Festive dinner party: Ammodo’s survival kit
The festive season is the perfect time to throw a dinner party. It’s the chance to connect with friends and family while enjoying dinner in a beautiful setting. Hosting a gathering may seem overwhelming, but you can reduce the stress of your dinner party with some tricks for prepping ahead of time
Here is our “survival kit” to make your holiday dinner party a stress-free success:
check your tableware sets:
Do you have enough dishes, cutlery, glasses, and linens, for all your guests? If not, consider reducing the number of your guests or opting for a more informal buffet dinner.
check your dining area:
Each person must have enough space to feel part of things without inconvenience. Allow at least 60–70 cm per person.
Plan your menu
Cook meals you’ve tried before so you don’t have any surprises the day of. Or go for recipes that seem fancy, but are easy.
Get your dessert ready a couple of days ahead.
Time the cooking of your dishes in a way that doesn’t leave you in the kitchen all night. we suggest you avoid any recipe that can’t be cooked ahead.
prepare in advance
FOOD:
make a list of ingredients based on your finalized menu. Give yourself enough time for a couple of trips to the store (in case you forget something)and one day of actual food prep.
HOUSE:
make sure your living space, kitchen, and bathroom are clean. Create the space you would want to be invited to.
TABLEWARE: take your tablecloth, dinner set, cutlery, and glasses out of the cabinets and check that everything is clean and shiny. you don’t want to realize that your tablecloth has a wine ring from the last dinner or realize that one of the glasses broke a few weeks ago.
Set your tablescape
Keep your decor simple and festive, as you don’t want to overwhelm your guests.
White and gold with pops of color keep things cheerful and elegant. Your centerpiece could be fresh flowers: order flowers such as cotton flowers and pinecones.
Don’t choose a centerpiece that’s too tall. Your guests should still be able to see each other comfortably while engaging in conversation at the dinner table.
Set the ambiance
Before your guests arrive, you can pop on your favorite Christmas music, dim the lamps, and light the candles.
Focus on the small details. Work your theme into your choice of decorations. For example, hang a festive wreath on your front door, or use it on the table as a decorative centerpiece.
Ornamental napkins (both at the table and the bar) are recommended.
Pro tip: ALWAYS set your table the night before.
HOW TO SERVE YOUR DINNER PARTY DISHES
We like to bring some dishes to the table to create a more relaxed experience: this gives each guest control over their portion sizes and allows them to abstain from anything which they don’t like or are allergic to without any awkward refusals.
Serving platters and bowls means you can respect your guest’s etiquette and yours – one of the markers of how to be a good host.
There are no rules about which food you choose to present in which vessel. Perhaps one time, you’ll only serve your accompaniments in dishes, and other times the entirety of the meal will be placed centrally on the table. Give yourself some freedom here to do what suits the dish best and what atmosphere you’d like to build.
Serving the aperitif and dessert away from the main table. This will encourage your guests to mingle.
DO’S & DON’TS FOR THE HOST OR HOSTESS
A dinner party should be enjoyable and something you want to repeat again and again.
Here are our dos and don’ts to keep in mind t:
DOS:
1. Always make your guests feel at home
2. Always have a vegetarian option available as a backup to your menu
3. Always have name cards and a seating chart
DON’TS:
1. Do not stress. That will make your guests feel stressed.
2. Do not sit couples next to one another. It is fun to mix the seating around to make the table feel more dynamic and unexpected.
3. Do not make it too loud. No one likes to shout over the music.
