How To Throw A Good Dinner Party

This might be a bit of a nerdy confession, but one of the first things I wanted to do when I moved out of home was throw a good, old-fashioned dinner party. I’d think about inviting friends from work, school and anywhere else to mingle, have great chats and enjoy some good food.

Since then I’m proud to say I’ve had a few good meals with some even better friends, but there have been some tips and tricks I’ve picked up along the way to make sure it all goes down smoothly.

Make something that you don’t have to fuss over when the guests arrive

If you take one piece of advice from this article, make sure it’s this one. You don’t want to hear all of your friends having a great time at the table, while you’re in the kitchen running around like a headless chook. The best place to be in when everyone arrives is to have a sauce simmering away, maybe something in the oven, or better yet, have all your food ready to go the day before so you can reheat everything for a few mins before serving. Some things like spag bol sauces can be even better when they’ve been cooked the night before!

If you’re really hankering for something fresh, then it could be a great opportunity to recruit everyone in the cooking process. Think things like rice paper rolls or pizza where the guests can slice up the ingredients, and make them exactly how they want them. This is also helpful if you have friends with dietary preferences or allergies because you don’t have to worry about pleasing everybody.

Keep a little schedule

If you’re an overachiever, a people-pleaser or a combination of the two, you might be tempted to try and cook a few things at once. It’s totally possible, but it does require a little bit of planning.
One trick is to build your schedule from the time you want to eat, and work backwards from there. That will help you figure out what needs reheating, what needs to be done so it’s fresh and on the table, as well as how early you’ll want to start cooking so that you can relax and entertain when the guests arrive.

Also, be ready for some people to show up late - you know who it’ll be. Allow for things to go a little off-schedule too; if everyone’s having fun, don’t break up the conversation by grabbing everyone’s plates.

Get your friends to bring something

Having your friends bring something serves a few purposes. First of all, it means less cooking for you. Get a couple of people on salad duty, someone to bring some cheese and nibbles, and someone else to bring a dessert so all you have to worry about is the main course. Plus, it’s a nice way to help spread out the costs a little, instead of having to send a message later asking for everyone to transfer you money. For extra points, think about setting a theme or an ingredient (but only if your friends are really into cooking).  If your friends aren’t really the cooking types, get them to bring some decorations like flowers, or maybe even get them on drinks duty.
One thing to watch out for is if anything they bring needs to be heated up at the same time as you’re cooking something. Ask ahead, and be prepared to share some oven or stove space if you have to.

Spruce up your table to mark the occassion

You don’t have to go overboard here - in fact I’d advise against getting the nice glassware and tablecloths out. Having some candles, and maybe even that nice bouquet of flowers your mates brought you should be plenty. If you really have to get fancy, this vid is like my dream setup. I’m still looking for a good tablecloth at a cheap price, so hit me up via our email if you’re selling one!

Take some pics, then put the phones away

Everyone loves a BeReal dinner party flex or a candid moment for the photodump, but don’t let your food get cold because you’ve gotta take a few more pics. Keep a couple of conversation starters up your sleeves to keep everyone engaged and interested, or if your friends are game, agree on a no-phones rule.

Without being too much of a boomer about it, it’s nice to just take in the experience for yourself rather than worrying about what other people are going to think about it. For bonus points, get everyone to contribute to a playlist or set up a Spotify Blend with your guests to make a dinnertime playlist, and keep everyone's hands off the aux cord.

At the end of the day it’s not really about the food - it’s an excuse to get everyone around and enjoy the time spent together. You can have plenty of fun if you’re just sitting around the coffee table with some takeout or enjoying some oven nachos and a board game. Keep it light, keep it fun and you can’t really go wrong.