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Dinner parties are great fun. They give you the chance to socialise with your friends and show off your home cooking simultaneously. With summer on its way, you can spend time outside enjoying a drink (or two) before sitting around the dining table and catching up, enjoying the meal you have prepared for everyone. But how can you best prepare for your dinner party? This post will give you some top tips to remember!
* This is a collaborative post
When hosting a dinner party, to avoid stress, it’s best to prepare things in advance. If you are cooking something new, such as air fryer peppers, try cooking them for dinner this week as this gives you a practice run. For anything that needs ordering, order now so the items turn up in time. And remember, the guests are your friends so don’t put too much pressure on yourself – it’s just nice to have everyone together.
Here is our guide on three things to consider when preparing for a dinner party.
How to prepare for a dinner party:
What are you going to cook?
A few weeks before guests come round, it’s worth thinking about what you are going to cook. As mentioned above, this gives you a chance to run through the recipe a few times before the day, helping you perfect it. By planning, you are also able to order everything you will need in advance, ensuring you get the best ingredients on time, instead of having to rush around the shops to find bits. For your dessert options, you may need to do this nearer the time as a lot of dessert bits come fresh and will go off.
What drinks are you going to be serving?
Along with the delicious meal you are going to be preparing, what drinks will you be serving to guests? Wine, beer and prosecco along with non-alcoholic options are often standard at a dinner party. If you want to take it up a notch, you could order an espresso martini gift set and mix up your own as a welcome drink or something to enjoy after dessert. We would always suggest having a selection of soft drinks, in case your guests have to drive back that evening.
What are you doing for entertainment?
What plans have you put together for your entertainment on the day? A lot of the time spent will be chatting and catching up, however, there may be moments to add some entertainment. You could play some card games, hire out a karaoke machine and sing, play some board games or have a cocktail competition on who can make the best drink – the possibilities are endless. You may find you go through a lot of effort thinking about entertainment options, but on the day people are having so much fun that you don’t use them. Something that may be included under entertainment, is having a music playlist put together that you can have to play in the background, this can help with the ambience of the room.
What tips do you have for someone who is planning a dinner party? Which of the above tips did you find most useful? Is there any advice that you can offer that you think should be added to my guide? Let me know in the comment box below.
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