Summer’s here and with it invitations to backyard barbecues, beachside brunches, and long lunches. But how does one host the perfect long lunch this summer?
We’ve enlisted interior design expert Neale Whitaker for his take on the best hosting tips during the warmer months.
Read on for his best advice for planning the perfect summer soirée with your loved ones…
I have a confession to make. I’m not a cook, or — perhaps more accurately — I’m not the cook. In most relationships, one cooks and one pours the wine, stacks the dishwasher, and generally plays second fiddle. I’m that one, which means my partner David is the cook.
And while I’d like to describe myself as a willing sous-chef — chopping, dicing and all-round helping out — the truth is that would most likely end in a Gordon Ramsay-style meltdown. So I tend to stay out of the kitchen and focus on the bit I’m best at — setting the table. Or “tablescaping” as we call it these days.
Even Martha Stewart, the indisputable doyenne of all things entertaining, admits a successful lunch is about more than just food.
As a kid, it was my job each year to set the Christmas lunch table (a control freak even then; woe betide anyone who dared to move the cardboard snowmen) and I learned early about the balance of function and aesthetics. Admittedly Mum was a great cook, but it needed a little bit of festive magic to elevate lunch to an experience.
I want to stress that there are no rules for entertaining. Perhaps there were in decades past, but these days we’ve given ourselves permission to relax the rules.
What I’m going to share with you is what makes a summer lunch special for David and me. Definitely not rules, just suggestions.
Setting the table for the perfect long lunch
We’re lucky to live on a country property with a covered verandah and a lush, magnificent view. Green is my favourite colour, followed closely by all the earth shades. So, it won’t come as a surprise that I chose green as the accent colour for my tabletop range with Gro Urban Oasis (supported by sand in my Everyday range and a soft dove grey in my Culinary range). Combined with my natural table linen (it has a hint of the antique French linen I love), I like to mix pieces from both ranges to create an outdoor table that echoes the colours of our landscape. My ranges work perfectly on their own or as a neutral base on which to build, so I might add some favourite Japanese pieces (we have quite the crockery collection) as an extra layer — visual surprise is important to me.
I’m conscious of not cluttering the table, but I do like that same tabletop theatre I loved as a child. There will always be something from the garden on our table. In early summer that might mean gardenias, white roses or magnolia, but as summer rolls on, it could be frangipani, Japanese maple, or olive leaves.
Creating the right atmosphere for the perfect long lunch
I remember past soirées on our inner-city terrace with kitchen hands and white-shirted wait staff in attendance. These days we prefer simple and intimate, with four or six guests if we’re dining at the table, perhaps a dozen or so if it’s drinks and nibbles.
I’m as fussy about music as I am about the table. The right music puts everyone at ease and sets the energy level. It’s impossible to anticipate everyone’s musical preferences, so we tend to stick with time-honoured jazz vocalists at the start (Sinatra, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald) then take the tempo up or down as lunch — and the afternoon — plays out.
I’m unapologetically retro in my musical tastes. Lighting is another deal-breaker. Our summer lunch will start in daylight (a wisteria canopy provides natural shade while ceiling fans keep things cool), but as evening settles in, we’ll revert to soft outdoor lamps and mosquito-repellent candles, like the ones I’ve created for Gro Urban Oasis. No overhead lighting — ever — and no bright outdoor lights to attract an army of insects.
Crafting the menu for the perfect long lunch
So David is the cook. Not surprising, given he was once a professional chef. Our menu will take into account guests’ dietary preferences (even with a small number of guests you need to check in advance), but the emphasis will always be on simple, seasonal and — wherever possible — locally sourced classics.
Perhaps a perfect schnitzel, a traditional salmon en croute or a home-baked quiche. Maybe fresh prawns to start, plenty of warm local sourdough, two or three different salads and some great cheese to finish. Dessert will most likely come from our favourite local bakery in Berry.
And a word about the wine. David and I have been sober for more than two years, but that certainly doesn’t mean our guests can’t enjoy a glass of wine or bubbles. It would be unthinkable for us to impose such restrictions. Summer lunch at our place will always be accompanied by a refreshing white or two, a chilled sparkling and a cool rosé. The difference is that these days there are plenty of non-alcoholic options available too. Not just for the chef and his sidekick, but for the growing number of our friends who are choosing a similar path. Things might change, but what remains is the joy of a long summer lunch.
Will you be putting Neale’s advice to good use this summer? Check out Neale’s new crockery range from Gro Urban Oasis and Australian Women’s Weekly Food for the perfect lunch ideas for hosting this summer.
