Being the perfect dinner host!

My idea of the perfect evening is sitting around a dinner table with my favourite people, drinking wine and eating delicious food.. anyone else?  Since I was a really young girl, that’s always what I thought my adult life would consist of and I’ve continuously strived to make that a reality since having a rented home to call my own. 

I’m currently living with two of my oldest schoolfriends and I decided that I wanted to host the perfect evening for them and my boyfriend as a treat (and mostly so I could make this long lived vision a reality)!

SETTING

I recently got a new dining table for my house and I’m absolutely obsessed with it!  Beforehand, this dining room was very sad looking and we spent zero time in there,  but since filling the space with the Roxburgh set from , it’s become the most used, social room of the house!

I chose this set because firstly the table is the perfect size to comfortably fit four and it’s round shape means it’s perfect for social situations, but also because of the gorgeous soft, green velvet chairs.  

These chairs are always complimented when we have guests and they are super comfortable – the perfect height, roomy but firm with small arm ledges… I love them so much I find myself working from this table a lot rather than my designated work desk in my room!

FOOD

Food is obviously super important when it comes to hosting.  I had quite a tricky time deciding on a menu for my guests as one of them Is vegan and the other has a gluten & nut allergy which means a lot of cuisines were off the menu. 

I’ve been promising my housemates a Moroccan inspired tagine dish since I visited in September and this felt like the perfect excuse to cook one up! Once I had decided on the cuisine, I got to work on researching some recipes!

I chose a vegan, 7 vegetable tagine with couscous & quinoa with two side dishes; an aubergine dip called Zaalouk and a n authentic Moroccan courgette side salad.  Both of these can be eaten cold or hot and so I served them with some toasted pitta & flat breads, accompanied by some harissa yoghurt.

The food was delicious (if I can say so myself!) and went down an absolute treat.  The tagine also made a beautiful centrepiece and all the dish options meant people to pick and choose as they wanted.

ATMOSPHERE

Creating a lovely, ambient atmosphere for my dinner party was a big focus for me on the evening as I wanted the dinner party to feel super cosy and relaxed.  

I bought a bunch of roses and gypsophila and combined them in two of my favourite vases to dot around the room and table as a centrepiece. I also lit as many candles as I could get my hands on to add a warm glow to the dining room.  A little bit of background music is always a good idea, so I took advantage of my housemate’s record player and played our current favourite vinyl – Curtis Mayfield, who’s soul & funk sound added an upbeat feel to the meal.

The evening went really well! I got such a buzz from hosting for my favourite people and can’t wait to do it again soon.  There’s nothing quite like a full table with the sound of laughter to make me feel utterly content with life!

Do you have any dinner party hosting tips?  If you want to read mine, check out my blog post on Harveys here!

Katie

xxx

Thanks so much to Harveys for working with me on this content! All thoughts and opinions are honest as usual!