Off to a dinner party? Prepare for a ready-meal

DITCH the napkin rings and don’t bother laying the table – the traditional dinner party is dead.

Guests can now expect microwaved ready- meals while they slump on the sofa, a survey suggests.

The poll of 2,000 Britons found eight in ten reckoned the very term ‘dinner party’ was old hat, and most of us wouldn’t bother dressing up – with 70 per cent opting for their ‘ comfiest’ clothes, such as sweatshirts and tracksuit bottoms.

And if you do go to the trouble of whipping up a three- course meal, you might wish you hadn’t bothered.

Nine in ten said they did not expect the host to ‘slave away’ in the kitchen and would be happy with shop-bought ready meals, while 80 per cent said arriving with something for the host, such as a nice bottle of wine, was unnecessary.

Among the growing army of formal dining sceptics is airport worker Glenda Collins, 29, from Norwich, who said: ‘The less time I spend in the kitchen, the more time I have to drink wine with my friends – and if that means microwaved meals, then microwaved meals it is.

‘I once served an avocado for a starter, baked beans on toast for a main and a bowl of ice cream for pudding. It took me all of ten minutes.’

A spokesman for kitchen appliance firm Stoves, which commissioned the survey, said a starter of olives and hummus with pitta bread, a microwaved main course and some ice cream with berries for dessert took just seven minutes to put together and cost around £20 for four friends.

The change in attitudes has been blamed by some on TV programmes making everyone think they are a critic.

Food writer Rose Prince said dinner party show Come Dine With Me has scared many off inviting friends round to eat.

She argues the programme has ‘spawned a million-strong army of amateur critics’.

She added: ‘ Would-be hosts have not given up putting their cooking or napkin origami skills on show because they have no time or money – but because they are too frightened of what others will think.’

A survey earlier this year found that young adults under 30 were overwhelmingly nervous about formal dining with friends.

Almost two thirds said they had been criticised over perceived mistakes including using the wrong cutlery or glass, putting their elbows on the table or not knowing which way to pass food.