Hosting a dinner party

RTin

Hello all!

(Sorry if this is not the correct group to post this!)

I'm hosting my first dinner party in few weeks and just have a few questions if anyone can help!

-Does anyone host dinner parties regularly at their house, and if so how much do you normally spend per guest?!

-Do you also come across any problems hosting a dinner party?

Thanks in advance!

VfM4meplse

Depends on the occasion. I much prefer casual "shared" dining that guests can dig into, rather than fancy plated-up meals - no reason that an evening with friends should cost a fortune, but it depends on the amount of alcohol consumed I suppose.

You could probably use M&S dine-in offers as a benchmark. The cheapest I think is £10 for 2 so £5 per head I guess is quite reasonable and would allow you to serve much more than the chiller-counter option.

Owain_Moneysaver

RTin wrote: »

-Do you also come across any problems hosting a dinner party?

I don't have enough bowls to offer both soup and pudding unless I do a quick bout of washing-up during the main course.

Islandmaid

What type of guests are you having over? If it's close friends, it's a bit easier. Are there any particular food preferences ie veggie/vegan/allergy

I would suggest a cold starter, something like a smoked Mackerel pate (easy and cheap to make), serve with thinly sliced French stick for ease.

Also, a pre made pud, lemon pots are easy with some bought shortbreads

Make sure you main isn't something that needs making last minute as VFM said a sharing dish is a good option, this time of year a rich stew with mash is fairly easy and can be cheap if you pad stew with veg.

The only thing that can really ruin a dinner party is the host making too much work for themselves and stressing - your guests are coming to see you, not a Michelin restaurant.

Have fun x

[Deleted User]

Usually 4 guests and ourselves, offer wine, water juice. Choose a simple starter and sweet that can be prepped in advance. Unless you are really confident do not cook a new to you main course. Roasts usually go down quite well. Pavolva is an easy dessert, you can cook the base in advance and fill it with fruit and whipped cream, crumble goes down well as do pies. Cranachan goes down well too and can be prepared in advance. Soup for starters can be made in advance and heated just prior to serving. Try not to have a pastry based main course and dessert, one or the other not both.

I have served bangers and mash before now, posh bangers, creamy mash and a couple of veggies.......with a well made gravy.

Never serve puree peas, they look revolting and are usually left on the side of the plate.

£25 - £30 at the outside.

joedenise

Definitely a pre made starter such as pate or prawn cocktail. For desert something like a do it yourself Eton mess - put out dishes of berries, cream, yoghurt and/or quark, meringues broken up (either HM or bought) - this gives option if anyone is dieting!

A sharing dish like curry or chilli will go down at this time of year, plus rice/jacket spuds. I also like to have bowls of salad to add some additional veg.

One thing to check before sorting out your menu find out if anyone is veggie or vegan or has other special diet needs. Nothing worse than dishing up something that someone isn't able to eat either for medical or ethical reasons.

Denise

bouicca21

As everyone says easy starter (Crackers with cream cheese and Lidl caviare, smoked salmon parcels, ham and melon, mini tartlets, soup) and an easy pud (trifle, panacotta, fresh fruit, chocolate mousse, and yogurt/cream), cheeseboard. Coffee.

The mains should also be easy, but it depends on how much you want to impress your guests - coq au vin is just a posh casserole, chicken thighs are easier than having to carve a whole chicken, serve with roast Mediterranean veg and maybe a baked potato.

All these suggestions are dead cheap - leaving plenty of dosh spare for some nice wine.

JIL

I like to do a Mediterranean platter stater, meats, cheese, olives, prawns, breadsticks. In the middle of the table and help yourself.
Then a beef stew/casserole/bourginone or brisket, served with dauphinose potatoes, green beans and tenderstem broccoli. If I have pescatarian I do a salmon portion baked in the oven. Veges get a portion of quorn stew.
Pudding will be something easy, Lemon tart or meringue roulade. Coffee and mints. £5/7 per head?

trailingspouse

Haven't hosted a dinner party as such since 1998...


Much prefer to keep things simple. We'll be having folks over this weekend - there will be two large pots of something (TBD, but one spicy and one not) on the hob, with crusty bread/rice/pasta as appropriate, which they can help themselves to. We'll have one vegetarian and one gluten-intolerant so I'm thinking veggie curry with rice and meaty spag bol, with 'normal' pasta (and a portion of gluten-free pasta up my sleeve, as it were...)



But I love the DIY Eton mess - I'm nicking that, if that's OK!! I'll have to check the meringues but I think that should be OK for everyone!!

beedeedee

For 6 people, I spend about £40......
This is because if we (2 of us) go out for a meal, it always seems to end up costing £40! Therefore I tell myself it's better value to have friends round for the evening to share that £40 with, if that makes sense?

Pollycat

I think what people spend (on anything) is very subjective, based on all sorts of things including how much money you have to spend.

Cooking for friends is - imho - different to cooking for someone you don't know well, maybe your boss and his/her partner.

Throw someone with food allergies into the mix and that can be one of your 'problems'.

Do you have your menu planned?
Are you cooking dishes that you are familiar with?