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From picky bits to a posh bar cart, Laura Jackson reveals her tips for relaxed, fuss-free hosting<\/p>\n
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THE DINNER PARTY TABLE<\/p>\n
\u2018I love laying a table; even if it\u2019s just with the children, I\u2019ll get out the placemats and [daughter] Sid puts a flower or a weird stem from the garden in something.<\/p>\n
\u2018When I\u2019m doing the table for guests, I use a white or blue tablecloth with jazzy napkins, or a jazzy tablecloth with plain napkins \u2013 I don’t like things that are too matchy.<\/p>\n
\u2018I love flowers on the table but also displaying fruit or vegetables. It\u2019s quite cool now to have a lot of the same thing on display, such as a bowl of plums or a plate of pears. Put them on a tray together and they create a centrepiece.<\/p>\n
\u2018I\u2019m also into using what I\u2019ve got at home and repurposing it. Not got a vase? Use a cup and tie a ribbon around it. Have herbs and no flowers? Put a pot of rosemary on the table and tie a bow around it.<\/p>\n
\u2018I always use candles for atmosphere and they give the feel that you\u2019ve really thought about the table. Tying lots of ribbon around a candelabra is a really easy way to make an eye-catching feature or you can simply stick one candle in a potato \u2013 very avant-garde!<\/p>\n
\u2018I serve water in coloured glasses and wine in Glassette Frenchette wine glasses. I never lay the table with more than one plate per setting \u2013 way too fiddly. But I do sometimes make a little menu using cheap and cheerful calligraphy pens and a sheet of A4. It\u2019s really easy but a lovely touch.\u2019<\/p>\n
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There are few things Laura Jackson likes more than hosting. She has long loved cooking for people; she was an early supper club organiser, rustling up moreish meals for foodies in her Hackney warehouse apartment almost a decade ago. During lockdown, her #makeamealofit hashtag became a philosophy that still continues to resonate. And today, barely a week goes by without her laying the enormous table in her light-filled kitchen-dining room, ready for platters laden with delicious things.<\/p>\n
There may be talk of the dinner party being dead, but for Jackson, it is very much alive and feasting. With margaritas.<\/p>\n
\u2018No matter what the budget, the way you can show people that you love and care is by cooking for them and spending time on them,\u2019 she says. \u2018Especially now, as eating out has got so expensive. The dinner party today is not about being fancy \u2013 it could be a shop-bought lasagne with homemade salad, or a pot luck, with everyone bringing a dish. It\u2019s a way of bringing people together, sitting around the table without a screen or phone and just chatting; that,<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/11\/IMG_9831_HI_RES.jpg” title_text=”IMG_9831_HI_RES” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text module_class=”custom-gallery-caption” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Akshar|600|||||||” custom_margin=”-15px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Mint and cream dish, \u00a330, pink and red dish, \u00a320, pink and green napkin, \u00a365 for 4, all Matilda Goad<\/strong>; tray, \u00a3655, L\u2019Objet at Harrods<\/strong>; blue and white plates, \u00a324 each, and pink bowl, \u00a324, Burleigh<\/strong>; green and white stripe napkins, \u00a329.50, blue and white napkins, \u00a312 each, bamboo cutlery, from \u00a327 each, and blue tumblers, \u00a374.50 each, all Nina Campbell<\/strong>; white bowl, \u00a3250, Joanna Ling Ceramics<\/strong>, blue gingham platter, \u00a375, Rosie Gore<\/strong>, flower print napkin, \u00a318, Rebecca Udall<\/strong>, jute placemats, \u00a350 for 6, Sunday And Story<\/strong>, pink glass, \u00a325, Petra Palumbo<\/strong>, and wine glasses, \u00a350 for 4, all Glassette<\/strong>; vase, \u00a385, and candelabra, \u00a365 each, Cox & Cox<\/strong>; ribbon, Hobbycraft<\/strong>; tablecloth, serving spoon, stainless steel ice cream bowls, all Laura\u2019s own<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n While she has never been a formal host \u2013 \u2018You will never find me making a jus,\u2019 she once said \u2013 her unfussy style is now cemented by the fact she has three children under five and a full-on professional life. Glassette, the online homewares marketplace she launched in November 2021 and which now represents 400 UK designer makers (with 700 on the waiting list) is