tart character. Our Pimento Hill Sorrel Jelly makes a delicious addition to a rum cocktail, adding a lovely balance of sweetness and tang.
Sorrel Jelly Rum Cocktail
Makes 1 cocktail | Ready in 5 minutes
Ingredients
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50ml white or golden rum
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2 tsp Pimento Hill Sorrel Jelly
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20ml freshly squeezed lime juice
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10ml sugar syrup (optional, to taste)
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Ice
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Lime wedge or twist to garnish
Method
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Add the Sorrel Jelly, rum and lime juice to a cocktail shaker.
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Stir briefly to help loosen the jelly, then add plenty of ice.
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Shake vigorously until well chilled.
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Double-strain into a chilled cocktail glass, or pour over fresh ice in a tumbler.
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Taste and add a little sugar syrup if you'd prefer a sweeter cocktail. Garnish with lime.
Make it your own: Add a splash of soda water for a longer, refreshing drink.
It's a lovely way to bring a little Caribbean inspiration to cocktail hour, without needing a cupboard full of specialist ingredients.
Discover Pimento Hill Sorrel Jelly.
3. Serve Up Garlic Jelly Glazed Prawns 🍤
If there's one thing that makes an evening at home feel a little more special, it's a delicious sharing dish.
These sticky garlic jelly prawns are quick, full of flavour and perfect for serving straight from the pan with warm bread or alongside a fresh salad.
Sticky Garlic Jelly Prawns
Serves 2 as a starter or 4 as a sharing dish | Ready in 15 minutes
Ingredients
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300g raw king prawns, peeled and deveined
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2 tbsp Pimento Hill Garlic Jelly
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1 tbsp olive oil
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1 garlic clove, finely chopped
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Juice of ½ lime
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½ tsp chilli flakes (optional)
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Fresh coriander or parsley, to finish
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Lime wedges, to serve
Method
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Pat the prawns dry with kitchen paper.
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Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat.
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Add the prawns and cook for around 2 minutes on each side, until pink and nearly cooked through.
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Add the chopped garlic and chilli flakes, stirring for 30 seconds.
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Reduce the heat and stir in the Pimento Hill Garlic Jelly and lime juice.
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Toss everything together until the prawns are fully cooked, opaque and coated in a glossy, sticky glaze.
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Finish with fresh coriander or parsley and serve immediately with lime wedges.
Serving suggestion: Pile the prawns onto a platter with warm flatbreads, or serve over rice for an easy but impressive supper.
The Garlic Jelly creates a lovely sweet-savoury glaze, giving you plenty of flavour with very little effort.
Shop Pimento Hill Garlic Jelly.
The Secret to a Great Night In? Keep It Simple.
You don't need a complicated menu or hours in the kitchen to make entertaining at home feel special.
A generous cheeseboard, a Caribbean-inspired cocktail and a plate of sticky prawns are more than enough to turn a regular evening into something worth looking forward to.
Add good music, your favourite people and a few jars of Pimento Hill flavour, and you've got everything you need.
Because sometimes the best nights out happen at home.
