It's been over a year since we last had guests inside our houses for dinner. Now, on the first weekend that we're allowed to have people over, even to stay the night, we may need a slight refresher on how to play the gracious host and put on a dinner party worthy of a post-lockdown celebration.
Setting the scene
Our dining rooms are more used to being used as offices these days, dining tables piled high with laptops, notebooks and stacks of paper. It's time to clear all that away, get out the polish and lay the table properly. As interior designer Shalini Misra notes, 'The tablescape is so important; tableware, linens, plates, glasses and cutlery set the mood and tone for the evening.' It's more than likely too, that most of your best dinner plates have been left unloved over the pandemic, so now is the time to get them out again.
Arrange a flower delivery or head to your local florist to pick up some flowers. 'Flowers and candles can be magically transformative,' advises Shalini, who favours a cluster of low flower arrangements along the table so conversation can be free flowing, with a more impressive bouquet at the end when space allows. The same is echoed in the candles, 'Use different types of candles - tea lights to scatter along the centre of table, combined with some pillar candles to create different levels of illumination,' continues Shalini. For a final flourish, 'jewel-like napkin rings with embroidered linen napkins and wine glasses with gold rims or patterns add luxury.' It's a chance to go all out now and treat yourself and your guests. If nothing else, it's a good reason no to eat yet another meal on the sofa.
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The menu
It might be tempting to cook something very extravagant and put a lot of work into the menu. While this is admirable, think about planning a meal that doesn't take you away from guests for too long. It's for this reason that Shalini often opts for Japanese cuisine. 'Start the dinner with tuna tartare and lobster with yuzu aioli, followed by truffle buckwheat risotto, before a delectable selection of hand and sushi rolls. For the final flourish, flourless dark chocolate fondant tart served with matcha ice cream.' Not only is this a delicious and spoiling meal for guests, most of it can be prepped in advance, freeing you up to be the attentive host keeping the drinks and conversation flowing.
Beef wellington is a good option too – make it ahead of time and then pop it in the oven when guests arrive. All you need to do then is keep an eye on it and prep some greens to be ready at the same time. If you have an open plan kitchen-dining room, then you can be freer to cook and chat at the same time, so a risotto recipe is a good one as you need to be at the stove but you won't be hot and flustered. If all else fails, order in something and serve it on your best china.
If you're after more inspiration, here are some of our best dinner party menus to see you through from start to finish:
The entertainment
Dinner party games should always play a part in any evening, especially towards the latter part of the night when everyone is feeling much more at ease with one another. Music helps to set the mood just as much as lighting does so make sure you have something primed and ready as guests arrive.
The drinks
If you've signed up to a wine subscription in the past year, you may have some interesting wines up your sleeve to serve to guests. Current trends in the wine world lean towards natural, biodynamic and organic wines, which have a funkier, fresh flavour and are often much lower alcohol. Support local with the best English wines and don't forget cocktails to start or end the dinner. Shalini's house is one to secure an invite to as 'the drinks are free flowing through the course of the dinner and I make sure all my guest are served their favourite nightcap at the end of a meal!' If all else fails, no one can get anAperol spritz recipe wrong.
Your dinner party shopping guide
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