More of Audrey’s
dinner party etiquette

Welcome

After greeting your guests, it’s considerate to offer them somewhere to leave their belongings and a chance to ‘brush up’ (or apply deodorant, as required).

Gifts

As they arrive, some guests may present you with chocolates, a bottle of wine or other small gifts. These should be placed aside and later thrown out. If the gift is food, some guests will expect it to be served as part of the event. This is short-sighted and quite unreasonable. If I have carefully planned dessert as a pavé of lime served with fresh seasonal berries, then the addition of chocolate nougat (handmade or otherwise) is going to do nothing but upset the delicate flavour balance and clutter the table.

Punctuality

If certain guests phone to say they are running late, assure them it’s not a problem and then hold off serving anyone else until the main course is slightly burnt. This way your latecomers will realise that their lack of punctuality has not only caused everyone to wait but has also ruined the meal. Hopefully, they’ll be sufficiently mortified to arrive on time in future, should you be magnanimous enough to invite them.

Introductions

On many occasions, you will have invited guests who do not know each other. In these instances, a clearly spoken and simple introduction is called for, often with a small conversation starter such as, ‘This is Leanne Powlett, whose husband has just left her for a Czech girl half his age,’ or ‘Allow me to present Aiden Coombes and his homosexual partner, Carl.’ Then you can go and check the canapés, safe in the knowledge that your guests now have something to talk about.

Name tags

Under no circumstances should name tags be used. While these may be appropriate for office parties or charity functions, guests in a private home do not wish to have labels attached to them and I for one will simply refuse to wear a sticker, badge or lanyard.

Comfort

Be sensitive to your guests’ enjoyment. Some people are frightened of dogs, allergic to cats, or simply prefer not to have elderly people in view. Make sure all such potential hazards are suitably restrained before anyone arrives.