Felicity Cloake's One-Hour Entertaining Guide: Stress-Free Entertaining for Spontaneous Company
During the festive time, when there is plenty happening that even vivacious individuals may occasionally long for a calm break of the new year, it's all too easy to overlook things. I expect I'm not the sole person who has once been startled back to reality at my desk because of an inquiry by someone wondering, "What time are we expected us later?" Fear not; whether you're absent minded, and simply prone to impromptu gatherings, I have some solutions.
The Secret to Great Gatherings
Above all, though I can't emphasize it enough, whether you've organized long in advance versus just a quarter-hour, the best parties are the easiest. What anyone is hoping for is engaging talks, a drink to enjoy, plus sufficient to eat so they don't feel like gnawing their arm during the bus back. If you're not you're a fictional millionaire, no one expects extensive drinks, Michelin-starred catering or musical performances.
The greatest parties tend to be the most basic. That said, a theme is useful to disguise the reality you have only put the party together while coming home from work.
Selecting a Theme to Guide Your Shopping
Nevertheless, an overarching idea is helpful for disguising the fact you have just thrown the party on on the way home from work. By concept, think of something like the holidays. Getting slightly more specific (Scandinavian Christmas, say, with mulled wine, aromatic cocktail, smoked fish and crispbreads, Nordic beats playlist; or Latin American celebration, with ponche navideño, chilled brews and margaritas, and plenty of snacks, tomato dip & green spread, with Luis Miguel on the stereo) can narrow your options on the inevitable grocery run.
Practical Shopping to Support Your Party
In the store, select a drink or two (an alcoholic option if you drink, a non-alcoholic one for some prefer not to) and a couple of nibbles that fit your concept, then buy a generous amount as you can afford, instead of stressing over providing too much choice. No thing looks more abundant and as festive as plenty – I'd consistently rather to arrive by a container full of chilled bottles with reasonably priced bubbly over a small serving with fancy champagne. (Chuck in a few bags for chilling, as well; there is seldom sufficient ice.)
Drinks & Punch Simplified
Should you show off and offer a cocktail, make sure to pre-mix a sizable amount in a pitcher so you're not left messing about with preparation when you should be having fun. After starting, enlist a partner or helper to monitor it then replenish if required until it's gone. Apply the same with the alcohol-free option; people enjoy to have a task while socializing allowing them to enjoy the goodwill.
On the punch front, whatever mix you choose (you can find plenty on the internet), skip any recipe excessively sweet – children there ought to have their own drinks – and if you own one, plonk flavor enhancers within reach (avoid adding any to the bowl as they're unsafe for individuals who avoid drinks altogether). Take care in presenting it so that the alcohol-free drink isn't perceived neglected; it doesn't take a short time to add a few rounds of lemon or orange into the bowl.
Snacks That Shine Without Preparation
For me, I'd skip the readymade trays with "party foods" that appear at grocery stores seasonally; they feel overly complicated, and frequently involve turning the oven on (if you must go this route, be aware that everyone secretly prefers garlic bread or mini sausages regardless). I truly believe you can't beat two sizable bowls with decent chips (simple pleases everyone), and, assuming no dietary restrictions, one of those great-value bags with nuts often sold in the South Asian section of supermarkets, and maybe a few olives without stones as a garnish (you don't want to discover stones in your pot plants next Easter).
If, like my mum, you don't consider chips proper food, one big slab of quality cheese on a board and crispbreads plus elegantly arranged fruit always looks painterly. A platter featuring cured or cooked meats or fish arranged on it (just one sort, except if you're wealthy), or a nice store-bought tart, like those that pop up at delis at this time of year, is more satisfying, while you truly can't go wrong with homestyle chunks of flatbread, since they don't need buttering.
