Laura Jackson on how to host the ultimate garden party
The minute the sun finally makes an appearance, there is one only place you'll find us - the garden. No matter how big or small your outside space is (it's a cute little balcony for us), hosting al fresco is one of the biggest joys of summer. Freshly chilled rosé in hand, while the BBQ smokes away and you're catching up with your mates = true summer heaven.
And if you're looking to elevate your garden parties this summer with some fun and fresh ideas, we have just the person to give you the 101 on outside dining. Presenter, Glassette founder and unofficial host with the most, Laura Jackson has given us all her go to garden party ideas to ensure your event goes off without a hitch and you deliver a stand out party for your nearest and dearest.
Ready to throw the ultimate summer garden party? Then here are all the tips and ideas you need.
Plan in advance
It turns out our mums were right, leaving things to the last minute isn't actually helpful and Laura tends to suggest planning any garden party at least a week in advance.
"A week in advance is good for delegating jobs, organising a menu and reordering anything that you need to do. Usually I have to have at least a week to get prepared if I'm going to order stuff, I get my fish from a place called Pesky, which is a fish marketplace online and I try and buy my meat from this place called the Ethical Butcher and then I go to my local veg shop," she said.
Delegate responsibilities
That being said you also don't need to do everything in advance yourself, and Laura often asks guests to bring a dish with them.
After all, any good guest will often ask what they can bring, so take them up on their offer. One person can bring the wine, another the pudding and you can do mains, and between you you've got an impressive spread.
Buffets = ice breakers
Let's be real, any good garden party is centred around the food and while you could down the route of serving your guests an elaborate three course meal at selected time intervals, for Laura the joy of eating outside is the communal spirit and the best way to do this (and serve your food) is a help yourself buffet.
"It depends on your space, but for most people I think a buffet situation always works well because that can work well if you have a nice table set up or if you've got a smaller garden," she explains. "For me it feels less formal and sharing for me is so lovely and I really lean into that communal way of eating. It's a great way to get people talking and moving around rather than just being sat and static, which feels a bit restrictive sometimes."
And of course it means you can actually catch up with your guests rather than waiting on them hand and foot. People can also graze throughout the day when they fancy rather than everyone having to sit down at a certain time, ideal too if you're having people pop in throughout the party.
There's more to outdoor dining than hot dogs
Yes we all love a hot dog on a hot summer's day, it wouldn't be a British summer without one, but there's so many great recipes you can create for a garden party.
"I always like to do a BBQ and then just have all of the food on one table with lots of Ottolenghi style salads, usually crudities, hams and cheeses on the side," Laura explains.
Her go to dish of the moment? A chickpea and tomato dish with loads of herbs served with crème fraîche. Big yum.
Batch prepare cocktails
If you're a cocktail fan, then you need to prepping your cocktails in advance, it will save you SO much time.
"I usually do [prep cocktails in advance]. It depends on what I'm cooking. If I'm doing Mexican style, I would just do palomas or margaritas," Laura says. "I have an inexpensive juicer and it's quite nice as to have it all done."
Make drink service fun
With said cocktails you can then set up your own little drink station so people can help themselves.
Tablecloth clips are your friends
For Laura there's no reason why you can't decorate your outside table just as you would for an indoor dining experience. The only difference? Invest in some table cloth clips. They are lifesavers.
Create atmosphere with candles
To enhance beautiful table setting, which yes can still be done with a buffet, candles are an easy win for creating atmosphere at a garden party.
"Taper candles and hurricane candles can create a a sexy atmospheric dinner outside," she suggests.
But leave the scented ones for indoors
On the flip side leave the heavily scented candles inside as Laura argues, "I'm not a massive fan of strong fragrances and food. Scented candles on the table with food really makes me feel uncomfortable."
That being said we would always opt for one or two lightly scented citronella candles to keep insects away from food.
Soundtracks are easy wins for music
Why is planning the music for any kind of social situation so stressful? Thankfully, Laura understands our pain and suggests movie or TV show soundtracks an easy way to create atmosphere without having to expertly craft a playlist.
She recommends the soundtracks of Netflix's One Day, Drive and Call Me By Your Name as classic listens you can have on repeat at any garden party.
An easy to wear outfit is a game changer
Even though you've prepared your cocktails and delegated out a number of responsibilities, an outfit you can move around in and feel comfortable in is essential and Laura relies on her butter yellow dress from her collection with Barbour to feel at ease whilst hosting garden parties.
Have a back up plan for British weather
This is the UK, and so one of favourite garden party ideas, is to plan for when the UK does what the UK does best, rain.
Laura suggests bringing the party indoors and using a picnic blanket to create that inside/outside feel.
"I think there's something quite romantic though about having drizzly weather and looking outside on a summer's day," she says.
And if it's not raining, she still suggests advising your guests to bring a jumper and then you can still enjoy the day if the weather changes.
You don't need a big space to create a fun garden party
If you're not blessed on lots of outside space (hi yeah that's us) you can still create a garden style party which whatever space you have.
"When I had no garden at all, I would just take it to the park," Laura reminisces. "I'd get cute little fun glasses from like the supermarket and drink cava and bring a tablecloth, just doing the little things that elevate those moments.
"And if you've got little terrace or a balcony, I would put a table out there with a couple of glasses and some flowers."
It doesn't need to be extravagant to be a good time
For Laura there are no ultimate rules when it comes to hosting outside, ultimately, it's "what makes you feel good."
So you could keep things lowkey with a "supermarket ready made hummus, some chips, a salad and a pizza" and it will still be a great party. Or you could invest in a firepit to keep the garden parties going into the autumnal months, or find an outdoor projector and have all your friends round for a movie marathon as the sun goes down.
"There's just something to be said about being outdoors, whether it is a balcony, whether it is a park, whether it's going on a walk, whether it's having 100 people in your garden, whatever the excuse to get outside as we all know, we all know the health and mental benefits nature and we don't have a long summer, so it's just about trying to enjoy while we can," Laura adds and we couldn't agree more.
Now, someone get the margaritas, we're planning on soaking up every moment of the outdoors.
Laura Jackson is the new face of Barbour, shop the dresses collection here
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