Good food, great conversations and friends sound like the perfect recipe for a good time. Most people don’t realize the amount of planning and execution that goes into throwing a dinner party. A simple mistake like over-cooking the meat can turn disastrous really quick. With this simple guide, your dinner party is about to be the place to be.
- Pick An Occasion
Whether you’re celebrating a new job or a graduation, part of what makes a good dinner party is the sense of occasion. Make it special by having some décor, moving furniture around or setting up outdoors other than in the house.
- Ground Yourself
As much as you’re throwing a dinner party, nobody’s really coming for chef-style food. So, prepare dishes that you’re conversant with. You can have a 2-course meal and nothing more. Don’t get too carried away preparing too much food that needs a lot of preparation. Remember you’re a host, not a chef. You also need to welcome the guests as they arrive and most importantly, be present at your party. But if you love to cook complicated go right ahead and do your thing.
- Control The Menu
We enjoy chipping in when our friends or family have a party. Though this works in family gatherings and chamas, it may be an inconvenience for a dinner party. Unless your guest has a famous recipe that you want others to try, tell them not to bring any food. This saves you a lot of time figuring out where to put the food. You’re also able to offer a curated menu as opposed to laying out food all around.
- Pick The Do-Ahead Dishes
Some dishes taste better when they stay a day or two prior to the party day like lasagna (a personal favourite), meatballs and cakes. However, not every dish can be prepared early especially seafood and stews. Make sure that all the ingredients used are fresh to ensure your dish holds up till the dinner party. The last thing you want is to have a dinner party with no dinner. Nor do you want to starve your guests as you prepare a complicated dish.
- Bring Your Own Bottle
Your friends will want to help you with your party so, let them. Since you’ll have spent some significant amount of money on catering and planning, ask your friends to bring the wine. You can specify what kind of wine or let everyone bring their favourite bottle. However, you should have your wine stocked just in case people didn’t get the memo.
- Assign Seats
It’s your party and you can assign seats if you want to. The good thing about this is it livens up your party and makes sure people don’t get bored before the dinner party even starts. Invite a couple of your bubbly friends who will go around entertaining the rest. Keep your shy friends next to you to make them feel included. Couples should not sit next to each other. The purpose of having parties is to mingle and interact with different people. After dinner, you can play some party games if you want to make things more interesting.
Are you into hosting house parties? Check out Easy Cocktails To Make At Your Next House Party
