YOU'RE THE HOST

A step by step guide if you are the host

Decide WHO you want to have a gourmet dinner party with.

Invite a selection of your friends that have not met before - Eating and drinking are the greatest ice breakers, plus everyone is in your house so they are already quite relaxed. Additionally, choose friends that will get excited about cooking and you think would like the concept of tasting several different types of food.

Decide on your food theme for the night, if there is one (see theme guide)

Take some time to sit down and give the night a bit more focus. Sometimes guests can be a bit overwhelmed when you say "come over for a dinner party, please bring one dish and cook anything you like!!" - atleast give them a bit of a framework such as "It's an italian inspired dinner party" Our food theme guide will get you started.

Do you have enough...

• cutlery & plates
• glasses & wine glasses
• chairs & table space
• pots, pans & utensils

...if not, get your guests to bring items

Also look at the space you'll be using - Will inviting 12 people over for dinner mean that 2 of your guests have to eat in the kitchen or on the balcony? - just visualise it if it is the first time you have had many guests over.

Decide if you want to send hardcopy paper invitations the old fashion way....via snail mail, or if you want to design a customised eCard. You may even want to SMS your guests. Whichever option you choose give your guests atleast a few weeks notice.You can check out how to go about it by planning invitations ahead.

 

On the night have some drinks ready to go such as beer, wine and softdrinks. Everyone will be bringng wine anyway (as you pointed this out in your invitation!) however it's still a great way to set the mood and relaxing vibe for the night.

 

This is purely optional, add some discreet touches to your home matching the theme for the night, and also have some music that is also matching the theme. Although the food and friends are the focus of the night, if time and budget permits then certainly go to the extra effort of doing a makeover on your dining area!