Hosting a dinner party is a great excuse to get together and enjoy the company of your friends and family. It should be a great time for everyone, but the pressure to get things right and put on a ‘night to remember’ can really be quite stressful – especially for those who don’t host that often!
So let’s simply things a little, shall we?
Here are our hosting ‘top tips’ to help you get through the night unscathed, and to do it all with a smile on your face!
1) Set the guest list
Dinner parties are all about bringing people together. They’re about catching up with friends and loved ones, enjoying the conversation and having a great time.
Think about those you haven’t seen in a while, those who make for great conversation and those who make a night really worth attending, and then send out your invitations.
Remember that your guests are the real stars of the night – not your culinary skills!
2) Collaborate and delegate
Most people will appreciate the opportunity to help and contribute in any way they can – so whether that’s bringing a bottle or two, or helping you out in the kitchen, be open to making the evening more of a collaborate affair.
Take some of the responsibility off yourself. It can only be a good thing, right?
3) Why not keep things casual?
It’s nice to unwind with friends, but if you’re hosting a dinner that’s too formal it can be difficult to feel at ease and fully appreciate the night.
So why not tone it down?
Dispense with the formalities and keep things casual, natural and enjoyable.
4) Create an atmosphere
Cut the lights – or at least tone them down!
It’s difficult to create a comfortable atmosphere when your main lights cast a bright, uniform light across everything.
Try to create a warmer environment with some mood lighting. Bring out the candles, use up-lighting lamps, or get creative and hang lanterns over the table.
5) Give yourself time to relax
Get ready, sit down and take a few moments to relax before people start to arrive.
No one likes to arrive at a dinner party to see the host looking all hot and bothered, panicking behind the stove and stressing about all the tiny details.
So go ahead, make a start on that bottle of red and pour yourself a glass!
6) And cook some fantastic food!
Give yourself time to prepare your menu. Once you know who’s coming round you can start thinking about what you might like to cook. Think of dishes that you’re familiar with and know your guests are going to love.
It can be difficult to put together a menu that’s strong from entrée to dessert, but with our Foodelity menus, being a host has never been so simple! You can quickly prepare a meal and pick carefully matched dishes by course, so you know each dish will complement the other and taste great on the night.
How you like to host? Do you have any tips of your own for putting on a great dinner party?
