Our lives are so crazy, mad, busy that few of us are up for entertaining at home the way our parents used to. The very thought of putting on a modest dinner party for friends is too much for most people and I so get that. Cleaning up the house for such an occasion, let alone buying, cooking and serving the food is daunting.
And what if you are planning a special event like a 21st birthday or wedding reception at another venue? That can be daunting too….unless you have a trail of crumbs to help you create that special sit-down event that everyone will enjoy, even the hosts!
If you’re planning a dinner party at home, try to keep the number of people at the table to 10 at most. Any more people and you’ll find the conversation gets fragmented. As the host, I guarantee you’ll enjoy the gathering more and so will your guests.
For larger sit-down affairs, whether at home or elsewhere, try to keep the number of people at each table to 8. I would also suggest round tables, as this makes it easier for people to interact with one another.
If you’re trying to create a friendly, relaxed event you might like to consider a few alternative suggestions:
- Serve the entree while everyone’s standing up and mingling. That way they are only sitting at their allotted places for 2 courses and any event formalities like speeches.
- A self-serve buffet is a great way to get people moving around and socialising with guests at other tables. Guests can also choose from the buffet selection rather than sticking to what’s put in front of them.
- An entree share plate at each table is a great way of breaking the ice at events where you have a number of guests who don’t know each other – well, not yet anyway.
- Likewise a shared cheese plate, served with a nice sticky wine, instead of individual desserts can work a treat.
Certainly for larger events you’ll want to hire the crockery, cutlery and glassware so that it matches and only requires a rinse off before packing it up for return to the party hire place. You might also want to think about doing this for your home dinner party too, for the same no-fuss, ease of clean-up. Just make sure you choose a caterer who can supply this service as party hire places only really deal in large numbers.
After years of catering for many in and out of home events I’ve got plenty more suggestions where these came from! I’d be happy to share them with you to help create your ideal sit-down affair.
Yours in good food and great events,
Kellee
Call Kellee : 0412 577 323
Email Kellee : kellee@thebreadboard.com.au
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