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 dinner party, set a festive scene by choosing a colour scheme that has a special, celebratory feel, for example: black, gold, and purple; red, white and gold; silver and pink. Gift-wrap ribbon is always ideal for creating festive, table-centre decorations as it can be curled into streamers, and trailed over or around table decorations. As it is shiny it reflects candle-light very effectively. Choose real or artificial flowers to fit your chosen theme; arrange candles and ribbons with the flowers to form the decorations for the table. Tie curled strands of ribbon around paper or linen napkins to add to the decorative effect. Continue Reading »

Red and roe venison can, for all practical purposes, be dealt with together. The treatment is identical, the only differenc_es being in brining and cooking times on account of the differences in size and weight. Only the haunches and saddles are suitable for smoking as the more frontal areas have n_ot sufficient depth of flesh; in fact the saddle of a roe has only just enough depth of flesh to render smoking a viable proposition.

Venison should have hung a minimum of 1 week before brining, but on no account should it be allowed to go ‘high’. A haunch of roe will require brining for 3 hours in 80% brine, a saddle of roe 2 hours, whereas a haunch of red deer will require 6 hours in the brine and a saddle from the same animal will need 31/2 hours in the pickle. I am assuming that the red deer venison will come from ordinary hill beasts, and it is surely a matter of commonsense that a haunch from one of those monsters from Thetford Chase would require considerably longer in the brine. 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 »

In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the shepherds in Scotland would gather together in their huts, known as bothies, to tell stories, sing, drink and simply get warm.

The Scots have retained elements of this along with many other good old traditions. They still get together to talk about the day’s events,to exchange news and spend some time together over a cup of, tea and a snack.

Even if friends have just dropped round for no particular reason and you’re only having a snack, you may still want to decorate the table and make it look different.

What to do:

If you have a wooden table, then don’t bother with a tablecloth. Wood looks good in this simple, rather rustic table decoration. Continue Reading »

In summer time the cooking is easy. To keep your guests lingering at your table, avoid a fussy table setting and scour cookbooks for ideas and inspiration for preparingtasty, home-cooked meals for your guests.

Evening entertaining can be magical as the light fades, the air stills and the first stars appear. Vintage Provençal table linen, fresh-cut flowers and wine sets the ambiance.

This French look can be achieved in any style of home, from contemporary to Provençal and from farmhouse to city apartment. Continue Reading »