Alfresco Dining
The key is layering. A beautiful wood-top table is ideal, obviously, but if yours is less easy on the eyes, just cover it with swathes of light, natural table linens. Keep it easy and playful: a linen tablecloth and soft cotton napkins work perfectly, and we like to throw a cool stripey runner down the middle to really pull it all together. Add colour and contrast with brightly coloured stoneware and bowls. Layer on still more colour through a crisp and bright salad, tossed together in a large, rustic wooden salad bowl that’s easy to pass round the table. Put little nibbles, like olives, or crudites, in a selection of glass containers so your guests can pick and mix at their leisure. We love our ocean-tinted recycled glassware for cocktails. If you’re lucky enough to have flowers in your garden, use a few as bright centrepieces. Self-serve style is the way to go for meals served alfresco. It keeps things casual and allows your guests to wander and mingle. And then the most important part: relax and enjoy yourself. That’s the thing about eating outdoors, if people are standing around the table, cocktail in hand, and having a chat, it’s already a wildly successful gathering.