Calm before the chaos

We had some friends over for lunch one Sunday last month. It was a chance to catch up after a busy year that left us too little time together, and before the madness of December really took hold of our diaries.

I wanted the afternoon to feel relaxed, a chance to linger over a simple meal, to reconnect, and to once again share in each other’s lives, if only for a few precious hours. But, here is the behind the scenes truth; panic cleaning. I endeavour to keep the house serviceable; clean enough that the health department won’t be called in, but, with 5 adults, a dog and a cat as residents, and flagging motivation, our house would never be called immaculate; lived in is the kindest description that I can conjure up.

The menu was designed to be one of the easiest I know: roast chicken, a few side salads, bread and potatoes. I didn’t want to be darting back and forth to the kitchen all afternoon, missing the whole point of having people over. If I’m inviting friends for lunch, I’d very much like to actually see them — not catch glimpses of them between frantic trips to the oven and slowly unravelling because a 15 step recipe was neither quick, easy or inexpensive, despite its promises.

Entertaining,or perhaps hosting is more apt, isn’t about showing off. It’s about being together.

I am no great cook; I’m under no illusions about that. But I can assemble with style.Give me a simple menu and a well-set table and I start acting like I’ve got a lifestyle brand and staff.

Our December menu. Effortless, tasty and designed to keep you out of the kitchen and at the table.

I have always loved a well-set table. It stems not only from my own aesthetic, but from my mother’s careful curation of hers — tables always set with intention and care. Colourful paper napkins placed in wine glasses in a flourish, adding dimension and movement, a quiet sense of theatre.

There was glamour in it, yes, but also something deeper. A message, unspoken but clearly felt: you, the guest, matter. This was created for you, for us, and for the time we are about to share. Our time together is special, and so it deserves to be noticed, honoured, and quietly celebrated.

On to my table. I very happily found this patterned tablecloth at one of our local thrift shops. Which is to say: I spotted it and grabbed it before the lady also browsing Manchester came to her senses and decided she wanted it after all, and I carried it to the counter like I’d discovered treasure, which in a way, I had.

It reminds me of the Laura Ashley patterns of the 1980s and 1990s — a soft provincial red and vanilla white in a striking pattern.

When I was at uni I worked as a waitress in a coffee shop on the mezzanine level above the Laura Ashley store, and I spent many happy hours looking at their homewares and fabrics. I still have a fabric sample tucked away somewhere — yellow and cream stripes overlaid with burgundy and pink roses.

To now own something reminiscent of that English country charm (with a little French daydream woven in) really was a dream come true — and all for $6.99. 

The red and vanilla combination sings summer to me, and paired effortlessly with the new navy placemats that arrived the previous week, it took on a gentle nautical air — the navy cooling the vibrancy of the red, giving the eye somewhere calm and quiet to land. This was important, because I was using my red and white dinner service which, frankly, doesn’t so much “add colour” as completely commit to it.

I paired the dinnerware with my smoky blue tumblers with the gold rim and gold cutlery, so the overall impression was… warm. Bold. Saturated. Unapologetic. The table was not whispering — it was singing. Possibly with jazz hands.

Little crystal vases holding blue and white lobelia and cuttings from my box plant provided a dainty floral note without crowding the table too much. The final flourish was adding pale blue napkins cinched with a napkin ring adorned with a stylised white flower that echoed the design on the plates.

And honestly? I think this is my favourite table setting so far.

Lunch itself was easy to prepare, easy to serve, and easy to eat — my holy trinity. I removed the bones from a chicken and marinated it in a mix of mustard, red wine vinegar and Worcestershire sauce, then cooked it over charcoal and apple wood until it was tender and smoky.

Salads were also quick and easy to prepare: zucchini, mint and feta, and heirloom tomato, peach and burrata. I also roasted some baby potatoes, tossed them with garlic, rosemary and salt, and served thick slices of herby sourdough bread with extra virgin olive oil.

It was colourful, fresh, unfussy — and felt exactly right for a warm summer day.

The dessert was a Lemon and Berry Eton Mess, which is one of those glorious desserts that looks like effort but is actually just good ingredients being layered with confidence. Again: no last-minute stress, no dramatic flourishes, no “sorry everyone, I’ll just be another minute” while you sweat in the kitchen.

Instead, I got to sit down. I got to listen. I got to enjoy my friends — which is, after all, the whole point.

The afternoon passed in a blur and we promised we would not leave it so long between catch ups next time. (Because we always say that, don’t we? And then suddenly it’s six months later and everyone is texting “We must catch up!” again.)

I’ve come to believe that a thoughtfully set table is an act of care. It says: you are welcome here, there is time for you, and this moment matters. If all I do is create space for that through colour, food, and a place to sit — then I have hosted well.

And if there are crumbs on the floor afterwards?

Well. That’s what dogs are for.

Highly recommend this floor cleaner. May contribute to general state of dishevelment due to excess hair loss, but makes up for it with excellent crumb disposal.

The colour palette for December was ‘elevated nautical’. Red, gold, navy, vanilla and pale blue.

The Host’s Cheat Sheet

Table details

Tablecloth Thrifted Red and white

Placemats SHEIN Navy

Cutlery Amazon Gold

Dinnerware Maxwell Williams Enchante (vintage) Red multi floral

Glassware Kmart (vintage) Smokey blue

Centrepiece Crystal bud vases, thrifted Garden flowers

Candlesticks Crystal, thrifted

Menu notes

Drinks Prosecco, beer, non alcoholic sparkling wine

Nibbles Cheese platter with artisan crackers, fresh fruit

Main Marinate the chicken in a mix of Worcestershire sauce, red wine vinegar and mustard for 2 hours before cooking.

Sides Salads should be prepared just before serving so that they don’t go watery.

Dessert crush up meringues, whip cream and wash berries and set aside to assemble just before serving