Having spent years gathering friends around her kitchen table, Eleanor has perfected the art of Friday night dinner. It usually starts with a sip of something cold and ends with friends tipsily heading home, full and happy. But most importantly, there's always something good to eat. The best nights are haphazard, filled with laughter, too much food and terrible late-night singing. I have always loved planning a menu but really, it’s just about getting good people around a table. If you're in need of a bit of re-inspiration, here are my tips for saving your dinner party. Master the art of “bits” Start with the one thing you really fancy and build out from there. Begin with a craving for tumblers of syrupy vermouth and olives and let it lead you to paella, followed by olive oil ice cream (either make your own or buy a tub of vanilla and top with a little good oil and flaky salt). If people offer to bring something – let them! While season's one through to four are currently available on demand in the US via streaming service Hulu, American fans of the show are still waiting for season five to be made available on the platform. There is no shame in accepting the offer of a pudding. People want to be useful. When they text to find out what they can bring, be specific. Ice, wine, dessert, the lemons you forgot to buy. Don’t be shy. Don’t overcomplicate pudding

Writer Robert Popper has promised the series will be more intense, and with Jonny and Adam both having new girlfriends, expect some even more awkward encounters between the brothers and their parents. Read on to find out how to watch Friday Night Dinner and stream the new series online from all corners of the globe.Vodka pasta is having a moment right now, partly thanks to the new collaboration between Heinz and Absolut. If you’ve never cooked with it, it won’t make the sauce taste of vodka, it will just intensify the other flavours and make the sauce a little creamy. You could use a fancier olive if you prefer; I like the cheaper jarred kind you’d find in a martini for this. Tracy Ann Oberman and Rosalind Knight both reprise their roles as Aunty Val and Horrible Grandma, however one familiar face that won't be returning is Jim's dog Wilson, who passed away in the tea-jerking season 5 finale. Between news of the documentary and its eventual screening, the show made headlines for a different, terribly sad, reason. In April, Ritter, who played the patriarch, Martin, died of a brain tumour. To call Ritter a revelation in the role would be an understatement; he refers to it as a “gift” in the documentary, which he filmed while he was ill (his on-screen wife, Greig, says she tried to convince him not to participate, but Ritter insisted). It would undoubtedly be at its best cooked by the sea with some beautiful and just-caught shell-on prawns and fresh tomatoes, but I think this version, which allows for tinned toms and shelled prawns, is delicious in its own way.

And amongst the recipes are thoughts on the glamour of mixing a martini for one, the lifesaving magic of a really good spaghetti carbonara, and the joy of a table laden with bits, waiting for hungry hands.

So, fill your favourite glass, choose something mouth-watering to cook and embrace all that Friday night has to offer. Usually, I like my food to reflect the season. I want whatever I’m cooking for dinner to speak to the weather, warming and comforting when it’s bleak; bringing me sunshine and energy when it’s fine.