FUN AL FRESCO
Heed this advice to make backyard shindigs a breeze
Entertain on the outside,
Surely, getting together on a summer evening used to be easier. Before it involved wrangling digital date books or stressing over the distinctions between vegan/vegetarian/ paleo/pescatarian diets, wasn’t having a bash as easy as asking your pals to come round for burgers and beer?
This kind of casual approach to outdoor design and summertime menus is a still an option, and embracing it may mean enjoying the season more, better and longer.
For informal get-togethers, conversation sets with low tables and flexible seating are more versatile than a conventional dining area. An outdoor umbrella that can be moved with relative ease helps, but if that’s not in the budget, place seating under the shade of a tree.
Conversation sets works nicely, by the way, for entertaining children: throw large pillows on the ground around the table, add a card or board game, some hotdogs, lemonade and ice cream bars, and you’ve got the making of a pint-sized party that will keep them busy for hours. Turn on the hose and you may not see the little ones till it’s dark.
Unbreakable dinnerware that looks like the real thing is increasingly available from retailers such as HomeSense, Hudson’s Bay, Canadian Tire and Crate and Barrel. If you’re not a fan of plastic, scoop up inexpensive plates and bowls from a local thrift shop. Pieces needn’t match, but if you stick to the same colour family or a pattern, like stripes, it will look like you tried.
An outdoor area can be lush without an abundance of effort. Clustering large pots filled with pre-planted baskets adds quick colour, while tossing seeds for such fast-growing vines as Morning Glories into tubs will ensure greenery and blossoms for most of the season. Add sunflower seeds for fall blooms.
If even that’s too much trouble, go faux — fake greenery has come a long, long way in the last five years, and will look especially pretty if you thread tiny LED lights through it. Christmas lights strung on the clothesline are a respectable standin for patio lanterns.
Candles (flameless if you prefer) grouped on a tray throw a nice light, but avoid scented versions of either. They can attract bugs and the air of summer evening needs no extra perfume.
Having a few staples in the fridge, such as the fixings for a charcuterie platter, will win you the best lastminute host award.
Look for and perfect easy one-dish meal recipes that require merely the addition of a simple salad or fresh, berry-based dessert.
Keep a small selection of cheap and cheerful wines, beers and ciders on hand, and don’t forget to offer nonalcoholic options.
Above all, remember that the mantra for hot summer fun should always be, “Chill, baby” and govern yourself accordingly.