Inviting friends around to a dinner party can feel very sophisticated and grown up, but you do need to be prepared for the work involved (unless your friends agree beforehand to just order in takeaway). As well as the meal planning and preparation, you need to consider dressing the table to bring a bit of refinement to your evening, and sourcing drinks can get expensive unless everyone brings their own. Why not start with a brunch party instead, it feels much more casual and fun but will still test your hosting skills. Here are some tips on throwing the perfect brunch party.
Don’t Complicate It
By its very nature, brunch is a fairly simple affair. Some elements, such as scrambled eggs or sausages, are cooked, but plenty of excellent brunches involve fresh fruit salads, good quality store-bought pastries, and yogurt bowls. Once you know your guests’ dietary requirements, stick to cooking just one or two dishes, and make sure everything else is quick to assemble or pre-prepared.
Dine Outside
Do you have an outside space where your guests can brunch? This will make cleaning and clearing up a bit easier, and it also brings a lovely summery vibe which can be harder to create inside. For table dressing, you will just need a few bunches of bright flowers set along the table to bring everything together.
Ask Friends to Contribute
If you’re hosting, then you should be buying and preparing most of the food. However, it’s totally acceptable to ask your guests to bring some things—whether it’s a packet of fancy coffee so you can all try out your latte art skills, or some wine if you’re having a boozy brunch, sharing the load is a great way to reduce the stress.
