Hosting guests in your home
The occasion
The first thing you need to do is decide on what type of dining experience you are going to offer your guests. For example will it be a casual barbeque or a three-course gourmet feast to impress! A simple home-cooked pasta meal can be just as delicious as duck … it all depends on who your guests are and for what occasion you’ve gathered.
Theme it
Using a theme for a dinner party can make choosing the menu, music and décor easy as well as make the night a bit of extra fun! Go Greek, Oriental or hot and spicy with an Indian feast!
Plan the menu and your grocery trip
• Plan the guest list before you plan the menu. This way you can allow for any specific requirements your
guests may have.
• Choose dishes that complement each other. Plan side dishes around the main course.
• Always pick something that you have cooked before and know is good!
• Once you have planned your menu, make a shopping list of exactly what you need. Try and set your
grocery list out by wet and dry ingredients so that you can spend less time in the supermarket and more
time preparing! |
Preparation is key!
• Prepare what food you can ahead of time.
• Put out whatever you think you’ll need during the course of the dinner party. For example cups, sugar bowl
and spoons for serving coffee at the end of the evening, serving plates and other utensils you may need in
the kitchen for preparing your meal. |
Table settings
Get creative! Make place cards, use an interesting centerpiece or table runner!
Keep it simple
Remember – doing a few things well is better than doing a lot of things badly.
Set the scene
Dim the lights a little and play some nice background music. Burning some subtle incense can also be welcoming.
It's the little things that count
• In your bathroom, provide hand towels rolled and stacked in a basket on the bench and perhaps provide
perfume spray for the ladies and cologne for the men.
• Create a menu to place at each setting so guests know what they have to look forward to. Consider leaving
the dessert as a surprise.
• There’s no need to spend hours cleaning and scrubbing, but do make sure that your home looks
presentable. Candles, flowers and fairly lights can add that finishing touch! |
Let your hair down!
No one feels relaxed if the host isn't! The idea of having a dinner party isn’t so that you are stuck in the kitchen all night. You want to enjoy your friends’ company just as they do yours. If you’re organised, you’ll be able to. | 
