Is there anything more elegant and fun than a dinner party? Getting friends together and enjoying time in each other’s company is so much fun! If you are the host this time, there’s a level of pressure that you don’t expect until it’s your turn to do it. There is plenty to get on with and there’s the worry that someone in the party won’t enjoy themselves. Never fear, though, as when you have a plan in place, you can easily pull it off.
This dinner party is going to go off without a hitch, and here are five steps to do it!
Plan Ahead
You need the dinner party to go well and that means planning ahead. You want to make sure that you invite everyone in good time and know that everyone is coming. You also need to know everyone’s food allergies and preferences. You don’t want to put ghost pepper hot sauce all over the food if people are going to hate it. You want this to be perfect, and early planning is the key to ensuring you are organized.
Prepare In Advance
Your meals need to have a significant amount of preparation to get the timing of the courses right. With the right timing, you can make sure that everyone is served on time to your schedule and there aren’t long gaps between each course. This meal should be easy to prepare and if it’s complicated, give yourself the day before to get vegetables and sauces ready!
Don’t forget to have all your extras cleaned and ready to be served on time, including different cutlery for courses, tableware, drink with and after dinner, and post-meal coffees using coffee tools ready to prepare freshly brewed coffee for your guests.
Write Your Menu
Planning your menu for your dinner party is going to be the fun part of the evening. You know your cooking strengths, and your menu should include things that are nice and light, with a good main dish and a spectacular pudding. Keep the main easy and likeable, and make sure that you have the right dishware to serve it all in!
Stage The Room
You want your table to be well dressed, with the right cutlery and crockery already set up. If you have the money, get some food warmers for the centre of the table to rest the dishes on. This way, if anyone goes for a second helping of food, the dishes are still warm. Put cheeses on a proper cheese board, with crackers on another and wine in a chiller by the table. Add soft drinks and water, too, as you want to give people options – not everyone likes an alcoholic drink with their meal.
Know Where It’s Going
Most people aim for a dinner party that ends with conversation and laughing, and the perfect way to do that is with after dinner games. You can make sure that you have a range of word games and trivia to ask questions. Around an hour or so after dinner, have coffees and cheeses ready for a snack, and make sure that everyone is catered for. The dinner is the star of the show, but you want to have an “after” that works for all of your guests.
This is a collaborative post.
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