Hosting Brunch: 5 Top Tips
Hosting brunch is one of my favourite things to do, I simply love hosting. Nothing brings me more joy than making the table look super pretty and inviting. Serving my friends delicious food, whilst we chat the day away. This past weekend, I hosted an Easter themed brunch for my friends. It was a huge success, so I thought I would share five of my top hosting tips with you.
Number one: The Table
You guys know that I love a good table. Your table is most likely the first thing your friends will see, so you want it to really wow them. It doesn't have to be over the top, it's often the simple touches that make something look beautiful. A bunch of flowers, beautiful glassware, cloth napkins. All of these things don't have to be expensive, the flowers you see here are cut from my mothers garden, the tall glasses are plastic and cost me £1 each, the cream napkins are cut from one large piece of fabric I got from eBay. I simply ironed and folded it into a napkin shape and inserted a paper napkin into the pocket for a pop of colour.
Above is a really simple idea that I found on Pinterest, I saved old egg carton boxes and used eggs shells, washed them out and they worked great for a display. They become so effective when you add snipped flowers, some cress and a few chocolate eggs. The great thing is, the eggs hold small amounts of water so that your flowers don't wilt for a long while. I also created a runner with simple brown paper, a cheap and effective way to transform and also protect a table. You could write people's names above their place settings, or even the menu in the center. After it's completely recyclable and any crumbs and spillages are easily disposed of.
Number two: Atmosphere
Atmosphere is individual to everyone, but to me great atmosphere when hosting is low music, great light, the buzz of your friends having a great time, smells and being comfortable. My tips for creating a great atmosphere are to play music that won't offend the ears. Something that everyone will collectively enjoy and kind of fades into the background. Brunch is usually a very chatty affair, so you don't want something that overwhelms conversation.
Great light is also important for brunch and will change depending on what season you are hosting in. Autumn and winter most certainly deserve candle light, to add that extra bit of glow and warmth. If you are hosting in spring or summer, setting up a table in your garden or a bright kitchen will really add to the fresh and bright vibe.
Number three: Keep guests hydrated
It might seem like such a simple thing, but keeping your guests topped up with drinks is essential. Not only does it allow you to be more present at the table. It helps keep the conversation going and there's less chance of people breaking to ask for a drink. I like to live by the rule that if there's more than 4 people at the table, I double everything. So two jugs of water, or two bottle of wine, one between each set of three/four people.
Number Four: Food
Brunch is a tricky one, it's close to both breakfast and lunch. I always go for light and serve yourself options, this helps people manage their hunger levels accordingly. Serving a mixture of breakfast and lunch style foods, such as a fruit platter, pastries and an egg based dish. I then like to go for some version of a salad and always a carb based dish, such as pasta, potatoes or pizza. A mixture of sides and sauces is always a good idea, salsa, coleslaw, pesto are genuinely what I lean towards. To finish? Cake, I like individual sized portions, or a large one you can slice.
Number 5: Be prepared
I always plan things the night before, brunch happens quite early. The last thing you want to do is wake up feeling stressed. Getting as much done the night before is always a good idea. The one thing you can prepare before hand is your table, that is one major thing out of the way. Another thing is to prep as much of your food as you can, your hosting after all. You want to be available when your guests arrive, for drinks to be available for them to grab. So they can happily talk amongst themselves whilst you get the rest of your elements ready. Prepare, prepare, prepare.
Huge thank you to Dassie Artisan, Cawligraphy, Cawston Press, Hello Happy Go Lucky, The Completist, Little Nells, Rock n Rose Girls, Pump Street Chocolate and Posy & Posy for contributing gits towards this brunch.