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The Art of Entertaining: How to Host a Dinner Party with Louise Roe and Marlo Wine
Louise Roe, the founder of Sharland England, and Pip Dawes, the co-founder of Marlo Wine, visited The Wedding Present Company showroom to share their tips on the Art of Entertaining. Join us as they cover beautiful tablescape design, flower arranging, lighting, pairing wine, and everything else you need to know for how to host the ultimate dinner party.
Louise Roe's Top Dinner Party Tips
"The ambience begins when people first walk through the door, so it’s important to think about appealing to all senses." Louise Roe, the Founder of Sharland England.
Consider Louise's tips to elevate your dinner party hosting:
Entrance Elegance
A scented candle burning by the door and flowers in a vase near the entryway is a lovely welcome for the senses. Guests will also often bring wine or flowers, and I think it’s nice to use both in front of them. It makes them feel appreciated! So having an empty vase or two and a bottle opener ready is a great idea.
Lighting the way
Lighting is another way to set the tone of your dinner party. I like to keep it low. Often, I’ll switch bulbs out for lower wattage or an orange tone. I also turn off any overhead lights unless they’re on a dimmer and bring a lamp into the kitchen. Either a cordless lamp for the table or plug one in on the countertop. Somehow, it completely transforms the vibe of the kitchen into a cosy oasis. I love the rechargeable table lamps by Pooky that are available via The Wedding Present Company gift list.
Dinner Beats
Have the music playing, and think about the energy you want to create. You don’t want your dinner party guests to feel like they’ve walked into a rave. Nor do you want to put them to sleep! I like a little jazz in the winter and something more loungey or bossa nova in the summer.
Sharland England has two playlists perfect for dinner parties—one for summer and one for winter—right here.
Mood Matters
Think about your own mood! Hosting your dinner party isn’t easy. You might have had a crazy busy day at work, followed by tube strikes and you've forgotten a key ingredient for your meal plan.
Try to forget any stresses of the day because guests will feel them, and remember why you’re inviting friends over—to have fun! A little drink prior to their arrival is often a nice way to ease into the evening.
WHAT CAN YOU PREPARE IN ADVANCE OF YOUR DINNER PARTY
Ticking things off the list ahead of time is a great idea, so make your dinner party hosting easier by considering a few things beforehand:
1. Ask about people’s dietary restrictions when they accept the invitation.
2. For dinner parties bigger than 8 people, I like to use a seating plan. It’s a great way to ensure the best chemistry at the table.
3. Set up a cocktail cart or even reuse a side table. Guests need little persuasion to make their own drinks, and it takes another job away from you. I like to serve people their first drink, of course, but a cocktail trolley makes a fun focal point—stack it with booze, mixers, glasses, fresh mint, limes, and a full ice bucket.
4. Nowadays, our home is our everything - our office, our gym, and everything else that comes with our busy lives. It’s important to make that distinction from day to night and make your dinner party guests feel like they’ve stepped into a sophisticated, gorgeous environment. So switch the television off in the background, put away the laptop on the kitchen island, and throw any other distractions in a cupboard.
THE DINNER PARTY TABLESCAPE
Now to the creative part! I love setting the table and dreaming up pretty combinations of plates, linens, and decorations. Here are some of my tips to make your tablescape memorable.
1. Always iron the tablecloth; it makes a big difference when you lay it down.
2. Speaking of layering, I like to use one of the Sharland rattan placemats under dinner plates or layer a soup bowl over the dinner plates.
3. I love to mix in old dishes—some antique, some chipped but sentimental—for a warm and authentic feel.
4. I tend to keep vases low so they don’t block dinner party guests from each other across the table.
5. Think outside the box when it comes to décor: flowers are lovely, but I love using fruit—perhaps a pear or fig on each plate, or little pumpkins gathered together as a centrepiece in the autumn. One Christmas, I scattered old-fashioned sweets in metallic wrappers across the table, which everyone, of course, loved!
6. I also light candles at differing heights. I have a mix of candle holders—some tall, some short—and the effect is romantic and welcoming.
