Hosting a family dinner for all of your friends and your family might not always go to plan. In your head, you may have a very clear idea of what you are going to have and when. That being said, things don’t usually end up turning out this way but if you use these smart tips, then you will soon find that you can have the best time ever.

Be Organised and Plan in Advance

Your best bet when it comes to hosting a great party without stress is for you to be as organised as possible. You have to remember that some things are out of your control but the better you plan, the smoother your entire event will go. Proper timing, from when you think your dinner is going to be ready to how long it’s going to take to prepare will help you out far more than you realise. If you want to have some games, then do your research so you can find the best games for a game night.

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Include Hot and Cold Dishes

Your first step when it comes to hosting a dinner party would be for you to find out what you want to serve. Ideally, you want to include hot and cold dishes so that you don’t have too many hot dishes competing for kitchen time or counter space.

Use Every Aspect of your Kitchen

You only have so much room in your kitchen. You will also only have so much space in your oven too. If you want to help yourself out a lot here then you need to try and take advantage of your slow cooker, your grill and your stove. Make sure that you use your fridge for any cold dishes, as this will help you to free up as much space as possible.

Keep Dishes Warm

Setting your oven to a very low temperature or even using a warming drawer is essential if you want to time your meals properly. If you do not have a warming drawer then store your hot dishes on pre-heated plates as this will keep them way warmer for longer.

Partially Cook your Food

Not everything can go into the oven at once. If you want to help yourself, then you have to make sure that you prepare them in advance. You will also want to try and cook food partially and then finish it off later, as this will help you to do it closer to when you plan on serving it.

Prepare Drinks

It’s not all about the food. In fact, a good cocktail is actually the centrepiece of a fantastic dinner party. If you can, you need to have a cocktail prepared in a pitcher, as this will give you the chance to greet your guests as soon as they walk through the door and you may even find that it is a good way for you to break the ice too. There are many cocktail recipes on the internet, if you want to try and seek out the best ones.

B xx

Disclosure this is a collaborative post