August
05
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5 Fun Ways to Host Guests at Home
Want to host a get together for friends and enjoy some good food, drink and company? Here are five ideas for different ways you can host friends at home.
Dinner Party
A dinner party can be whatever you want it to be, it can be a super fancy and formal affair or it can be much more relaxed. There were plenty of ‘rules’ and etiquette to follow back in the seventies and eighties when dinner parties were popular but we’ve moved on a lot since then. If you want to serve ‘family style’ food where everyone helps themselves (such as fajitas) or go with a one pot dish then go for it! It doesn’t have to be very formal unless you want it to be.
Barbeque
A barbeque is a surefire way to please guests when the weather is nice, no-one can resist the smell of delicious meat and veggies cooked over coals! Make sure your barbeque is big enough to cook for the amount of guests you’re having. As well as your grilled mains, don’t forget to put out side salads, plenty of buns, sauces and garnishes such as fried onions and coleslaw. Barbeques might be great for meat eaters but there are lots of options for vegetarians and vegans too, if any are attending then do some research online for recipe ideas. It could be an idea to purchase a small disposable barbeque to cook their food separately.
Afternoon Tea
If you want your occasion to be a little more elegant and formal then an afternoon tea is a great way to go. Lay your table outside with a pretty tablecloth and find cake stands and mismatched china plates at charity shops. Lay out fancy finger sandwiches, petite pastries and bite sized cakes. You could make it a sparkling afternoon tea by adding champagne or prosecco, companies like Oddbins wines have plenty to choose from.
Picnic in the Garden
Another way to enjoy the garden while it’s sunny outside is by hosting a picnic. Lay down some blankets and add some comfy outdoor cushions, and serve up tasty picnic foods that are proven crowd pleasers.
Cocktail Party
Instead of focusing the evening around the food, how about making it about the drinks instead? In this case you would serve up some canapes and nibbles instead of a full meal. There are a few ways you could go about making your cocktail party awesome, the first would be to hire out a bartender/ cocktail maker for the evening. They can mix drinks to everyone’s specifications and allow them to easily try out new things. Create a bar area and make sure it’s well stocked with all the essentials – you could always have guests each bring a bottle to keep costs down. Another option would be to invest in a few large drinks dispensers, and then pre-mix some different cocktails that guests can easily fill their glasses from. Finally, you could create a cocktail station with a recipe book and all of the bottles and extras (such as garnishes and ice) that they would need to mix their own drink.