How to Plan a Chic but Simple Dinner Party

Dinner parties are a great way to get all your closest friends together for an evening of fun. That being said, they can also be incredibly stressful. Often, the first guest will show up too early. You won’t have had a chance to finish laying up the table. And half the people at your dinner party will squeeze into your kitchen while you are still cooking to chat to you.

Instead of stressing out about these things, learn how to up your game and keep your dinner party simple and stress-free. With the clever tips in this guide, you can ensure that your dinner party goes to plan, your guests are kept occupied, and your food is amazing.

Prepare as much as you can in advance

The best way to keep your dinner party stress-free is to prepare as much as you can in advance. The more you prepare in advance, the less stressed out you will be on the night. Make sure that before the big night, you have all your veggies diced, desserts made, starters prepared, and the main ready.

If you have a look online, you can find lots of recipes for dinner party dishes that can be made in advance. The best recipes for big dinner parties are things like pasta dishes, roast dinners, and rice dishes. If you have a look online, you can find some great ideas for pasta dishes. As well as some yummy roast recipes, such as a roast beef recipe, and some easy-to-do rice dishes.

Set up a DIY bar in your living room

When guests arrive, give them somewhere to aim for by setting up a makeshift bar in your living room. When you are trying to prepare the last of the food, the last thing that you want is lots of people crammed into your kitchen. That’s why setting up a bar in the living room is ideal, as this will give your guests somewhere to hang out while they wait for their food.

Place your makeshift bar in the middle of the room, so that your guests can access it from both sides. This will allow more guests to use the bar at once, preventing hold ups. Plus, by setting up a bar, you won’t need to worry about drinks top ups, as your guests can help themselves.

Have a few snacks in the kitchen

To give your guests something to snack on while you prepare the rest of the food, lay out appetisers on the table before your guests arrive. Flatbreads, cheeses, olives, hors d’oeuvres, and cold meats, are all ideal appetisers. Once the party begins, guests will wander into the kitchen, the best way to keep them away from where you are cooking is putting snacks at the other end of the kitchen. This indicates your guests what area they can be in, and what area you need for cooking in. Snacks like mixed nuts, raw veggies, breadsticks, and crisps are ideal.

Dinner parties can be stressful, but if you follow the tips in this guide, you can make things more simple for yourself.

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