The perfect recipe for entertaining at home
As restrictions have eased, we can now welcome friends and family back into our homes.
With the summer holidays over, weekend and weeknight socialising is back and now is the perfect time to invite friends over who you might not have seen for a while. But after a year of no at-home socialising, what to cook?
We’ve rounded up our top tips for making your home ready to welcome guests and what to make to impress.
Get your home ready
We’ve been in our homes much more this year than normal, so they may feel more ‘lived in’. Now is a good time to bring some new touches to your home that don’t have to break the bank.
Why not invest in some colourful cushions, or perhaps some new glassware for your dinner party? If the weather is nice, your garden can be a great entertaining space so why not look into some new outdoor furniture or decorations. Local garden centres like Parkhill Garden Centre are great places to look for additions to your garden, and interiors and lifestyle shops like Annie Mo’s have a wide range of home furnishings perfect to liven up your home.
Dinner parties are great ways to catch up with friends, but you may not want to spend too long cooking, away from your guests. Many of the homes at Grandhome from AJC, Dandara and CALA Homes feature open-plan kitchen and living areas which is great for socialising.
The food
Many of us have become better cooks over the last year, with more time spent at home, virtual cookalongs taking off and food subscription boxes helping us to look outside of our comfort zone.
While the weather is nice, why not take your dinner party outdoors and go for a summer BBQ with a twist? You could make halloumi kebabs with seasonal vegetables like courgettes, summer squash and chillis and try adding prawns or salmon and some chilli sauce.
To avoid spending hours cooking, simpler recipes that can be prepared in advance are a win for dinner parties. To start, you could try a caprese salad. And for mains, local fishmonger Jack Taylor has a range of recipes online that are perfect for entertaining guests and enjoying some locally sourced fish, such as lemon sole wrapped in parma ham.
For vegetarians, a summer vegetable and pesto rose tart is a delicious, light dish. Get some local seasonal vegetables from a local supplier like Bridgefoot Organic Coop.
Pour the drinks
Looking for the perfect cocktail to accompany your summer dishes?
Aberdeen bar Orchid is well-known for its delicious cocktails, so let them do the work for you and deliver amazing drinks straight to your door including negronis, espresso martinis and brambles.
If you want to try your hand at creating cocktails at home, The Tippling House in Aberdeen has some refreshing cocktail recipes.
If you do create any of these recipes, we would love to know. Share your recipes and pictures with us on the Grandhome Community Facebook page.