How to throw a proper dinner party

Now you’ve been at uni for a bit and you’ve started to learn to cook you should throw a dinner party and show off those skills. Not sure how?

Well, we did it for you, so you can avoid any social faux-pas next time you put on a lavish dinner party for your mates.

Firstly make sure no one is allergic to anything – you don’t want to ruin a dinner with someone going to A&E just because you forgot to check for “contains nuts”.

Second, pick your food. BBC Good Food has really good ideas and they are always adding more. Don’t fail to prepare and end up serving everyone toasties and frozen pizza. This is a dinner party, it’s sophisticated.

Ready to begin.

Choose something you’ve made before, or practice beforehand, it can really help if you’re trying to impress your boyfriend/girlfriend’s parents. Or whoever else.

If you’re lazy like me, buffet food for a starter or main suits everyone’s tastes.

Time to relax.

Start preparing way ahead of your guests arrival, that way you don’t end up really flustered and you can chill with your friends for a bit too.

Make sure you don’t have too long in between courses, so plan how long everything is going to take to cook and prepare.

The most important bit.

Alcohol will always make your food taste better.

Lay the table before your friends get there, so you can spend more time entertaining and less time working.

Salt and pepper is always a good thing, and don’t forget napkins.

Don’t worry about setting out the types of forks – but try to avoid using plastic ones. If you can get away with having a full set of dinner plates, use those – everyone will be impressed by your organisational skills and dinner party aesthetic.

Where’s the cutlery?

Think about your seating plan – if they hate each other, maybe create some distance before things go a bit Jeremy Kyle.

Music makes a nice atmosphere but maybe not the club classics. Think chill, think relaxed, think the theme tune to Come Dine With Me.

And you can always use the time together to pre for a night out, or it makes for a great night in too.

So good, he’s licking the plate.

And if all else fails, everyone loves beans on toast.