Spring isn’t even in full swing yet and we are already planning our next garden party. Whether you are part of a gardening club or simply want a party with a bit of creative flair, holding it in your garden is a wonderful idea. But you don’t want to host just any party, you want your garden party to be the talk of the year. That’s why you need to start planning now. You might want to host your party outdoors or in a lovely garden building like those you’ve seen online on sites like GardenSpaces.co.uk. Just remember, for some of these ideas to work, you’ll need to start early.
1) Plant Your Party Favours
What’s a party without party favours? This year, instead of rushing to the nearest shop to pick up little trinkets, start a month or two before your planned event and plant little pots with herbs or edible flowers. They’ll make lovely table decorations and your guests will get to bring them home and plant them in their own gardens.
2) Edible Salad Bowls
If you’ve a flair for baking bread, edible salad bowls will be just the thing. Form your ‘loaves’ into balls, let them rise and then bake them. The ideal size would be about cereal-bowl size. Once they’ve baked, let them cool. Cut a circle in the top just a couple inches in from the circumference. Scoop out the insides carefully. Set this aside for a few minutes as you’ll be using it! After you’ve got your round loaves hollowed out, put them back in a hot oven (hotter than normal baking) to crisp them up but watch them so they don’t burn.
3) Salad from Your Garden with Homemade Croutons
Here is where you’ll use that bread you’ve scooped from the bread bowls. Cut them into small chunks, perhaps about one inch squares. Don’t fuss with uniformity, just make sure they’re small enough to crisp up in the oven. Layer a cookie sheet (the kind with a small lip) with olive oil. Place your bread chunks on the sheet, sprinkle with chopped parsley and bake until nice and brown. After they cool you can top your salad made from garden greens and vegetables with your homemade croutons.
One of the best ideas for a cool beverage is to place ice water in clear glass pitchers. Cut melons in half and use a round melon ball scoop to pull balls out of the centre – after you’ve pulled out the messy seeds, that is. Drop the melon balls into the water and they will add a fresh touch of flavour to your water. Strawberries can be used equally as effectively, but these tend to turn the water pinkish to red if left too long. Green or orange melon balls tend to work best but you can really use any fruit you’d like.
Some hostesses choose cucumber finger sandwiches as their main course whilst others use cold cuts and cheeses from local dairy farmers. The idea for your garden party is to keep everything as local as possible and to give it that authentic English garden appeal. Your party will be a huge success with just a little advance preparation and lovely edibles from your very own garden.