Felicity Cloake's One-Hour Entertaining Guide: Stress-Free Hosting for Last-Minute Visitors
Throughout this holiday time, while there's plenty happening that the most energetic people may sometimes look forward to the quiet break in the new year, it's very simple to overlook details. I'm sure I'm not the sole person who's once been surprised back to reality while at my desk because of a message from someone asking, "What time do you want over later?" Fear not; if you are distracted, and simply likely to make spontaneous plans, I have you covered.
The Golden Rule to Memorable Gatherings
Firstly, though I cannot emphasize this enough, whether you've been planning for a year or just a short while, the most enjoyable events are the simplest. What anyone expects are a good chat, a drink to enjoy, plus sufficient to eat so guests do not end up gnawing their arm during the bus home. Unless you're a fictional millionaire, no one expects professional bartending, fancy catering or entertainers.
The best gatherings tend to be the easiest. However, a theme is useful to mask the fact you have just thrown the party together on the way home from work.
Choosing a Theme to Focus The Party Planning
Nevertheless, an overarching idea can be useful to conceal the fact you have only put this thing on on the way home from work. By concept, think of for example a seasonal celebration. Getting slightly more detailed (Scandinavian Christmas, say, with glögg, spiced punch, fish snacks and flatbreads, Scandinavian music selection; or Latin American celebration, including ponche navideño, cold beers or margaritas, along with heaps of corn chips, tomato dip & green spread, with upbeat tunes in the background) will focus the selection during the upcoming grocery run.
Strategic Shopping for The Event
While shopping, choose a couple of drinks (an alcoholic option if you drink, a non-alcoholic one for others avoid alcohol) plus a couple of nibbles that fit the theme, and purchase a generous amount within your budget, rather than stressing over giving people endless options. No thing appears as generous and as festive as plenty – I would always rather to be welcomed by a tub stocked with iced containers with competitively priced sparkling wine over a single glass with expensive bubbly. (Add some bags of ice, too; you'll find never sufficient ice.)
Beverages and Punch Simplified
If you must demonstrate skills and serve a cocktail, make sure to prepare ahead a sizable amount in a pitcher so you aren't stuck messing about with preparation while it's time to socializing. Once the party begins, enlist a significant other or volunteer to monitor the drinks and replenish if required until it runs out. Follow suit for the non-alcoholic punch; people love to have a role at a party so they may experience some of positive vibes.
On the punch front, whatever formula you pick (you can find plenty via search), avoid anything too sweet – children there need their own drinks – and should you have one, place a bottle of bitters nearby (don't add any to the bowl since they are not suitable for people who avoid alcohol entirely). Take care with how it looks so that the soft punch doesn't seem unimportant; just spend a short time to slice several pieces of citrus to the punch.
Food That Shine Without Preparation
For me, I recommend passing on the pre-made trays of "party foods" that appear at grocery stores seasonally; they come across as fancy, and frequently involve turning the oven on (should you opt for these, know that everyone quietly prefers garlic bread or mini sausages regardless). I truly believe it's hard to top several large bowls of decent snacks (plain salted will offend no one), and, provided there are no allergies, a package of great-value bags of mixed nuts available in the international aisle in stores, and maybe a few olives without stones for colour (it's best to avoid to discover stones in your pot plants in the future).
In case, like my mum, you don't consider crisps proper food, a single large piece of tasty cheese served simply with crackers plus elegantly arranged grapes often appears visually appealing. A platter with some cured or cooked prosciutto or seafood displayed on it (a single variety, unless money is no object), alternatively a nice pre-made tart, like those available at delis at this time of year, proves more filling, while you truly will succeed by serving rustic chunks of flatbread, since there's no need for additional preparation.
