It’s great to throw a dinner party at home and catch up with friends and family, but catering for a crowd can be tricky, especially if you only have a small kitchen. However, there are a few tricks that can help you throw an enjoyable dinner party, even with a small space, so here are some tips to get you started.

1. Make sure you have enough plates and dishes

Most people only keep a few spare dishes around, so if you’re throwing a dinner party, you may need to invest in some servingware. Nothing is worse than having people show up and realise you don’t have enough essentials such as plates, so take a look through your kitchen cupboards in advance and see what you need.

2. Choose recipes suitable for a crowd

When you are feeding a lot of people, try to avoid dishes where you have to make things individually. You’ll want to choose recipes that are easy to make in bulk, such as:

• Lasagne and baked pasta dishes
• Chilli
• Paella
• Kebab skewers
• Curry

You can then serve up one or two main dishes as part of a buffet with a range of sides, so people can help themselves, making it easier for you to get everyone fed.

3. Choose informal seating

A dinner party doesn’t have to involve a sit down meal, and if you’re short on space, you may want to plan something that’s a little less formal so there’s space to fit everyone in. For example, if you have a BBQ, you could have some people seated up to the table, and others eating picnic style on the ground. If you don’t have enough chairs, serve up food that people can eat while mingling, so there’s less need for seating.

4. Prep as much as possible

Unless you want to spend the entirety of the party in the kitchen, or feeling like a waiter, get as much prepped in advance as possible. That way, once people arrive, you’re simply heating things up and serving, and not still stuck in the kitchen peeling and chopping everything.

A dinner party is a good excuse to have people around to enjoy some great food and drink. While it may sound stressful, a little preparation and planning is all you need to throw a great dinner party, and if you keep things simple when it comes to catering, you won’t be stuck in your kitchen the whole time.