Hosting Christmas is one of life’s great joys, but also one of life’s great logistical nightmares. Here are some tried-and-tested tricks from our pal Gemma Plunkett — a longtime friend of The Dinner Ladies, a confessed dinner party tragic, a lover of excellent food, and someone who believes that hosting should not result in a mini-meltdown. Here are her top five tips for keeping things merry, bright and most importantly, sane this Christmas.
Delegate, delegate, delegate.
You do not win a prize for doing everything yourself. Give guests a few easy jobs on the day and they won’t just feel helpful, they’ll feel part of the big feast. Let someone pick up the ice, someone else can curate a Christmas playlist, and when someone offers to help with washing up, NEVER say no.
A prepped feast is a stress-free feast.
Staying true to the Dinner Ladies way: prep, prep and prep some more. The more organised you are before guests arrive, the better, so you can actually enjoy your time together. If you can mix up a salad dressing or pre-batch cocktails the day before, do it! You’ll free up time for the important things like enjoying your guests’ company.
More ice. Then more again.
You know it and I know it: Aussie summer is hot. The one thing you don’t want is a warm beer or room-temperature chardonnay. Nothing cools drinks faster than a big esky of ice. It’s also handy to shake into cocktails or pile under seafood.
Get dressed at the last possible minute.
Do the kitchen chaos in an old T-shirt. The last thing you need is your perfect Christmas outfit ruined by a splash of olive oil. Save yourself the stress (and the stain remover) and get dressed just before guests arrive. Once they’re all there, never underestimate the value of a good apron.
Leftovers are mandatory.
If there’s one scenario that haunts my hosting nightmares, it’s not having enough food. I like to cater as though a few extras might just pop in, because they might. You can never have too many roast potatoes or too much gravy. Imagine missing out after all that hard work. More is more and all those leftovers make for an excellent late-night sandwich or lunch the next day.
