HOW TO ARRANGE AN UNFORGETTABLE SUMMER DINNER PARTY WITH LITTLE EFFORT.

It's time of Summer holidays and, before leaving for exotic destinations, a Summer dinner party is the perfect way to bring friends and family together with delicious food and fun. So, how not to imagine unforgettable get-together that will remain in both our album collections and Instagram accounts, with wonderful tablescapes looking like something out of our entertaining dreams.

Don't worry! We don't need to spend hours prepping and attempting to re-create table-settings found on Pinterest or on magazines, but impossible for us mere mortals to pull off, in order to throw an Instaworthy Summer gathering.

Personally, I'm all about the "art" of easy entertaining, so here are some tips I generally stick to:

1) First of all, don't sweat the details! Entertaining should ultimately be easy and enjoyable for you and your guests.
2) Choose a nice location for your dinner party, either on a terrace with sea/lake view or in a flowered garden.

3) No decoration is as pretty as fresh flowers, and what a nice gesture to send guests home with small gift-bouquets! It'll make the day so much more special and remind them of the fun time spent together. As for the choice of flowers, I find that small hydrangeas are perfect, since they are so reminiscent of outdoor meals, are available in different shades to be matched with your tablecloth, are easy to get and arrange and suit to both rustic and coastal inspiration. Also lavender, with its typical colour is suitable for dinners arranged at our seaside/lakeside homes, with a table set in the shades of blue and white, while ranunculi match with more lively coloured table-settings. However any flowers form the garden will do, even wonderful English roses combined with asperula are a perfect combination of chic and old-fashioned charm. Moreover, since our gatherings take place in the evening, don't forget to complement the floral arrangement with hurricane lamps, coloured crystal tea-lights or romantic fairy lights to add to the atmosphere. 

              

                                            

4) Opt for ready-made cocktails or sparkling wine in lieu of elaborate freshly prepared cocktails. Playing the bartender is probably not how you anticipate spending your soirée. I generally choose easy-to-enjoy ready-made cocktails that are refreshing and seductively fruity such as Ice-Tropez, a drink based on a lovely rosé wine, natural nectarine blossom aroma and soda water that I usually buy in huge quantity during my holiday on the French Riviera, so that a minimal effort is required on my part. Plus, it's a universal truth that everyone loves bubbly. If they don't, you should probably go ahead and uninvite them. Just kidding!! 😊 I generally accompany the cocktails with "tapenade" or "caviar d'aubergines" spread on ready-made grilled toasts.
5) Spend less time in the kitchen: if you want to hang out with your guests, don't spend the evening in the kitchen. The easiest way to do this is to find a dish you can prepare ahead and then bake in time, such as all kinds of "quiches", which are generally agreeable to everybody.

Personally, I love taking simple Summer staples from French "Bistrot" cuisine classics and elevating them with just a few extra ingredients. Don't let the term elevate scare you, though. This literally just means to take something that's already easy to make, like "Salade de Chèvre chaud" as an entrée, and upgrading them with both crispy breading and sprigs of thyme on top or create a more creative version in bundles of puff pastry, with an accompanyment of "Mesclun" salad, seasoned with vinaigrette.

6) As a main course I often opt for baked Mediterranean fish with herbs and vegetables, and accompanied by ratatouille and rice, two "garnitures" that can be easily cooked in advance. 

7) As a dessert, some classics such as red berries with topping of meringue ice-cream and "coulis", decoration of mint leaves, and accompaniment of tuiles biscuits, or individual mini cheese-cakes with blackberry coulis. 😋

So, dear readers, enjoy your Summer evening entertaining with family and friends, and if you have some uesful tips to share, please write them in your comments below!