Dinner party tips for thirty somethings
Once I got my own house, I really wanted to invite people over for dinner. I’m not the best cook, but luckily my other half is. I do the baking and the cute table settings and all the other fun stuff. I actually do prefer to be a host than a guest – I love feeding people, and I love making everything look pretty.
Pair food with entertainment
To prevent people getting bored, I always plan some kind of entertainment to go around the dinner. So it could be a murder mystery kit, a strategy board game, a movie, or something similar. This way you have something for your guests to think about and don’t feel like you constantly have to keep them entertained…particularly useful if you’re running late on the food!
Keep the main the main focus
While entrees are great, you don’t want your dinner party guests leaving their main or worse, skipping dessert, because they’ve eaten too many breadsticks or cheese twists. The main course should always be the star attraction! You can always save starters for leftovers, skip entrees, or even package extras up for your guests to take home with them. Picking things that can be frozen is also a good fallback option.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help
If your guests ask if they need to bring anything, assign them the wine or alternative drinks. That way you don’t have to worry about keeping a running stock of everything everyone likes, and people like to feel like they’re helping and involved. Plus, it means you can encourage them to stay away from the cooking 😉
Make sure you’re clear on your guests’ needs
We have guests with allergies, vegan/vegetarian preferences, and religious requirements, so we’re always careful that we’re storing, cooking, and presenting food in careful ways so things aren’t contaminated and it’s clear who can eat what. We explain the situation to all guests, not just the ones affected, so people know to let a certain person have their fill of the gluten free items first, or that only that spoon should be used for that bowl, or similar.
If you’re throwing a formal dinner party, you may want to provide your guests with a menu in advance so they know what to expect. It’s also a good idea to have some small alternatives that could make up a plan b – for example in case someone doesn’t like anything, springs a surprise allergy or food preferences, or you drop something on the floor…yes, we’ve done it before!
Don’t worry about tidying up till the next day
Controversial advice, but the best thing to do is spend the time after eating relaxing with your guests. Definitely leave stuff to soak if needed, but don’t worry about getting everything perfectly clean, tidy, and put away the same night. It’s just extra stress you don’t need!
What are your favourite dinner party tips? Do you prefer to host or guest?