7 Tips For Hosting a Great Dinner Party in 2022

ad Dinner parties are awfully grown up aren’t they? When I was younger, I always thought how great it would be to be an adult and host dinner parties and attend them. Sipping on wine – places like bestwineclub.com have a huge selection -, chatting the night away and eating great food! Well, I am an adult now and I gotta say, dinner parties AREN’T as popular as they seem in the films.

But I have attended a few and I’ve also hosted a very casual one, as recently as December and they’re definitely one of my favourite ways to spend quality time with people. I love food and I’m a big foodie, so anything surrounding food is a good night in or out for me. I’m pretty much past my going clubbing and getting crazy drunk phrase, so dinner parties are a nice alternative!

The one I hosted in December was small but lovely. It was just my boyfriend and I and another couple whom we met last year and instantly become great friends with. I decided to cook and opted for pulled pork burgers whereby everyone could assemble their own burgers, so they could have whatever they wanted.

We had lots of wine, Prosecco, a TON of laughs and a wonderful evening and I can’t wait to do it again soon! So, if a dinner party is on your list of things to host this year with friends or family, here are some tips to help you make it a great one especially in the COVID climate we’re currently living in.

Get everyone to do a COVID test beforehand 

Starting with a very un-fun thing here but COVID testing is important and if you’re having people round your house to eat in a smaller space then it’s definitely useful for everyone to do a COVID test beforehand to ensure everyone else’s safety.

Use a well ventilated room (or the garden) if you can

This is easy in the Spring or Summer when you can host a beautiful dinner party outside in the sun – not so much for now! Try choosing a well ventilated room if possible to keep the air circulating.

Have hand sanitizer dotted around

And the final COVID-related point and that’s hand sanitizer. To make your guests feel a little more at ease, it could be worth dotting some hand sanitizer around in the main rooms so it can be used when people feel the need to.

Get the drinks flowing

Okay now onto the good stuff! Offering your guests a drink when they arrive is a sign of a great host, so get them inside and comfortable and get the drinks flowing. It’s also good to have a selection of different drinks on offer too!

Cook something in the slow cooker

The slow cooker is a GENIUS invention and saves so much time and effort – especially for dinner parties. I usually prepare the dinner in the morning and put it in the slow cooker, which means when it comes to cooking, I don’t have to spend all night in the kitchen whilst the guests are having fun. Click here for more food content to inspire you!

Related reads:

• Quorn Chilli & Cauliflower Rice Recipe
• South-Western Seafood Recipe
• Chunky Beef Chilli Recipe

Consider a buffet style dessert table

Another thing I love to do is buffet style food and I think this works really well for desserts because people tend to have a lot of different tastes when it comes to desserts; chocolate, fruit, ice cream, there’s so many options! So laying everything out at the end of the meal for people to help themselves and bring back to the table is a great idea.

Related reads:

• Best Rocky Road Recipe: Quick, Easy & Delicious!
• Cherry & Coconut Cupcakes Recipe
• No-Bake White Chocolate & Oreo Truffles Recipe

Ensure your guests can get home safely 

And finally, a good host will make sure their guest get home safely! Especially if some of them have had a bit to drink. Provide taxi numbers for your drunk guests so you can be sure their night doesn’t end on a low!

Have you hosted a dinner party? What would be your top tips that you’d add to this post? Let me know!