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Friday, February 12, 2010
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According to a study from the UK, hosting a dinner party is more stressful than going to work.

The survey found 57 percent thought hosting a soirée was more stressful than commuting to work, and a quarter of respondents found it more trying than a job interview.

The biggest concern for hosts' was that the food would not go down well, followed by a fear that guests would not enjoy themselves, at 36 and 33 percent respectively.

Hosting a dinner party? Click here for 1000s of recipes

Nestlé's After Eight mints surveyed 1007 people, 16 percent of whom admit to cheating when they have people over, buying food and passing it off as their own.

The success and saturation of home-cooking shows, like MasterChef has no doubt added to the pressure hosts feel when they invite friends around.

Your say: Do you find hosting a dinner party stressful? What are your tips to help it go smoothly? Who is your ideal dinner-party host? Share with us below...

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User comments
People like to try 'other' foods, so keep to your ethnic recipes. Easy on you. Exciting for your guests.
it's all about the company. if the food doesnt work, have a drink and a laugh and order some take-away.
1. Know your guests, e.g. dietary requirements, allergies, if they are getting along etc. 2. Plan your menu according to the above, cooking time, use of cooking utensils, to be cooked on stove, oven of chill, make a listing of the food you can prepare and cook at what time of the day without affecting the quality of the cooking. This is important so that you do not need to struggle to cook two things in the oven at the same time. Always handy to include some dishes which can be preprepared and reheat to serve or some dishes which can be left in the oven to cook without much attention like a casserole or roast. 3. Do all shoppings a day earlier. 4. Decide serving crokeries, leave them out on the bench and label them if necessary so that no mixing up. 5. Pick the music, create the ambience and set the table on the day whenever you have some time in between. IF you can have your dinner party planned as such, there should not get any stress but enjoyment.
I host dinner parties every few months, ranging for 4-15 people. Preparation, research and timing is the key (i.e. buy everything the day before, time out cooking time needed, decide which baking and serving dishes you need beforehand, set the table the night before, decide what background music you'll have playing, prepare as much food as you can etc).. Another good hint is to have a dinner theme. This makes it a fun experience for everyone. I recently held a gourmet burger night. There were beef and vegi burgers, various sauces (home made of course!) and icecream cones to follow (with a variety of toppings, nuts, sprinkles etc). Everyone enjoyed a slightly different take to something we used to enjoy as kids, and I ensured I had some daggy 80s music to match the mood! Get practicing - get a group of friends today with each month a different person hosting. There is minimal pressure in this environment. Most ppl not having hosted a dinner party before. ENJOY!
If the group of people r fun and go with the flow food is not the top prioritiy light food is better i go for sea food and drinks for any age as everyone can drink and eat and not get sick I have lots of fun games and dancing so i could go on till late nite.
Yes its a daunting thought but the key is to be organised and get as much of it done beforehand as you possibly can so you can spend the time with your guests rather than spending the whole night in the kitchen. Prepare the dessert during the day so its ready, entree can be a soup in winter that is simmering on the stove by the time guests arrive or a cold orroom temp entree prepared in advance. You should only be spending less than an hour in the kitchen preparing the main course (ie cooking the meat), not all night in there.
"Bon apatite mate" Hahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahh
I regularly cook for my family and friends. The point of dinner parties are, they are meant to be fun. Why else call it a "party". Always cook food that can be prepared earlier and kept hot in the oven, or chilled in the fridge. Keep it simple. My parties are usually held impromptu, just a bunch of friends with nothing to do on the weekend crashing my kitchen and eating whatever new recipe I have found.
never try to re-produce a meal you have had in a restaurant - always cook something you have cooked before and are confident with.
I regularly host dinner parties for between 16 and 20 guests and have a few simple rules as follows Prior Preparation and Planning Prevents Pee Poor Performance Stick to three courses with perhaps sorbet in the middle or cheese at the end Make a list and purchase all items in advance of the day and double check Prepare what you can beforehand Practice cooking the meal a week before the dinner If you do all this you can spend most of the evening with your guests Bon apatite mate

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