Now that we are right in the thick of the glorious summer season there is no wonder people are looking happier and feeling extra sociable. The summer months certainly tend to bring out the best in us as we enjoy the most social time of the year.
So why not take advantage of the warmer weather and host a special evening at your home? If you are a dab-hand at hosting then why not consider throwing a fabulous summer soiree in your garden? What better way to celebrate the summer than to organize a fabulous evening with your friends enjoying your garden and some fantastic food? Follow our simple tips below on how to organize and prepare a wonderful summer evening in your garden to entertain your friends and enjoy a fabulous summer get together out in the fresh air.
Do The Invitations Properly
Nowadays, we tend to be quite relaxed when it comes to inviting people to our homes for dinner parties and get-togethers, so why not be a little different this time. Forget the standard quick phone call or brief SMS and start the evening as you mean to go on by sending an invitation that gets your guests excited. Have a little fun inviting your friends and make your garden party a glamorous affair by sending out stylish and chic invitations
A good way to do this is by sending out E-vites. Online E-vites are a great way to make invitations feel a little more official and they are a good way to make your guests feel that you are really going to town and organizing a super special night. Perhaps you want to do something extra fun and create a themed night, or maybe you want to organize a fancy dress party and you want your guests to follow a certain dress code. Whatever your ideas, think about the details that can make your garden party just that little bit special and different to just a standard dinner party and then incorporate that into your e-vite so people can really start to get excited about a great night ahead.
Organizing your Garden
Once you have established how many people are coming you will then need to make sure that your garden is looking absolutely fantastic. You should section off a good afternoon to focus on de-weeding, deadheading your plants and sorting out all the shrubs and flowers in your garden. You should be looking at all the plants in your garden and making sure they look in peak condition and your lawn is mowed so the grass is looking pristine and neat.
After all the plants and flowers have been taken care of you will then want to turn your attention to your outdoor furniture. You will need to wash down your furniture until it sparkles and then looks at organizing your outdoor furniture in a way that best shows off your patio and seating area. Depending on the amount of people you are expecting you may need to bring out extra tables and chairs for your guests so think about the other areas of the house where you can grab additional seats and tables, or you could even think about borrowing or hiring these for a day if you are expecting a lot of guests.
Food with a Summer Twist
OK, so your garden is now looking fantastic, it is now time to start thinking about the all important food that you want to impress your guests with. Perhaps you want to put on a relaxed BBQ, with a variety of fresh salads and little nibbles. Or maybe you want to try and do something a little bit different.
Why not treat your guests to a delicious seafood feast? Seafood is a fantastic choice in the summer as it is light, fresh, reminds us of the sea and is just that step up from a standard summer BBQ. With so many wonderful seafood recipes online, you will want to put in ample research into the types of dishes that you would like to create. So once you know what you want to create go to your local fishmongers and pick out a range of their best shellfish, their finest fishes like salmon, trouts and monkfish depending on the dishes you want to create. Make sure that you don’t buy the fish until the day of the party itself as you will want to shellfish and fish to be as fresh as possible.
Presentation
Foods like oysters, lobster and cockles are great to present on a bed of ice and lemon so think about presenting these types of fish in a really simple way. If you think your guests would prefer their fish in the form of a great Spanish Paella then you will need to buy a large Paella dish to cook the rice and the fish in together. You can then simply serve this dish up in the pan and your guests can help themselves straight from the pan.
Or perhaps you fancy trying your hand at a delicious seafood linguini or risotto. In which case you can serve a dish like this with gorgeous crunchy bread and a light Mediterranean salad. So jump online and look at the type of recipes you would like to create to really wow your guests and treat them to a lip-smackingly scrumptious seafood feast.
It is also important to think about the wine pairings that you want to create if you are doing seafood. White wine is obviously the best option to go with fish, but there are certain white wines that work particularly well with certain types of fish. Therefore if you are uncertain about the best types of wine to get, then visit your local wine merchant, tell him what you are planning to cook and let him guide you through the best wines to match your menu.
Creating a super summer soiree is all in the little details. Creating a unique, fresh and summery dinner will definitely make your guests feel that you are treating them to a fabulous dining experience. Enjoying your great food in your beautiful looking garden, on a balmy summer’s evenings with your friends. What could be better?
