/ 11 March 2025

How To Entertain This Month With Alexandra Dudley

Alexandra Dudley is a food columnist, cookbook author and host of the Come For Supper podcast. In this instalment of her monthly column, she shares a spring dinner-party menu that makes the most of zaatar – and reveals the new tablescape additions she’s loving…

Alexandra Dudley

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There is a lightness to March. The weather is still cool, but the mornings are brighter and after what often feels like a never-ending winter, spring is here. By now I’ve exhausted my rota of winter suppers and am craving something with a bit more freshness and zing. As usual, I rely heavily on my spice cupboard, and for this month’s menu I’m leaning almost entirely on zaatar. A stunning Middle Eastern spice blend, zaatar is a combination of dried zaatar leaves, sesame seeds and sumac (and sometimes oregano or marjoram). It is wonderful to smell and even more so to eat. You can cook with zaatar or enjoy it as it comes. Here, I use it both ways, first stirred through yogurt to marinate chicken, and then tossed with shredded white cabbage to create a flavourful crunchy slaw. And then there’s some pink for pudding, with blushing forced rhubarb, roasted simply with orange zest and served with cardamom whipped cream and a crunchy almond topping.

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Zaatar Chicken

Marinating chicken in yogurt is a brilliant way to ensure tender meat. If the weather allows, this is very good cooked on the BBQ, but for the purpose of March I have included instructions for an oven. Feel free to mix up the herbs if you like.

Serves

Ingredients

4 chicken legs, skin on

200g of yogurt

3 cloves of garlic, crushed or finely grated

Small bunch of coriander, leaves finely chopped plus more to serve

Small bunch of mint, leaves finely chopped

1 tbsp of fresh oregano leaves, finely chopped

1 tsp of turmeric

1 tsp of ground cumin

1 tsp of ground coriander

Zest & juice of one lemon

2 tbsp of zaatar

1 good pinch of salt

Method

Step 1

Combine the yogurt, garlic, herbs, ground spices, lemon juice and zest, zaatar and salt in a large bowl. Add the chicken and toss to coat, ensuring it is well coated. Leave to marinate in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight.

Step 2

Preheat the oven to 190ºC. Arrange the chicken on a foil lined tray. Cook for 35-40 minutes.

Step 3

Sprinkle over fresh mint and serve with lemon wedges.

Zaatar Cabbage & Apple Slaw

Inspired by one of my favourite Lebanese salads (salatet malfouf – made with white cabbage lemon, garlic and herbs) this slaw is full of crunch. I love to add chopped apple for a hit of crisp sweetness and toasted sunflower seeds for extra texture.

Serves

Ingredients

1 small green cabbage, finely shredded

4 tbsp of olive oil

1 clove of garlic crushed

Juice of ½ a lemon

1 tbsp of honey

2 tbsp of zaatar

Salt

Small bunch of mint, leaves finely chopped

Small bunch of dill, leaves finely chopped

1 apple, chopped into matchstick size pieces

50g of sunflower seeds, toasted in a dry frying pan for 5 minutes until golden then cooled

Method

Step 1

In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, honey, zaatar and a good pinch of salt to make a dressing. Add the cabbage and toss with your hands to combine. Allow the cabbage to soften while you prep the herbs and apple.

Step 2

Add the chopped herbs, apple and toasted sunflower seeds, and toss again. Taste to adjust seasoning.

Baked Rhubarb With Cardamom Cream & Honeyed Almonds

Perky pink forced rhubarb is one of the best things about this time of year. Here it is roasted simply with the zest and juice of an orange, before being spooned onto soft cardamom whipped cream and finished with a crunchy almond topping. I love to whip some yogurt into the cream for a lighter, slightly tangier note.

Serves

Ingredients

400g of forced rhubarb

1 tbsp of caster sugar

Zest & juice of one orange

100g of flaked almonds

1 tbsp of butter

1½ tbsp of honey

For the cream

200ml of double cream

200ml of yogurt

Splash of vanilla extract

¼ tsp of ground cardamom

Method

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 180ºC Fan. Chop the rhubarb into 2-inch batons and place in a roasting dish. Sprinkle over the caster sugar, and add the orange zest and juice. Bake for 15 minutes until the rhubarb is soft but has kept its shape.

Step 2

In a frying pan, melt the butter with the honey. Once bubbling, add the almonds and stir to cook until they are golden. Transfer to a parchment lined plate or tray to cool.

Step 3

Using a hand whisk, beat the cream with the yogurt, vanilla and cardamom until soft peaks form.

Step 4

To serve, spoon the cream onto a serving plate, top with the rhubarb and finish with the almonds.

THE ENTERTAINING ACCESSORIES ALEXANDRA’S ADDING TO HER TABLE

Barra Napkins With Embroidery, £23.99 | Torres Novas

These napkins make me excited for summer and outside dining. I love the little embroidery details. They’d look brilliant mixed and matched in different colours too.

Available at TORRENOVAS.CO.UK

Set Of 4 Nova Stripe Tumblers, £35 | The Conran Shop

These striped tumblers remind me of the elegant Murano glassware you often see in Italy – minus the price tag. Coloured glasses are an easy way to level up a table and these ones would even make tap water look glamorous…

Available at THECONRANSHOP.COM

Gaia Tablecloth, From €35 | Midnatt

Pink is having a moment this year – out with the neutrals, in with bold, bright colours. I love this pretty tablecloth with its bubblegum pink stripes.

Available at MIDNATTATHOME.COM

For more from Alexandra, follow @ALEXANDRADUDLEY or visit ALEXANDRADUDLEY.COM