Lastly, make the cooking work for you, not the other way around…
If you love to cook, then amazing! I salute you! But if, like me, you struggle with the cuisine side of things, then here’s my dinner party guide to varying degrees of ‘cheating’.
First of all, dinner parties have changed. Nobody expects the three-course homemade delicacies our mother’s generation had to slave over for a day. A takeout truffle pizza from a nearby restaurant plus a great bottle of red wine is more than acceptable in my eyes! Or, decide to make the main course, but perhaps buy the starter or pudding (or both) from a great neighbourhood deli.
Catering has also come a long way in the last few years. There are so many more affordable options for your dinner party, like YHangry, for example, who lets you choose the menu online and how long the chef stays—if they just cook the food and you serve it, for example, it’s easier on the wallet.
One last personal preference? I love serving fruit-cheese-salad-combo at a dinner party; it looks colourful and more professional than it is! Fig, ricotta, and walnuts, anyone? Or grilled peaches with feta and rocket? Drizzle a little balsamic over the top, and hey presto, you look like a chef!
Even with Louise’s tips, we all know that planning and hosting a dinner party can be quite a challenge. Especially with our fast-paced lives where juggling jobs, shopping, cooking, cleaning, setting the scene, and getting ready feels like running a marathon, The last thing you want to fret over is the wine selection.
We asked Pip Dawes, the co-founder of Marlo Wine, to devise some top tips to help you pick some show-stopping bottles for your party that will wow your crowd and make you look like a hosting aficionado.
Rule No.1 : Choose Crowd Pleasers
When choosing wines for your dinner party, gravitate towards those with a proven track record. Even though countless books dictate pairings of certain grapes with specific dishes, at Marlo, we're staunch advocates for sticking with classic wines that resonate with a broad audience.
For your red wine selection, bypass extremes—neither too robust nor too insipid. Aim for reds that are velvety, medium-bodied, yet layered in their taste profile, such as a decent Rioja, Bordeaux, or a red from Tuscany.
For white wines, avoid wines that are overly rich and creamy or excessively acidic. The goal is a harmonious white wine that is delightful when drunk alone and when paired with a meal. Choose whites from Burgundy or a Spanish Godello.
Rule No.2 : Get The Temperature Right
Often, red wines are poured too warm and white wines too chilly. It's best to keep reds at ambient room temperature and to always consider using a decanter.
Decanting serves two main purposes. For mature reds, it helps separate the wine from any sediment that might have accumulated over time. But decanting is also about aerating the wine and breathing life into it. When hosting your dinner party, do this about an hour before your meal, and most wines will benefit from it.
As for whites, on a sweltering day, it might be tempting to sip them straight from an ice bucket. However, ideally, you'd want to remove them from the fridge 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Serving them overly cold can mask their subtle nuances and intricate flavours.
Rule No.3 : The Devils in the Detail
When you're investing time and thought into selecting exquisite wines for your dinner party, it's equally important to consider the glassware. Brands like Riedel and Schott offer grape-specific collections that are crafted to amplify the essence of the wines.
Ahead of the party, I like to arrange champagne glasses on a tray, accompanied by a simple bowl of crisps or olives. Set the table with dedicated glasses for white and red wines, plus a water glass. Play around with the hues and designs of the water glass to create a distinct touch. And if you're thinking ahead, you might also want to organise a tray with glasses for port, sauternes, or brandy for later in the evening.
Rule No.4 : Getting the Party Started
Starting a dinner party with a glass of champagne is a personal favourite of mine. I mean, who can resist the allure of Champagne? It never fails to charm the crowd.
One of Marlo’s best sellers is a wine called Nyetimber. Produced in the southwest of England, Nyetimber is a sparkling testament to British winemaking. Effervescent with delightful notes of fruits and brioche.
While cocktails as welcome drinks are a popular choice when hosting a dinner party, they can pack a punch and elevate spirits rather swiftly. This is perfect for a lively party, but maybe not ideal if you've poured hours into preparing a meal and aim for a more relaxed dinner experience. My suggestion? Reserve the cocktails for dessert; they pair delightfully.