currently crowd-funding to allow for expansion into the US, plus there are podcasts to record, events to attend and regular television presenting work. \u2018It is really important to me to still be able to host people so it\u2019s about finding shortcuts, tricks to make the best of the time I have and the night that I have planned,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/11\/IMG_9671_HI_RES.jpg” title_text=”IMG_9671_HI_RES” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text module_class=”custom-gallery-caption” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Akshar|600|||||||” custom_margin=”-15px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Tall jug (used as vase), \u00a3280, orange jug, \u00a3175, and wine glasses, \u00a3300 for 2, all Gather Glass<\/strong>, blue mug, \u00a335, Florence Mytum<\/strong>, striped platter, \u00a3150, KS Creative Pottery<\/strong>, striped napkins, \u00a336 for 4, Atelier Raff<\/strong>, all Glassette<\/strong>; striped vase, \u00a3145, Henry Holland Studio; bowls, Laura\u2019s own. (On mantelpiece) vase, \u00a3440 Miyelle<\/strong>, wavy candleholder, \u00a365, Florence Mytum<\/strong>, candlesticks, \u00a360 each, Tooka<\/strong>, all Glassette<\/strong>. Laura wears blazer, \u00a3175, and trousers, \u00a3140, both S\u00e9zane<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n That means keeping it simple. \u2018I don\u2019t do anything that takes too long or makes too much washing up!\u2019 she laughs. \u2018Instead, it\u2019s about dishes that I know and are easy, but look elevated. I also buy things in \u2013 I\u2019ve never made a meal where I\u2019ve cooked everything from scratch. I also serve dishes where a lot of it can be done in advance.\u2019<\/p>\n She never serves a starter at the table. \u2018I have a kitchen island and I place some nibbles on it; I love it when people are gathered around it, chatting and eating. It\u2019s informal but very communal and feels really nice. You could do the same thing around a coffee table. I don\u2019t do anything fancy \u2013 I buy a baguette, slice and toast it to make crostinis by adding some crab or shopbought tapenade or chopped tomatoes, plus crudit\u00e9s with shop-bought houmous along with a plate of salamis and a bowl of olives.\u2019<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/11\/IMG_9680_HI_RES.jpg” title_text=”IMG_9680_HI_RES” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text module_class=”custom-gallery-caption” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Akshar|600|||||||” custom_margin=”-15px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n THE PICKY BITS COFFEE TABLE<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2018The coffee table is the perfect set-up for a super-relaxed get-together. Instead of a tablecloth, I cover the table with butcher\u2019s paper cut from a roll. People can draw on it and that makes it fun. If friends are coming for a movie night, I\u2019ll put flowers in pretty vases or jugs, along with colourful napkins, and great glassware.<\/p>\n \u2018I really love hosting with the kids now too, so I\u2019ll have friends and their children round. I\u2019ll still have the paper so the kids can scribble. We’ll eat pizzas \u2013 if I’m feeling fancy, we’ll make our own or I’ll get shop-bought ones and the kids will choose their toppings.\u2019<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n For mains, Jackson has go-to recipes that she knows work and that take the stress out of hosting. \u2018For instance, a roast chicken I can just put in the oven and leave for two hours and halfway through the cooking just bang in some potatoes,\u2019 she says. \u2018I\u2019ll serve that with a salad along with a harissa mayo.\u2019<\/p>\n She doesn\u2019t do single plate servings. \u2018That feels too much like a restaurant,\u2019 she says. \u2018Instead, I put everything on a big plate and everyone helps themselves. I think passing around food is really lovely, and people helping themselves feels really inclusive.