Nifty Nibbles
You may be familiar with M&S’s Marmite Dinky Cheese Pinwheels as a picnic staple but if you put them in the oven for five minutes and serve them on a pretty plate at drinks time, you instantly elevate them. Trust us: tongues will wag about what a remarkably good canapé you’ve produced. They go particularly well with a glass of something fizzy.
Sweet Treat
Few people want to eat or serve a full-on pudding at today’s dinner parties but it’s always nice to have something sweet on offer. We love to fill assorted little bowls with Tony’s Chocolonely balls of joy and dot them down the table. They go really well with coffee, mint tea or another glass of red.
Heavenly Hummus
Buy the most ordinary hummus you can find and pimp it. First, decant the whole lot into a bowl. Top it with extra virgin olive oil, some black pepper, some mixed seeds and finally snip over a few coriander leaves. Suddenly you have a sexy dip for even the dreariest crudités or fingers of plain pitta bread.
Floral Flourish
Flowers wrapped in cellophane from the petrol station or supermarket will never look as inviting as a loosely bunched collection from a florist. But there is a way that you can raise their game. Gather a collection of small glasses, bottles or bud vases and put a single stem in each one. Dot them down the table like you would the chocolate balls above and, voila, your decoration looks chic and intentional.
Classy Cloth
A table elegantly laid with a white tablecloth is hard to beat, with its pristine promise of generosity. If you haven’t got the time or budget to buy one, head for the flat sheet department in any large supermarket. Better still, go for the easy iron option. Nobody will ever know it’s bed linen. Promise. (Disclaimer: this hack requires access to a supermarket large enough to sell bedding.)
Perfect Potatoes
This one is mega – and all you need for it is to head straight to the freezer section at your local Lidl. There you will find a box called ‘Four Mini Potato Gratins with Emmental Cheese’. These, you will discover, make a flawless accompaniment to the meat of your choice. Meanwhile, your guests will think a chef whipped them up.
