Let Me Entertain You

I know I am not alone when I admit to reading cookbooks from front to back with absolutely no intention of making even one of the dishes contained within.

Cooking quite simply isn’t my thing, but I love to eat, particularly with friends and family and I’ve been known to dress a mean dining table.

However, if it hadn’t been for the recent purchase and subsequent leisurely read of The Kinfolk Table cookbook a publication that is rapidly achieving a cult following, I’m not sure I would have found once again the confidence to cook for guests at home.

I love a good cooking show and I appreciate that there are genuine food intolerances but between guests expecting a Michelin Star meal (your time starts now), and family refusing to eat a lovingly prepared carbohydrate dish like lasagne for instance we are all missing out on some of life’s most precious moments which are shared and created at the humble dinner table.

So lets keep entertaining fun and fuss free from here on by planning ahead, keeping the menu simple and actually enjoying the inevitable hiccups along the way.

I always find that setting the table the day before your get together is a great way to prevent any last minute panic over seating arrangements or stemware shortages.

Consider dressing your table with a gorgeous array of mismatching side and dinner plates. Create a sense of continuity when choosing this theme by grouping similar patterns and colour ways together. Believe it or not it has been proven that dishes with decorative patterns on them encourage people to eat smaller serves than they would on a plain white plate!

Depending on the company and mood, adding quirky conversational pieces to the table is a great way to ensure all guests are united and included in conversation when such items are noticed. Nothing beats an unconventional set of salt and pepper shakers or a handwritten place tag with a witty quote or kind description of the guest added to the setting.

I extend my invitation to you all to join me in rediscovering the pleasures of entertaining small groups of friends or family at home. Sure, in my case it may be a store bought dessert to follow a humble pasta dish and fresh salad but I promise the conversation will be flowing, the music cranking and the company something to remember.