something special for your vegetarian guests, but for the most part, simple allergies shouldn’t be such a problem that everyone has to have a limited menu. There are so many options-it’s not as scary as you think.
If you’re planning a very special occasion where you’re either cooking a more elaborate meal or you have a large crowd, you may wish to send out proper invitations with an RSVP so that you know exactly how many you’re cooking for before you do your shopping.
On the day of your party, think about having nibbles such as nuts or canapés ready to tide everyone over until all your guests have arrived-or to keep them fed if things are running late in the kitchen!
Your home
If you are doing more grown up, or ‘formal’ entertaining, take the time to think about atmosphere and how to create a welcoming setting so your guests feel you’ve made a little extra effort to make them feel special and relaxed. Little touches such as candles or fairy lights rather than harsh lighting from above can really help set the scene. Besides, who (or indeed what room) doesn’t look better in the soft glow of candlelight?
Flowers make any home look more dressed up, but that doesn’t necessarily mean investing in bouquets from the florist. Even just some little vases or jars of hand-picked flowers from your garden add a thoughtful touch. And you don’t need to limit them to the table-put them in the kitchen, living room, even the bathroom.
Your table
If you’re having a larger group of people and are feeling creative (and have the time), you may even wish to make table decorations and/or place settings for each of your guests. It also means you can control who sits next to who! It’s great fun to make name tags and people love taking them home. Be as creative as you wish. Below are some of my favourite table-decorating ideas:
* Everyone loves place cards! Try old-fashioned packing labels with the guest’s name written on and tied around a napkin or the base of a wine glass, or even pierced through onto a satay stick. Or if you’re feeling ambitious, make cookies or biscuits for each guest with their name written in icing or chocolate.
* If you don’t have napkin rings, just tie a pretty piece of ribbon around your napkins, perhaps in different colours for each napkin. To jazz it up further, you can tie on fresh rosemary and/or bread sticks.
* For a really special event, place mini wrapped presents on each place, tied up with twine or ribbon and with a name tag.
* For a seaside theme try candles in oyster or scallop shells or sand in the bottom of glass candle holders or pretty glass jars with tea lights; pebbles, slate or driftwood pieces with guest’s names in chalk; shells on the table.
* For a holiday splash, place Christmas baubles in little glasses or shallow tumblers around the table; spray some holly lightly with glitter, place small branches in a flower vase with baubles hanging off (place sand in the bottom to keep the branches in place). You can write guests’ names on bay, holly or ivy leaves with gold or silver pen.
* At Easter, you can try a similar trick-from small branches hang painted eggs. You can also spray the branches silver or gold. You could even do a mini version with quail’s eggs! Place mini pastel-coloured Easter eggs or little chicks around the table.
* In autumn, place pumpkins and squashes in groups on the table and/or outside the front door.
* For national holidays, place little flags at each setting or down the centre of the table.
* For your floral arrangements, try not to have one enormous bouquet in the middle of your table. Instead, make smaller arrangements in lots of small glass holders of different sizes so your guests can see over them. Or try small terracotta pots of herbs or little flowering plants, or put miniature bulbs, such as bluebells or narcissus, in a pot or glass vase for a temporary display. Avoid overly scented flowers, which may overpower your food.
SETTING THE TABLE
Not everyone has an extensive range of cutlery to set a formal place setting, so don’t panic about doing this ‘properly’. But I often do get asked, ‘Where should the water glass go?’ or ‘Where should I put a side plate?’, so if you want to set a fancy table, here is the general thinking on how your place setting should look:
What to serve?
Choosing your menu is the first important step to a good party. More often than not in planning what you serve, seasonality is the key. But menu planning is also about choosing dishes that will both complement each other and be enjoyable to eat together. So avoid a repetition of ingredients from course to course, as well as ensuring you have different colours and textures of food throughout. Ensure, too, that each of the elements when added up are not too heavy.
As before, be sure to get any dietary restrictions from your guests well in advance of your planning. Don’t feel you need to plan three big fancy dishes-one show stopper will be enough to create a memorable meal if you are time-starved but still want to impress. Your other courses (should you choose to serve them) can then be less complicated. You also don’t need to serve fancy dishes just because you’re having guests-simple food beautifully presented in your warm loving home can have just as much of an impact, if not more so.
At the end of each chapter I have grouped together my favourite recipe combinations or advice for preparation to make well-balanced menus in order to help simplify your planning.
PREPARING AHEAD
Do remember that entertaining should be about you having a good time too, so the more prepared you are, the easier and more fun it will be. Much to my husband’s complete puzzlement, I find list-making and even an ‘order of work’ (writing out in what order and when things should be prepared and cooked) a great help.
For stress-free entertaining, choose your menu well in advance rather than on the day or the day before. Shopping ahead is always going to make things easier! Be sure to include some recipes that can be prepared in advance so you can get ahead and not be stuck at the stove while your friends are all having a great time without you. If you are making something quite ambitious for a main course, then make sure your starter or dessert is easier to prepare. I have included lots of recipes for the time-poor, sweet-toothed among you.
It sounds so obvious, but write down exactly what you need, including any suggested cookware sizes, then check it very carefully so you can be certain you have everything you need once you get to the till.
On the day itself, set plenty of time aside to get yourself ready. Even if you’re still putting things in the oven when your guests arrive, you want to feel ready to entertain. Easier said than done sometimes, but this is where working out the timings in advance will come in handy.
Also don’t forget to place the basics on the table ahead of your guests arriving, like bread and butter or olive oil, salt and pepper, or any sauces you may need. You don’t want to have to keep jumping up and running to the kitchen.
BUDGET
One
