you may remember a few months back i entered a competition with furniture choice, that i was lucky enough to win; the prize was a brand new dining set, as well as a bit of money to pull of the perfect dinner party. well, at the time my flat was a shambles, and it was winter, and so the dinner party was put on hold. now, with the big move on the horizon, i realised i was running out of time to play the perfect host; on sunday night, i threw a slightly watered-down version of the party i planned last year, and it couldn't have gone smoother.
with some refreshing lemon and lime fizzy drinks generously supplied by laimon fresh, we nailed the welcome drinks from about 4pm; fresh mint, cucumber and 100% natural lemon fizz muddled with gin (a cocktail recipe i found on their facebook page!) was the perfect way to kick off the tea-party party - even if i was maybe a little too generous with the gin... the minty cocktails were served in some of my finest china cups and saucers, and we snacked on cheese and crackers while i prepared the first course for my guests.
the guests were asked to dress for a traditional tea party, so i - of course, played my part too. in my newest tea dress and cork wedges, i was the (looking) perfect host. as i prepared the starter, the beach boys greatest hits played softly in the background while the girls chatted and enjoyed their cocktails in tea cups. at five on the nose, the starter was served; spinach and ricotta tart, with a rocket and charry tomato salad. yum!
with a successful first course served, i started on the main; chicken blt with sweet potato fries. except... i could not suck more at making fries at home, and even after careful recipe and selection and perfect method, they still came out soggy and burnt at the very same time. the girls were polite and ate them anyway. good girls. during our main we cracked out the bollinger; liz had one lucky last bottle still hanging around from her late august wedding, and we weren't shy about helping her drink it. burger and bolli... there's nothing classier.
and after that, the piece de resistance that was the mountainous white chocolate and mixed berry cheesecake. ermergerrrd, i completely did away with the recipe on that one, and took complete cheffing licence when deciding just how much cream cheese and white chocolate to put in it. well, it appeared to be a hit, so... plus, plenty of left overs for me to feast on for the next few days! winner winner.
with full bellies and lots of gossiping under our belts, we retired to the sofa before it was all too-apparent that a nap was imminent. me, from being a busy little bee, and them because of the epic journeys they'd each taken to get to me - zone three, on a sunday, with engineering works affecting most lines. they did leave me with a piiiiile of dishes though, so i suppose we're even?
for my first real attempt at hostessing, i think i did an ok job! i was certainly impresses with my own table-dressing skills, and am sure that - as i enjoyed the food, my guests must have too? it was fun to have the girls over before i move out; the got to finally see how the decorating all came together, and experience my gorgeous new dining set from furniture choice first hand.
it was bloody exhausting though; never again.
