Let’s make your first dinner party back one to remember.
If you’re somewhat lacking in culinary skills - fear not - we’ve done the arduous work for you and come up with a range of Dinner Party ideas to ensure a great time is still had by all, no matter what the food tastes like.
From Murder Mystery dinners to potlucks, we’ve got the run down on the Top 6 Ways to Make Your Dinner Party a Success, perfect for both avid chefs and those whose meal of choice is frozen pizza alike.
1. Keep It Simple
Hosting a dinner party doesn’t need to equate to spending hours sweating over a hot stove, fretting that your home made squid ink pasta isn’t quite al dente.
A dinner party shouldn’t be held with the intention of impressing your friends - the recipe to success (pun very much intended) is to keep it simple. Whether this means whipping up lobster thermidor or simply buying a rotisserie chicken and enough crusty baguettes to feed a mid sized army - so be it. Just ensure to light multiple candles, crank up the jazz music, put something - anything - on the table, and relax.
2. Host a Murder Mystery Dinner Party
Been watching a few too many crime shows - tiger related or otherwise - during lockdown? Put those newly found skills to good use and throw your friends a Murder Mystery Dinner Party.
With AmazingCo’s Online Murder Mystery Party (which can be played from different household or all together using your phones), each dinner party guest will get a set of instructions and storylines relevant to their character sent to their smartphone, meaning that all you need to worry about is cooking up a storm for you and your friends to feast on afterwards (generous servings of ridiculously easy to cook pasta? A cinch crowd pleaser).
The success of the evening really depends on how involved everyone gets - so ensure your guests all come dressed the part and bring a bottle of their favourite wine for good measure.
Get Started Tip: Check out AmazingCo’s Online Murder Mystery Party here!
3. Indulge In a Wine and Cheese Night
Okay, okay, we know, a Wine and Cheese Night isn’t exactly a dinner party. But is it the same amount of fun, at about a tenth amount of the work? Absolutely.
Simply gather your nearest and dearest, dust off your fanciest grazing board, buy more cheeses and antipasto than you think you will ever need and ensure you’ve got plenty of wine (although Mediterranean aperitifs go down a treat too - extra points if you add an olive as garnish for an air of sophistication).
4. Take the Pressure Off With a Potluck
Potlucks are great because they minimise the amount of actual work you - the host - need to do.
The perfect option for those ready to mentally combust when faced with the idea of having a party’s success dependent on their meal alone, potlucks allow (nay, command) every guest to bring a meal along, meaning that at least one of you will know how to cook, right?
We recommend sticking to a culinary theme (think antipasti as a starter, pasta as a main and tiramisu as dessert), or hoping for the best and getting everyone to bring their favourite dish for a delicious - albeit slightly hectic - culinary journey.
5. Throw a Candlelit Feast
Fact number one, candlelit dinner parties are the superior dinner party, always.
Fact number two, every dinner is a candlelit dinner if you just light. Some. Candles.
While basking the entire room with an atmospheric glow, tall and inexpensive candle sticks moulded into empty wine glasses also exude an air of sophistication, making the dinner party feel fancy even on the off chance that your home cooked meal is somewhat sub par.
6. Throw a Garden Party
If the weather so permits, garden parties are a great alternative to the typical indoor meal. Keep things light by preparing jugs of cocktails and whipping up a couple of fresh salads (and salads don’t equate to boring - try mixing in fresh fruit such as mango, or garnishing with the likes of caramelised walnuts and charred spiced cauliflower).
If you’ve got outdoor lights - by all means turn them on, a garden party is made all the better with twinkling fairy lights (or a cosy fire pit if it’s cold).
And there you have it -
A list of the Top 6 Ways To Make Your Dinner Party a Success.
Remember that although the food is important - the aim of a dinner party is never to impress, but rather to enjoy time with the people you like. Keeping it simple with games, a theme, music and an abundance of candles ensures a memorable and enjoyable night for all, even on the off chance that your meal is somewhat uninspiring.
