Why I love hosting. A snippet of what I'm cooking this Christmas.
And a link to download my party planning schedule! 😏
Interrupting yet another unplanned creative hiatus to say that it's come to my attention that my party planning schedule is a thing of beauty. I’ve heard oohs and aahs from mostly amused friends who cannot quite fathom the time and energy I’ve put into planning my next dinner party, which in this case turns out to be Christmas. And apologies to those I’ve bored to oblivion with neverending explanations of said party planning.
I’m yet to convince those friends I am not a fan of Christmas (as someone who grew up religious but no longer is and hasn’t been for a while, it’s a bit of a conundrum seeing as it’s just another capitalistic holiday unless you’re Christian and you’re probably celebrating the birth of Jesus but who am I to judge). The truth is I just love to host and getting to shop and plan everything that goes into it gives me a level of satisfaction I can’t quite put into words.
Hosting my first Christmas last year not only set the bar high for myself but for everyone who attended, and I take that very seriously. There is no, and I mean no, margin for error or unexpected chaos because let’s be honest, it would be foolish of me not to anticipate a little bit of chaos. Just the right amount to keep the adrenaline pumping, which is why I did a trial run of the main dish ahead of time and it was [insert common expletive] delicious.
This year marks my first Christmas as a full omnivore after an eight-year stint as a vegetarian/pescatarian. There will be sumptuous confit turkey legs with garlic and shallots (an recipe), rivers of gravy, a hasselback potato gratin (should it pass the test run), pigs in blankets, a simple green salad and a radicchio, pear, gorgonzola and walnut salad. And that’s just the main meal.
Some people can’t wait to open presents on Christmas Day. I can’t wait to get cooking, set and style the table, and talk my guests through the never-ending list of drinks on offer. I set the bar at ‘feast’ and I just will not fall shorter than that. If it sounds over the top, overly passionate or deranged, maybe it is, maybe I am, but it brings me the most joy and happiness.
For those of you who enjoy a visual aid when it comes to party planning, I give you My Party Planning Schedule, which you can copy-paste into your own doc and edit to your heart’s content.
I would love love love to hear about your next dinner party, what you love to cook, anecdotes, anything and everything.
