Styling up a dinner party

Follow these seven tips for entertaining friends at home ... without the stress

AUTUMN is the perfect time to step inside and host friends at home.

The perfect dinner party is more than just getting a group of friends together around a table.

It’s about the mood you set, the creativity you introduce and the way in which you serve – and share – the food.

Sound fussy? It doesn’t have to be with these seven key tips to the dream dinner party, from food stylist and recipe developer Mish Lilley.

LIGHTING

“It’s true that lighting sets the mood,” says Lilley, adding that the type of lighting you choose should hinge on the kind of ambience you are hoping to create. “For a romantic or more formal dinner party, candles scattered along the table are perfect,” she says, “or for a cool outdoors vibe, pimp up a tree in the backyard with paper lanterns or hang some outdoor lights in the garden.”

TABLE DRESSING

Lilley advises having a fixed idea of how you want your table to be dressed before you start shopping. “Start with an overarching theme and get creative with it,” is her number one tip. “I often seek inspiration from the garden and pick some seasonal foliage, such as ivy or gum leaves, to pop in vases or glass jars of varying sizes.”

ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES

A smooth dinner party is one that runs on time. For Lilley, she always allows a half-hour buffer for late arrivals. “Aim to start serving food 30 minutes from the requested arrival time and allow 45 minutes between each course,” she says. “This allows time for guests to engage in conversation and relax,” she says. “It’s pretty easy to wind up a dinner party – aside from yawning and clearing plates – just stop the drink flow!”

BYO

A gracious guest will always offer to bring something to a dinner party so be prepared to shoot back some ideas, says Lilley. “If you’d prefer to keep in control of the menu, ask guests to bring a bottle of something they’d like to drink or cheese,” she says.

SEATING

Seating cards can take the pressure off guests, especially if you are hosting a large group or a mixed group of people, says Lilley. “You can also have some fun with name tags and incorporate them into your theme,” she adds.

ENTREES AND STARTERS

There’s a trend towards shared plates at the moment, Lilley points out. When hosting Lilley sees no need for plated entrees. To save time you could plate up some store-bought dumplings or warm up some stuffed olives with fresh rosemary and olive oil in the oven.

MAIN DISH

“Again, shared plates are the way to go,” Lilley insists. “Start with a protein and add vegetarian sides with at least one substantial side like roasted potatoes, rice or lentils,” she says.