The Perfect Dinner Party: A Guide to Hosting at Home

The secret to a relaxed dinner party isn't a complicated menu. It's timing. Do almost everything before your guests arrive, choose one centrepiece that looks after itself, and plan your day backwards from the moment you want to sit down. Get that right and you'll spend the evening at the table, not stuck at the stove.

Plan backwards from the main course

Decide what time the main course hits the table, then work back. A simple timeline for a Saturday evening dinner party at home looks like this:

1. The day before: make your dessert and any sauces, prep your vegetables and get the fizz into the fridge.
2. The morning: lay the table, choose your serving dishes and write a short running order to stick on the fridge.
3. An hour before guests arrive: take the meat out of the fridge so it comes up to room temperature, and preheat the oven.
4. When guests arrive: drinks and a no-cook starter, so you're free to say hello.
5. Main course: the meat has rested, the sides are hot and you carve at the table.

A course-by-course dinner party menu

To start: something cold and impressive

The best dinner party starters need no cooking at all. An Exmoor Caviar Taster Set instantly elevates the evening. It brings together three of their most popular caviars, served simply with blinis and crème fraîche. Pour a glass of Pattingham English Sparkling White alongside and you've made an entrance without lifting a pan.

The main: a centrepiece that looks after itself

Pick a joint that cooks quickly or happily rests while you finish everything else. A Rack of Salt Marsh Lamb from Farm Butchers is ideal for a smaller table: around 20 minutes in a hot oven, a short rest, then carved into neat cutlets. For a bigger crowd, a Welsh Dry Aged Beef Rib from Douglas Willis brings PGI Welsh Beef and real theatre to the table. Pair either with a full-bodied English red like Rudge Heath, made for roasts.

Finishing touches

Dessert should come straight from the fridge, made the day before. Follow with a cheese board, which only asks that you take it out an hour ahead so the flavours open up.

Dinner party FAQs

How far ahead should I plan a dinner party?

Order your meat and wine about a week ahead, then do the bulk of the prep the day before. On the day itself, aim to have only the main course left to cook. Use our date selector to choose the perfect delivery date.

What is the easiest main course for a dinner party?

A roasting joint. Rack of lamb, beef rib or a sirloin joint needs very little hands-on time, and resting gives you a 20 to 30 minute window to finish the sides.

How much meat do I need per person?

Allow around 200g to 250g of boneless meat per person, and a little more for bone-in cuts like rib of beef or rack of lamb.

Can I cook the meat in advance?

Yes. Sous vide is the easiest way, as the meat can sit at its perfect temperature for hours and only needs a quick sear before serving. If you don't have a sous vide kit, roasting as normal, or a reverse sear is still a great, hassle free way to cook.

Hosting tricks that take the stress out

1. Use sous vide. Cook your lamb or beef in a water bath set to your ideal doneness. It's pink edge to edge, impossible to overcook, and holds until you're ready. A hot pan for a minute each side gives you the crust.
2. Cook to temperature, not time. A probe thermometer removes the guesswork. For pink lamb or beef, take it out around 55°C and it'll climb a few degrees as it rests.
3. Rest generously. A large joint stays hot for 30 minutes or more under foil, which frees the oven for roast potatoes. Be careful not to over cook it.
4. Only cook one hot course. Keep the starter cold and the dessert made ahead, and the evening runs itself and you won't be stuck in the kitchen missing the fun.
5. Chill your bubbles properly. Sparkling wine needs a few hours in the fridge, so get it in the night before.

Ready to plan your menu? Explore the full ranges from Farm Butchers and Douglas Willis Butchers, then pick out a bottle or two from our English wine collection and finish with something special from Exmoor Caviar.