00:00 Go online, get some gorgeous plates, gold plates, red plates, green plates, they're
00:06 not expensive, and display the food around the room and maybe on a central table, but
00:11 make it so that people can wander. They can wander around with a small side plate, never
00:16 ever use a big plate, and never ever use a paper plate. Ever.
00:21 When it comes to Christmas gatherings, do you don the kitchen with fairy lights or are
00:25 streamers in season right now? How do you cater for the non-drinkers and those with
00:28 dietary requirements? And just how are you going to invite this person without inviting
00:33 that person? Well, let's try and make things a little bit simpler by taking a few top tips
00:38 from celebrity party planner Liz Taylor.
00:41 And you would be aghast at how many people double dip. So that means that they go and
00:46 they take the thing and they take a bite and then they go and double dip it in the next
00:50 sauce. And we're all guilty of that. You know, you want vol-au-vent. You can do meat options
00:54 and you can do non-meat options. And I think that is hugely important. And you again, make
01:01 or do or print really cool, cute signs. You know, this contains meat. This doesn't contain
01:07 meat.
01:08 New research by Co-op has found a third of adults say they are much more likely to attend
01:13 a work or social event if it has a piggy bit spread, with almost half agreeing they prefer
01:17 Christmas parties with a buffet over a sit-down meal.
01:21 You know, drink, you don't want to spend fortunes on drink. Get a little mini milk bottle, fill
01:27 it with some Prosecco and put a straw in, fill it with a mulled wine and that mini milk
01:31 bottle can sit on your plate. And you're there, you know, you've got your bag under your arm
01:36 or over your shoulder, you've got a small plate with some piggy bits on with your drink
01:40 and listening to your naughty holder all the stupid music that we make an excuse for over
01:45 Christmas.
01:46 With the cost of living crisis continuing to create a hole in people's pockets, festivities
01:50 might be on a bit of a budget this year. But even despite that, Liz is sure that it's not
01:54 necessarily about money when it comes to creating an atmosphere.
01:58 I think the other thing is, and I say this to all the clients, it's never about how much
02:02 you spend, it's how you spend it. So whatever the budget, think about it. You know, no one
02:08 wants to walk into a house where all the lights are on. You know, it's a completely different
02:12 vibe. You want to go in somewhere a bit sexy. So turn the lights off and go and get reusable,
02:18 you know, some, the globe lights or the fairy lights that you can stick and you can get
02:23 away with stuff at Christmas. Do two or three cheese boards. Don't do one and do smaller
02:29 pieces and, or if you've got the time, even cut up the pieces. There is nothing worse
02:35 than a big cheese board where somebody's, particularly the men, they're guilty of this.
02:40 They like hack into it with a hammer and then there's stuff all over the place and it looks
02:44 a complete disaster, but get something a bit festive. Get a stick with a Santa hat on,
02:50 get a stick with a bit of foil on it or something. And you put them, don't put them in the food.
02:55 You put a little bowl on the side with all the sticks in and I take my stick out and
02:59 I can take, and I can use that stick more than once.
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