Is the dinner party old news?
NO, we think most definitely not! The dinner party has been reinvented and its now cool and trending to host dinners at home.
You do not have to be an amazing cook, just a fabulous host.
Remember a great dinner party experience is just a blend of great 'ingredients'- food, drink, atmosphere, laughter and conversation!
We want to help you become the best dinner party hosts you can be, so keep reading for our most helpful tips.
1. Decide who you are inviting, how many people and when
Give your guests at least 3-4 weeks’ notice. This is a reasonable amount of time to ensure your guests can replan their diary but also not so far away that they might not be able to commit.
If its your first dinner party, invite people who you know have a good relationship with each other and that you enjoy the company of. Even if you invite a few guests that don’t know each other, as long as you think the group as a whole will gel, that will make for a good evening. An intimate dinner will be usually for 6-8 people, but you can also have a great dinner party for 20 if you plan well.
2. What's on the Menu?
As mentioned above you don’t have to be an amazing chef to host a dinner party. Good food is important but you can always outsource this if you don’t enjoy cooking for groups. There are so many private chefs around since lockdown who are willing to come to your home to cook up a feast. This might be out of your budget but often it still works out more reasonable than going out to eat at a restaurant once you take into account drinks, travel, and the time you can spend in a restaurant.
If you do want to cook yourself, think about whether you want it to be a formal plated meal style of dinner, a buffet style dinner or even just canapes/sharing plates and drinks can work.
Don’t forget to ask for dietary requirements from your guests before you plan your menu. You don’t want a menu full of meat only to realise on the day that one of your guests is vegetarian. Some the most common dietary requirements you may face are- Vegetarians, no red meat, Dairy free, Gluten intolerance.
Either way its best to be prepared and have options if there are any dietary requirements. Having a vegetarian option is advisable anyway as this means there is always a backup option.
Just because it’s a dinner party though, don’t think the food has to be formal. A large bowl of pasta or curry and rice with sides will work too. Because remember ultimately a good dinner party is about the company and the hosting!
Whatever you decide is on the menu, don’t stress yourself out. Prepare as much as you can in advance and don’t spend too much time away from your guests. You can’t be a good host or good company if you are hidden away in the kitchen all evening.
And don’t make anything you haven’t made before or at least practiced in advance unless of course you are a chef by nature!
3. Think about the space you will be in
Plan where you will be seating everyone. There should be a comfortable amount of room between guests when seated and also behind them if they need to get up from the table during dinner. As a guide allow at least 2 feet between chairs and a wall.
If you are lucky to have a dinner table big enough to seat everyone then great, but if not there are some options you can think about.
If your dinner table seats 6 but you want to invite 8-10 people, then think about how you can extend your dinner table. For example you could buy pieces of MDF wood to place on top of your table to extend it. You’d be surprised how much extra room even an extra 20cm all round can give you. We’ll be happy to give you advice on how to do this if you get in touch.
Otherwise you could also hire in tables and chairs. If you have more than 12 people though, think about the layout of your tables. To seat 20 people for example, several tables in a long line isn’t the most sociable of settings, so plan some time in between eating for guests to be able to move around and chat to other guests before they sit down to eat again.
If you have space though you can set the tables up in a layout that is more sociable like in a ‘U’ shape or a ‘T’ shape like below. Remember to ensure there is enough space around the chairs.
If you can hire the wider 6ft trestle tables (3ft and above) then this is ideal to allow more space down the middle of the tables for décor if you have guests seated on either side.
4. Set the scene
Your table will create the atmosphere. What your guests can visually enjoy in front of them, where they are seated, and what their meal is served on, is almost as important as the food they will be eating.
Having some beautiful décor on your table will create an ambience and will show your guests you have made an effort.
If you want a stress free option contact us to style your table.
Think about a colour scheme, fresh flowers always add a great vibe, and candles are a must. Candles and dim lighting will set a lovely mood for the evening
Don’t have too many high pieces of décor, as you want your guests to be able to see each other to talk while seated. Think about where your guests will sit, have name places if you can, mix up couples (they spend enough time together!) and have a good balance of personalities around the table. Don’t put all the chatty people at one end- split them up so that conversation flows all round.
5. What beverages will you serve?
Do you like wine and pairing wine with food. Think about what will go well with your menu, and have a red and white option.
Dinner parties though are also a great occasion to serve cocktails- you can decide on one before hand and serve before dinner or have a few easy to make options. Having a few cocktails with different spirits will mean there’s an option for all guests if they don’t like a particular spirit. It also means you can take out the alcohol to make it a mocktail so that all your guests feel involved.
Keep guests topped up through the evening to keep conversation flowing. Think about who will be doing this, alternatively have a table on the side close to your dinner table with drinks options so that no one has to go too to far to quench their thirst.
Don’t be afraid to ask guests to bring a bottle if they ask if they can bring anything, you can never have too many drinks, but you don’t want to end up with too many desserts.
That way the likelihood is they will bring something the enjoy drinking.
6. Entertainment (apart from amazing conversation!)
Fabulous company and good food are just the base of a great dinner party. You will want to have some games and entertainment lined up to keep the laughter and conversation flowing all night.
Dinner party games can be as simple as card games or pen and paper games. Don’t pick complicated games that require you to explain too many rules or clear the table. Think low stress but fun! (We will have a blog post coming soon to help you with this)
Think about some background music. Don’t have the television on. Play music that is not offensive and loud, but is mood lifting and the key is that it is background music only while you are eating dinner. You want your guests to be able to have conversations without shouting over the music. You can create your own playlist, with livelier music to play later on if you want a party to get started once guests finish eating.
7. Preparation on the day
If you want the evening to be stress free, then a few simple things can help to make this possible.
Make your guests feel at home, no need to worry about cleaning the whole house, just make sure your kitchen, dining area, and guest bathroom are welcoming and clean. Maybe dot around some scented candles, and ensure there are clean towels.
Empty your dishwasher after all your prep is done. You don’t want to spend time cleaning while your guests are there, and so if you can load plates straight into an empty dishwasher or sink then that will mean less mess is visible. Unless you know your guests really well, try to leave the cleaning up till after they have gone. The more time you can spend enjoying the company of your guests the better the evening you will have
Empty your bins, and have an empty recycling bin ready for your empty bottles
8. Lastly enjoy it
Hosting a dinner party at home doesn't have to be hard. Don’t put pressure on yourself! Enjoy the evening and have fun! A great dinner party is one where you feel like you want to do this again, and your guests leave feeling uplifted (and maybe a little tipsy!).
A dinner table, as we always say, is the best place to enjoy lots of laughter and great conversation with friends, family or people you want to get to know better.
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