Winter Picky Bits for Two

Choose the part you most want to eat, then let the other things support it.

For this suggested menu, start with oven-cooked vegetable gyoza, prepared according to the packet or your usual recipe. Add bread, a dip, crisp vegetables, a small bowl of nuts and whatever salty snack sounds particularly good.

The exact gyoza cooking method matters more than how decorative the serving plate is. Some are intended for pan-frying or steaming rather than the oven, so choose a product that suits the preparation you want.

An alternative is a warm savoury pastry or another familiar hot bite. One warm dish is enough to organise the meal around.

Start with enough of the main items to count as dinner. Nuts, crisps and a beautiful plate are accessories; they should not have to do all the work.

For a lactose-free version, choose a suitable dip, bread and warm bite, and check the labels. Small pastry things have an impressive ability to hide butter.

Do the cold preparation first. Slice the bread, cut the vegetables, put the dip in a bowl and get out two plates.

Then cook the hot part. When it is ready, put that on the table and begin. Leave any extra chilled food in the fridge until needed rather than arranging everything hours in advance.

If you are choosing between a single impressive board and food that stays where it should, choose the latter. A few separate dishes can be much easier to pass, replenish and clear.

Pick what to watch before the food is ready.

This sounds a small administrative detail until two people have spent twenty minutes watching trailers while the only hot thing on the table becomes a memory.

The Watching Room is there for the choosing part. A familiar comedy is especially useful when nobody has the energy to remember a cast of suspects.

If you would rather have noodles and a few things alongside, Tonight’s Girl Dinner is a better place to begin. The spirit is related; this version is a shared winter spread.

Use the nice small bowls if they are within reach. Bring over a lamp if it makes the room more inviting. Keep somewhere clear for glasses and the remote.

There is no need for every item to match, or for every Saturday to look like this one.

A little warmth, enough food and something you both want to watch: that is a very good winter evening. Especially when the washing-up fits into one trip.