The lack of dining rooms in modern homes has led to the demise of formal dining and the rise of informal kitchen suppers. The ‘dinner party’ is now as retro as lava lamps, hostess trolleys and shag-pile rugs.
The nation’s habit of entertaining in the style of Beverly in Abigail's Party, or The Good Life’s Margo and Jerry Leadbetter, is simply a thing of the past. According to a new survey from
Anglian Home Improvements, 84 percent of modern Brits think casual kitchen suppers have replaced the stuffy dinner party of old.
The research also revealed a guide to modern day entertaining, for both guests and hosts alike – including never serving a chicken breast wrapped in Parma ham, always serving olives from the local deli rather than a jar and making sure what you serve is seasonal.
However, politics, sex and death are subjects that should NOT be avoided at the modern day party, according to the 1,500 adults polled. The survey also revealed that because we’re ditching a ‘dining room’ culture, 65 percent are now more sociable than ever, having friends over on average three times a month.
In fact, Brits will host an average of 36 supper and lunch parties every year at their homes, splashing out just over £3,000 a year on food and booze for friends according to the poll. But as ‘casual’ as we appear in our entertaining, Brits secretly still pull all the stops out to impress; with 62 percent admitting they tidy and clean the house from top to bottom before guests arrive, and 31 percent saying they agonise over choosing the right outfit.
On average, we spend £52 on food for our guests and a further £33 on alcohol – with Saturday night emerging as the nation’s favourite time to entertain for 54 percent of us, followed by Friday night (20 percent).
DOS AND DON'TS FOR MODERN HOSTS
• Prep food in advance so you can spend time with your guests
• Make sure your olives are from the deli rather than a jar
• Make sure what you serve is seasonal
• Never serve anything on a cocktail stick and always have enough mixers and ice
• Never serve a chicken breast wrapped in Parma ham
DOS AND DON'TS FOR MODERN GUESTS
• Ask whoever cooked for the recipe but never text at the table
• Never snoop in other people’s houses
• Always bring flowers, but not from a garage
• Don’t get really drunk or ask to stay the night
• Never talk about how much you earn
• Never arrive more than half an hour early or more than 15 minutes late
• Always say the food is lovely even if it isn’t, and always use your knife and fork correctly
• Don’t leave coats strewn around the house and don’t take over in the kitchen
• Take high heels/stilettos off if your hosts have wooden floors
• Never give 'style advice' to your hosts or boast about your own cooking prowess
• Always send a thank you card rather than texting the following day
And finally, advice for both hosts AND guests - don’t talk about TV, jobs or children but do talk about politics, sex and death.
Unfortunately, it’s not all plain sailing, as almost half of Brits (44 percent) have been left less than impressed by their guests’ behaviour - feeling their efforts have been unappreciated. Just over 40 percent complained of guests drinking too much, while 26 percent have had to deal with a friend or family member starting an inappropriate conversation.
A further 22 percent have had a guest start an argument with a fellow diner, while 21 percent of hosts say a guest had the nerve to turn up with people they didn’t know and hadn’t invited.
So whether you're opting for formal, informal, casual or chic, you can still expect to experience some excruciating hosting and plenty of awkward moments.
