Our tips for success

What to cook?
Stuck for a recipe? We have a whole fallon book (we’ll share soon).

Bring on the booze
A dry house does not go down well in Come Dine With Me

DIY don’t lie.
God help you if your rivals found out you know Jamie personally and got him to do your side dishes, or if they find out you cut corners and bought in your pastry cases or even worse... you went to M&S.

End on a high
Dessert is your crowning glory and everyone goes 'oooh' when the sweet stuff comes out. The winning menus from the real show tell us bananas score high - barbecued, fried and nestled inside banoffee pie. Whatever you end on, make sure it comes with ice cream; nearly every winner has served up a scoop.

Don’t serve soup
A lovely broth ticks all the right boxes in the healthy, hearty and flavorsome columns, but within the pressure realms of Come Dine With Me, soup is just too simple. No matter if they wolf it down (and they usually do), when the point cards come out, soup is seen as an easy option and you'll lose out to more spectacular starters, usually involving scallops.

Make them feel special
The best way of bagging big points is to make your guests feel like the centre of your world. Pay attention to fussy eaters as catering for picky people is a great way to scare up an extra point or two.

Don’t be a fusspot
You may have a palate more sensitive than Heston's nostrils but fickle foodies never fare well on Come Dine With Me. The fussier you are for your competitors, the tougher they'll be for you to.

Don't flash the cash
Nobody likes a show off so even if you can shoot your own partridge and have it plucked by the live-in help, a plate of humble pie is the quickest way to win points.

Get your timing right
Absent hosting is a common grumble. Guests want their host by their side so avoid cooking live unless you're dining in the kitchen and make sure your courses flow without a pause.

Don't make them sing for their supper
Party games and dancing displays normally notch up points but guests are less giving when they're forced to join in. Don't make them pole dance, don't make them salsa or break-dance and definitely don't make them listen to your kids sing.