Now that we have reached mid April, spring is well and truly
here and the weather seems to be picking up (hopefully most of you will be
lucky enough to enjoy a lovely Easter weekend).
With the blossom, the nice weather and several long weekends
ahead of us, no doubt we are all starting to get excited for the months ahead
and the prospect of days relaxing in the garden, evenings dining outdoors and
most importantly the opportunity for BBQs and summer garden parties!
Here at The Garden Lighting Shop, we thought we would put
together a little guide to summer entertaining to hopefully help inspire you
and make sure that you too are starting to get in a summery mood.
First things first we must remember that we do live in
Britain so can never guarantee sunshine! But so long as you have gazebos
available and the possibility of going indoors if it gets too much then you
will be fine; just keep your fingers crossed for good weather, or if possible
plan things at relatively short notice when you know what the weather forecast
is.
When it comes to summer entertaining you have a few choices
food wise. BBQ is often the most popular choice, the important thing is to make
sure you have a range of meats as well as vegetarian options so that everyone
is catered for! To go alongside your BBQ food it is a great idea to prepare a
selection of smaller bites and light salads (you will find many great recipes
online); if you are inviting a lot of people it is a good idea to ask people to
bring some sort of dish with them, this way there will be plenty food to go
around and it takes the pressure off you slightly.
Before the main food is served it is nice to have snacks
around for people to nibble on, crisps, nuts, dips; anything that is easy to
set out but that won’t fill people before the main food!
Now we have to consider drinks, after all no party is
complete without an array or summery beverages! You need to provide a selection
of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks to ensure that you have something for
everyone, and remember...ICE! Soft drinks such as lemonade, coca-cola and
juices are good options, even non-alcoholic cocktails if you are feeling
adventurous as these are sure to go down a storm. A variety of beers is a good
choice, kept in buckets of ice to make sure that they are refreshing; a choice
of nice cold wines is also a good move.
Of course, don’t forget the classic summer drinks such as
sangria and Pimms! Looking up cocktail recipes is also a nice idea, but this
will mean you need a lot of ingredients so bear this is mind before you decide
to go for it.
Especially if you are hosting a party for a lot of people it
is worth buying disposable plates, cutlery and cups as the chances are you
won’t have enough to go round otherwise; plus it saves on washing up and means
you don’t have to worry about your glasses getting broken!
Decorations can top off your party area nicely by adding fun
with splashes of colour, whether this is with colourful napkins, tableware and
tablecloths, or buntings and other decorations that can be found everywhere!
For the evening a few candles dotted around are a nice touch.
If your party is going to go on into the evening/night time
then it is a nice idea to have a few blankets lying around in case people get a
bit chilly, patio heaters are also great but obviously these aren’t a cheap
investment!
Garden
lights dotted around your outside area will create a lovely atmosphere and
will mean that none of your guests will have trouble seeing once the sun has
gone down; there are many different styles of garden lighting around so you
will have plenty to choose from!
Hopefully this little guide will help you out in some way,
or at the very least get you excited for the (hopefully) glorious summer ahead
and the many fun times to be had!
