02 Dec Our Top Host Tips for the Festive Season
It’s that time of year again; the festive season is upon us! With the month of December here, we are promised celebrations throughout the month before the climax of Christmas and New Year. No doubt you will be hosting a dinner party at some point in the month so we thought we’d share with you our top four tips on being the host with the most this party season!
Deck the halls!
It’s not Christmas without some decoration! Get your guests in the mood by decorating before they arrive. Go for your old faithful decorations up in the attic or if you fancy a change and are wondering what the latest trend is, we’ve heard ‘natural’ decorations are what you need to be looking for. Think pine cones on the dining table, Christmas tree ornaments made out of drift wood or a real mini Christmas tree as the centre piece.
Drinks
Decorations are important and followed very closely by the second most important D of the festive season which of course is drinks! It’s a time of celebration so of course you need to make sure you’ve thought of drinks for your guests. It’s very hard to resist a mulled wine at this time of year so having it at your celebration is an easy choice! You could also think of making a non-alcoholic alternative for those who don’t drink or the designated drivers! Simply replace the wine element with some fruit juice or mixed cordial and add the same mulled wine spices, you may want to have the alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions distinguished by using different glasses as you don’t want any mix ups!
Food
One of the most important elements of Christmas is of course the food. We wait all year for the delicious foods used to celebrate this time of the year so make sure your guests don’t miss out on enjoying them! Plan ahead when it comes to food, think of how many people you’ll be feeding, what their dietary requirements are and what you’ll need. Get to the shops early as things tend to sell out quick this time of year! The planning is the difficult part, once you have all your festive treats your guests will delight in eating some turkey or savouring a mince pie.
Love your leftovers!
Although parties are of course fun, one dread of throwing your own can be the thought of clearing up afterwards. Well, the silver lining when it comes to parties over the festive season is that traditional Christmas food is usually great to use in the following days in different dishes and a joy to clear up! Turkey or ham is always great on a simple sandwich but you could also use your leftover meat to make a delicious creamy pasta dish. Fry some onions and garlic, add some plain yogurt or double cream and some mustard and you’ll find the perfect creamy pasta sauce to add your turkey and ham to.
Planning celebrations can be stressful but we hope our tips help so that you can enjoy the ‘most wonderful time of the year’ along with all your guests.
To completely take the stress out of things this party season why not get Chef’s Compliments to do your celebration? We will consult with you before the big day to get your perfect bespoke menu confirmed and then we will provide one of the best chefs in the business to prepare it for you! We can even provide waiting and bar staff. So what are you waiting for? Contact us today!
