The one thing I love about blogging is all the friends I’ve made over the years, super talented and interesting people that I’d probably never have met in my former career. The only down side is we don’t often get to hang out in real life, blogging can be quite a solitary pursuit, most of us tend to sit at home alone all day behind a computer, it can feel really isolating.
“We must catch up” is so easy to say, but months can just fly past. So I decided to take matters into my own hands recently and organised a casual get together to share ideas and enjoy each others company.
Forget fussy dinner parties or meeting at crowded cafes, a buffet brunch at home is the way to go for a gathering that won’t run you off your feet.
image credit – Sesame Ellis
7 Tips to make your Next Brunch Party a No-Stress Success
1. Set up a self-serve Tea and Coffee Station
Make it easy for guests to help themselves to tea and coffee, it will save you running around and constantly asking “How many sugars?” Make sure the kettle is nearby and easy to refill, and if you aren’t leaving milk out in a jug, keep it in the door of your fridge so it’s easy to find.
2. Serve food Buffet Style
Take a cue from fancy hotel breakfast buffets and serve a few light and healthy dishes buffet style. Keep cutlery, plates and napkins out on the bench so guests can help themselves when it suits them.
3. Prepare food the night before
Choose recipes that can be prepared the night before. Dishes like Bircher Muesli, fruit platters, and mini frittatas all keep well in the fridge overnight. Minimise fuss for dishes that need to be assembled in the morning by pre-preparing components the evening before. For example, I pre-sliced the onions for the bagels to make them quicker to throw together the morning of the brunch.
Try my deliciously healthy Bircher Muesli Recipe
4. Set up a Smoothie Bar
Let your guests get hands-on and have some fun trying out different fruit and veg combinations to make some healthy smoothies. A container for all the scraps ensures easy clean up.
image credit – Sesame Ellis
Suggestions for Smoothie bar ingredients:
Fruits – Pineapple, strawberries, mango, bananas, grapes, apple, watermelon
Vegetables – Spinach, celery, carrots, mint, ginger
and don’t forget Raw C Coconut water which always makes green smoothies extra tasty and good for you.
5. Ask guests to bring something
Don’t be afraid to ask guests to bring a plate of something along. To avoid doubling up on dishes give invitees a general guide as to what to bring so you don’t end up with 6 fruit platters. I usually like to make all the savory dishes and get the guests to bring along something sweet.
Cupcakes supplied by Cupcake Central – image credit Sesame Ellis
6. Relax
Don’t fuss around all morning and miss out on all the interesting conversation. The most important thing is that your guests feel comfortable, and that will only happen if you are at ease yourself. If you are enjoying yourself, your friends will too.
Deb from Learn with Play at Home and I having fun making our green smoothies – image credit Sesame Ellis
7. Get down to business
Deb (Learn with Play at Home), Imogen (Inside Out Style) and Kate (Laughing Kids Learn) share some advice – image credit Sesame Ellis
A brunch gathering doesn’t have to be purely social, why not combine it with some creative business brainstorming? Who knows, you may just come up with a winning collaboration or mentoring opportunity. Get a bunch of smart women together and things start to happen!
And yes, we’re bloggers so there will always be Instagraming.
So there you have my top tips for a fuss-free brunchy get together. If you have any easy recipe ideas to share I’m always looking for suggestions. I can’t wait for our next get together, I love a good natter.
I’m one of those hosts who totally stress out when I have people coming over. I absolutely love (and enjoyed) your stress-free approach and will remember to do similar in the future. Great post Cintia.
So much fun. Yum!!