So with my recent flat move, I have a lot more freedom to host friends and family. One thing about London is that it’s a good transit city, people are in and out of it so much that it almost makes it feel as if my friends have blossomed since moving out here as friends and family from America stop over often. So sometimes you just need to have tricks up your sleeve to entertain, so I think it’s time I brown down my last minute dinner party tips.
As most of you know, I’m quite a perfectionist and love having a schedule. It has gotten me into trouble a few times and flustered entirely too many times. And when it comes to last minutes guests, I always want to give them a grand experience… without the stress. So here are a few of my most trusted entertaining tips that have been tried and tested.
set menu
Aside from meeting dietary restrictions, don’t go out of your way to make something different to accommodate taste. This is where SimplyCook comes in. I decided to invite a friend over for lunch last week and had only the morning of to prep for it. All I had to do was make a visit to the grocery store to grab the few ingredients + drinks and I was able to whip up a delicious, flavorful meal in less that 30 minutes.
SimplyCook provides flavor boxes for set meals and a recipe card with simple directions. This helps me from overspending on things I don’t necessarily need, whip up something quickly and I still have control over the groceries—so I can go to my own meat monger and pick up veggies from the farmer’s market. Also, recipe boxes usually mean I have to use all the ingredients up in a certain period of time before they go bad.
make a grocery list
SimplyCook has a perforated bit on the recipe card that you can just remove and place into your wallet as you go to the store to pick up your ingredients. Be sure to pick up a small bouquet of flowers and maybe a ready-made dessert too!
time it out
Try to have all the cooking done ahead of time, so you don’t have to stress about or don’t forget anything. I like to time out how long everything will take. all SimplyCook recipes are 30 minutes or less from prep to finish.
before cooking
Get the house in order! Tidy the living room and the powder room and don’t go crazy with organizing and re-decorating {I am very much guilty of that}. I also like to turn on a candle and some background music to help bring everything together.
setting the table
If your dish requires a bit of heating up when the person arrives and you don’t want to leave them awkwardly alone, get them involved! Have them help you set the table to stir something while you set it yourself. Otherwise, you can go ahead and have the table set as well. 
be present
One thing my mom taught me when entertaining is to leave a lasting impression and she did it by giving the illusion that everything was pretty easy to whip up. She always gave herself 90 minutes before guests arrived for one of her lavish dinner parties to take a shower, give herself a blow dry and put on some makeup and a gorgeous outfit on. After getting ready, she would sit in the living room with a glass of water, a little lime slice and a bit of the appetizer just to sustain herself and have a moment to herself.
just for you
Thank you to SimplyCook for providing me a box! You can also grab a £3 first box voucher by using the code ‘chevrons18’ at checkout or by visiting this link here! Tag @simplycookcom and @chevronseclairs so we can see your creations!
PS - I genuinely enjoy the SimplyCook product even though I was gifted a set with a dscount code generated just for you. All opinions, thoughts and the last minute dinner party tips are my very own. Hope you enjoy it too!