Dinner parties are a great way to get together with your friends or family and spend some quality time. You can enjoy an evening of delicious food and drinks, great company, and even get dressed up if you fancy it. Putting on a dinner party can seem like it will be stressful before it happens as there are a lot of things you need to think of. If you break it down, it can be a lot easier and make it a much more stress-free experience. Here are some top tips for hosting a dinner party…
Make what you can ahead of time
When you are hosting, the last thing you want is major stress in the kitchen. Instead, make everything you can do so, ahead of time. This way on the night you will just have to either cook it or take it out of the fridge. If you are making lasagna, for example, this is easy to make the day before then pop it in the oven half an hour before you are all ready to eat. You could also make an impressive and tasty mirror glaze cake for a showstopper dessert!
Decide on a theme
If you want a theme for your dinner party, decide on this ahead of time. It can be a great way to get everyone involved and do something a bit different. You can theme everything within your dinner party, from the food and drinks to the table decor and your room. You could have special-themed cocktails, get decorations for the walls and decide on a menu based all around this.
Ensure you have enough food and drink
During your dinner party, you don’t want your guests to run out of food and drink. You want to ensure that everyone has more than enough to eat and drink. Always plan for more than you think you will need, that way you don’t have the embarrassment or inconvenience of having to pop out to the shops halfway through the evening. It could be a good idea to have a drinks dispenser or a punch bowl which you can fill with a cocktail so your guests can go and help themselves throughout the evening. It is good fun and also saves you a job!
Check dietary requirements ahead of time
When you are hosting a dinner party, you must check for any dietary requirements such as vegans, vegetarians, or lactose intolerant ahead of time. This way you know that there won’t be any allergies or awkward moments when people can’t eat what you have made them.
These are just a few simple tips that can help you to have a stress-free dinner party. Make a great playlist ahead of time that will help to set the mood and if you are having quite a few people, think carefully about your seating plan. There is nothing worse than people not getting on with who they are sat next to! The most important thing is to just have fun!
