Felicity Cloake's One-Hour Party Plan: Simple Hosting for Spontaneous Guests
In the festive time, when there is a lot going on which even lively individuals might sometimes anticipate the calm respite in the new year, it's all too simple to neglect things. I expect I cannot be the only person who's once felt surprised back to reality while at work by a message by someone wondering, "What time should we come over tonight?" Fear not; if you are absent minded, or simply inclined toward spontaneous plans, I've got some solutions.
The Secret to Great Get-Togethers
First and foremost, and I can't emphasize this enough, if you have planned long in advance versus just 15 minutes, the best events tend to be the simplest. What anyone expects are a good chat, something to sip, and enough nibbles that guests don't feel like gnawing their arm on the ride home. Unless you're Jay Gatsby, no one expects a full bar, Michelin-starred food and entertainers.
The greatest parties are the easiest. Still, a concept helps to mask the reality you've just put the party on while coming home from work.
Selecting a Theme to Direct Your Preparations
Still, a theme can be useful to conceal that you have only put the party together while returning from the office. And by theme, I mean such as the holidays. Going slightly more specific (Nordic holidays, say, with spiced drink, warm beverage, cured seafood and rye crackers, Scandinavian music selection; alternatively Mexican Christmas, including holiday punch, chilled brews and tequila drinks, along with plenty of snacks, tomato dip & avocado dip, and Luis Miguel playing) can narrow your options during the upcoming grocery run.
Strategic Purchasing for The Event
While shopping, pick one or two beverages (an alcoholic option for drinkers, one not for others don't want to) plus some nibbles suited to the style, then purchase a generous amount as possible, instead of worrying about providing endless options. No thing appears more welcoming and celebratory as plenty – I'd consistently rather to enter by a sink full of chilled bottles of competitively priced bubbly over a single glass of expensive bubbly. (Include several packs of ice, too; you'll find never enough ice.)
Drinks and Large-Batch Drinks Simplified
If you feel the need to show off and provide a mixed drink, make sure to mix in advance a large batch in a pitcher so that you aren't stuck busying yourself with drinks when you should be having fun. After starting, enlist a close friend or volunteer to watch it then top up as necessary until it runs out. Do the same for the soft drink; people appreciate to be given a task during gatherings so they can enjoy the goodwill.
On the punch front, whatever mix you choose (there are many on the internet), skip anything excessively sweet – young ones there should have their own drinks – and if it's available, put a bottle of bitters close by (refrain from putting them in the mix since they are unsafe for those who avoid alcohol altogether). Make an effort in presenting it so that the non-alcoholic option isn't perceived like an afterthought; it only takes a moment to slice some slices of fruit to the punch.
Food That Work With Minimal Fuss
For me, I'd skip the readymade trays with "party foods" available at grocery stores during the holidays; they seem overly complicated, and usually involve turning the oven on (if you choose to opt for these, know that everyone quietly likes herb bread and/or mini sausages anyway). I'm convinced nothing beats several really big dishes with good-quality chips (plain salted pleases everyone), and, assuming no allergies, a package of great-value containers of nuts typically found with global foods of supermarkets, and maybe some olives without stones for color (try not to find stones in odd places next Easter).
In case, as my mother says, you think chips proper food, one big slab of quality cheese on a board and crispbreads plus beautifully placed grapes often appears artistic. A platter featuring preserved or ready-to-eat meats or fish displayed on it (just one sort, unless you have a large budget), or a nice pre-made pastry, of the type that appear in specialty sections at this time of year, is even more satisfying, and you really won't fail by serving homestyle slices of flatbread, since they require no spreading butter.
