Buon appetito! Melissa Penfold takes an Italian approach to entertaining.

MAKE LIKE AN ITALIAN and entertain with what you have in your cupboards. In other words, keep it simple and intuitive. Italian food is usually very fresh and unfussy and this, too, seems to be the national modus operandi for entertaining. For Italians, sharing a meal with friends or family is about being joyous and generous – it doesn’t need to be complicated.

If, like my husband, you grew up in Italy you would have a very strong sense that there is a right and wrong way to eat. An Italian meal begins with an antipasto. Meant to awaken the palate and stave off hunger pangs, it’s a great way to kick off a meal – and the way we like to entertain – with a few platters and boards of sliced, cured meats and marinated olives that are a festive and enticing sight. After the aperitivo, the party moves to the dining table or an alfresco terrace. KEEP Food should be uncomplicated, generous, easy to serve and easy to eat. Keeping your menu humble is far more Italian in spirit than a 10-course masterpiece. You don’t want the food to distract people from the real purpose of the event: getting together. SERVE YOURSELF Save hassle (and money) by not plating up meals. Do what the Italians do and place the main course down the middle of the table, or on a nearby

1 Wonki Ware bowl in Grey Wash, $57, wonkiware.com.au Le Creuset stoneware teapot in Satin Black, $68, and ‘Signature Oval’ 29cm casserole pot, $427, petersofkensington.com.au 2 Robert Gordon ‘Dark-terra’ 23cm serving bowls, in Dark Topaz and Coast, $66.95/each, 19cm B&B plates in Dark Topaz and Coast, $35.95/each, 28cm dinner plates in Coast, $51.95/each, robertgordonaustralia.com 3 Hale Mercantile Co. ‘Flocca’ linen tablecloth in Russo, $169, ‘Basix’ linen table runner in Sable, $65, and ‘Basix’ striped linen napkins, $22/each, halemercantilecolinen.com 4 Salt & Pepper ‘Paloma’ placemats, $12/each, domayne.com.au 5 Lunch Italian-style at Melissa Penfold’s country house with ‘Nito’ rectangular tray, $100, williams-sonoma.com.au 6 Cheese plate at Melissa Penfold’s country home. 7 Hale Mercantile Co. ‘Basix’ striped linen napkins in Sable/nox, and linen napkins in Ayrton and Nox Melange, $22/each, halemercantilecolinen.com 8 Boconcept ‘Luna’ pedestal bowl, $149, boconcept.com 9 ‘Aerin’ wine bucket, $70, williams-sonoma.com.au