\u2019<\/p>\n The meal always ends with an easy pudding. \u2018Lemon posset is the easiest thing to make, or I\u2019ll serve a shop-bought meringue with some fruit and ice cream or get a big bowl of ice and place tubs of ice cream in it that everyone can help themselves to,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/11\/IMG_9938_HI_RES.jpg” title_text=”IMG_9938_HI_RES” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/11\/IMG_9935_HI_RES.jpg” title_text=”IMG_9935_HI_RES” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text module_class=”custom-gallery-caption” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Akshar|600|||||||” custom_margin=”-15px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Bar cart, \u00a32,000, Jonathan Adler<\/strong>; green ice bucket, \u00a3338, Nina Campbell<\/strong>; decanter, \u00a3125, and shot glasses, \u00a385 for 4, Tom Dixon<\/strong>; tumblers, from \u00a326 each, Late Afternoon<\/strong>, octagonal plate, \u00a3150, Sascal Studio<\/strong>, pink serving plate, \u00a365, Aeyglom<\/strong>, all Glassette<\/strong>; tiger and leopard napkins, \u00a3145 for set of 4, L\u2019Objet<\/strong>; cocktail glasses, Laura\u2019s own. (On the sideboard) white vase, \u00a3450, Miyelle<\/strong>, striped ice bucket, \u00a3125, Tooka<\/strong>, both Glassette<\/strong>; red napkins, \u00a3145 for set of 4, L\u2019Objet<\/strong>; napkin rings, \u00a38 each, Nina Campbell<\/strong>; lamp and small bowl, Laura\u2019s own. Laura wears blazer, \u00a3975, and trousers, \u00a3594, both Bella Freud<\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n In the hours before people arrive, she will prep everything. \u2018If it\u2019s a dinner, I tell guests to arrive at 7.30pm,\u2019 says Jackson. \u2018I put the kids down at 7, then lay the table. Part of the ceremony for me is taking the time to make it look beautiful and inviting.<\/p>\n \u2018During my last pregnancy, I really lost my love for hosting,\u2019 she continues. \u2018I didn\u2019t want to cook anything or see anyone \u2013 I basically just cooked crumpets or waffles for myself \u2013 and I wondered whether my zest for cooking and hosting a dinner party would ever come back. But it really has and I am so pleased. I love showing my love through food.\u2019<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/11\/IMG_9896_HI_RES.jpg” title_text=”IMG_9896_HI_RES” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text module_class=”custom-gallery-caption” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Akshar|600|||||||” custom_margin=”-15px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n THE COCKTAIL BAR<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2018When guests arrive I always offer them a cocktail or glass of wine. We always have a bottle of something in the fridge, and there\u2019s no expiry date on booze so you don\u2019t have to worry about it!<\/p>\n \u2018I love a bar cart because you can dress it up. For drinks, use beautiful glassware and serveware that adds to how fabulous it looks, and there is so much gorgeous barware available now, too.<\/p>\n \u2018You can make it really easy and serve ready-to-go cocktails like espresso martinis or make your own. I always have limes in the house for making margaritas. Even if people aren\u2019t drinking alcohol, you can make the evening feel special with a mocktail or a cordial mixed with fizzy water. I recently got a fizzy water machine from Aarke and I absolutely love it! It\u2019s elevated my tap water.\u2019<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_divider color=”#111111″ divider_position=”center” divider_weight=”2px” module_class=”custom-divider” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”0px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_text module_class=”credit-texts” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|||on|||||” text_orientation=”center” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n PHOTOGRAPHS<\/strong> TRENT McMINN WORDS<\/strong> RACHEL LOOS HAIR & MAKE-UP<\/strong>\u00a0CATHY ENNIS AT LEFTSIDE CREATIVE. INTERIORS STYLIST<\/strong>\u00a0PAULA MAY EVANS. FASHION STYLIST <\/strong>JULIA HARVEY<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u2018No matter what the budget, the way you can show people that you love and care is by cooking for them and spending time on them,\u2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":1119,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1111","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature"],"acf":[],"modified_by":"kschwarz","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1111","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1111"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1111\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1317,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1111\/revisions\/1317"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1119"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1111"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1111"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1111"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}