Spring is the perfect time to host a garden party—and it’s easier than you think.
Here at Essington Park, the garden is waking up, the days are stretching out and there’s a lovely sense that everyone is ready to linger outdoors again. For me, that is invitation enough: bring a few friends together, set a table under a tree and let the season do most of the decorating.
Keep It Simple
I never want entertaining to feel like an endurance event. I start with what I already have: a well-loved tablecloth, mismatched plates, proper glasses and little jars filled with flowers and foliage cut from the garden. Nothing needs to match. In fact, I think a table feels more generous when it has been gathered rather than styled.
Choose a spot with dappled shade and make your guests comfortable. I scatter a few cushions on chairs, keep light throws nearby in case the afternoon cools and always have a wet-weather plan. A veranda, a marquee or even the kitchen table can rescue the day without spoiling the mood.
Serve Food That Lets You Join the Party
My rule is to cook almost everything before the first guest comes through the gate. A spring lunch might be a platter of roast chicken served at room temperature, a bowl of new potatoes tossed with herbs, and a bright green salad with peas, asparagus and lemon. Put good bread and salted butter on the table, then finish with a simple cake and a bowl of strawberries. It is fresh, abundant and entirely manageable.
Maybe pass around food is more up your ally and is great as people can mingle and get to know each other with meaningful conversation.
I like to serve little quiches, or mini chicken and leek pies and my favourite finger sandwiches, and I always finish with a little sweet something like my lemon, vanilla and almond biscuits. Everyone will be asking you for the recipe.
I set up an elegant self-serve bar on a small table in the shade, dressed in a crisp cloth and a simple vase of garden flowers. I fill a generous ice bucket just before guests arrive and arrange proper glasses, a jigger, a long spoon, sliced citrus and plenty of napkins on a tray. Rosé gin sits alongside chilled tonic and soda water, with lemon, lime, cucumber and sprigs of rosemary for guests to add as they please. For an Aperol Spritz, I place chilled Prosecco, Aperol and soda together with wine glasses and orange slices, plus a small card suggesting three parts Prosecco, two parts Aperol and one part soda. I also include sparkling mineral water and chilled water with lemon and mint. Everything is easy to see and reach, so guests can help themselves and I can sit down too—which, after all, that’s what it’s all about really.
The Finishing Touches
Music should be gentle enough for conversation, and flowers should be low enough for guests to see one another across the table. If the gathering drifts towards evening, a few lanterns or strings of warm lights make everything glow. Perfection is not required; hospitality is simply the feeling that there is room for one more chair.
So, this spring, don’t wait for the garden to be finished or the house to be spotless. Pick a date, invite the people you love and serve something delicious outdoors. Here at Essington Park, I’ve learned that the gatherings we remember best are rarely the most elaborate—they are the ones where everyone relaxes, stays a little longer and leaves with a cutting, a recipe or a story to take home.
With love, Simmone
