Kitchen Essential

Some of the most successful parties that are fun to organize are theme parties. These are variations on the fancy dress party. The idea is to choose a theme, for example: black and white; red and gold; hats; characters from musical shows; a desert island. Send out appropriate invitations in plenty of time so that your guests have the opportunity to dream up a costume, and then plan the decorations, food and drink so that the entire event follows the theme through.

Invitations can be home-made or, if commercially produced ones fit the theme, use them. For a stylish black and white party, all sorts of design ideas are possible: a silhouette cut-out of Fred Astaire in Top Hat and Tails; a chessboard with the words written in the white squares; two masks cut out side by side, one black, one white, with the details of the party on the back. Do state clearly whether the event is to be a dinner party or a larger, informal gathering, and insist on fancy dress. Continue Reading »

For a celebration dinner or lunch at Easter, choose colours to create a spring flavour. A bright yellow, green and yellow, or white and yellow cloth with matching or contrasting napkins will set a sunny mood, and napkins can be folded into rabbits’ ears for a bit of fun. Bright, flowery china with a predominantly yellow or green pattern will look good against the cloth. Fill a large jug with masses of bright spring flowers — daffodils, jonquils, narcissi, etc. — and place in the middle of the table.

If there are children at the party lay a brightly-wrapped Easter egg and a little fluffy chick or rabbit at each place. Hand-painted eggs also make very good decorations to brighten up the table. At intervals on the table lay little dishes filled with one or other of the following: green Turkish delight, pale green fondant mints, yellow and white sugared almonds, or green grapes dipped in beaten egg-white and castor sugar. Continue Reading »

Your choice of colour will determine the style and ambience of a table, so don’t rely on a quick decision. Colours can be used quite consciously to achieve precisely the effect you are hoping for.

It may help you to run through the colour palette, starting with the colour which appears on almost every table — green.

Green for freshness

For nature lovers, the fresh green of flowers and leaves brings life into the house, especially during the winter months. Therefore green is a welcome addition to the table, because besides its fresh appearance, it has another quality. Green lifts and emphasises other colours, especially its complementary colour, red. You can exploit this characteristic if you place big green leaves on the table and then lay a single, or just a few, brightly coloured blossoms on top (for example, rhododendrons orhydrangeas). Continue Reading »