The Penni Black Diaries

I find Christmas to be an exciting time, a season of goodwill and festivities. I also find that the time leading up to Christmas always seems to move quicker with every year that passes. To ease off on the panic for the Christmas party season I have put together a list of twelve top tips to assist you in planning for your perfect Christmas party.

• Start to plan your event in September or October to avoid disappointment. Book your chosen caterer and venue in advance as Christmas is a very busy time for everyone and before you know it your event is right round the corner.
• If you are making a lovely winter hot pot for your party, ensure to cook it the previous day, as that way all the flavours marinate together, the meat tenderises, and the over all taste is much more powerful.
• Think about the Christmas colour scheme – reds, greens, golds, silvers, oranges. Complimentary flowers like holly, sprayed ivy, berries. Book your flowers well in advance as the florists often run out of stock on the day. If you are making the food yourself, get some extra sprigs of holly, and Christmassy flowers to garnish your canapé platters.
• Lighting is very important. I like to use little tea lites around the tables, complimented with red, orange and yellow rose petals. You could also use Church candles of different heights, tied together with Christmassy ribbon and sprigs of holly, as a very effective centre piece or even on a mantle piece. Scented candles are wonderful for achieving a warm welcoming feeling on arrival.
• For a seated dinner, again it looks lovely if you tie red and green ribbon, along with a sprig of holly, around your napkins.
• It is nice to offer a welcome drink for your event. A winter punch on arrival is very popular. I suggest pimms, with warm apple juice, cinnamon and cloves, or alternatively a cool fresh kir royale. I like to garnish my virgin cocktails with brightly coloured edible flowers.
• Always get your alcohol on a sale or return basis, that way you can over order, and be confident you won’t run out of anything. Remember you cannot return open or damaged bottles.
• Allow for around 3 – 4 glasses per head, when planning your glass hire. Your guests will undoubtedly put their glasses down, forget about them, then grab another full drink.
• If you want to offer your guests a substantial meal but don’t have the capacity to seat them all, or it isn’t in the budget with all the necessary equipment hire costs, then bowl food is a very popular choice. Small rice bowls filled with mini meals, like ‘roast turkey, tiny roast potatoes, sage and onion dumplings and Madeira jus, or little brie cakes with salad and cranberry sauce to name a few. Allow 3 per head, and accompany with 5-6 canapes for the best effect. If you feel the dessert bowls are too filling you could opt for some sweet Christmas canapés like Hot Christmas pudding, with brandy sauce, served on a spoon, or shot glasses filled with hot chocolate fondant and Chantilly cream.
• I love to wow my guests with a finishing touch of a sprinkle of edible gold on top of my dessert canapés.
• My perfect venue for Christmas would be an old listed building with open fireplaces, situated somewhere very central to all my guests.
• Trying to come up with a unique Christmas present for a loved one? We can offer bespoke vouchers to suit the persons taste and your budget. For example a voucher offering a meal in you home for 6 guests to include equipment and service, or perhaps a selection of 100 canapes delivered to your home?