Last night we had a little dinner party for our family and for a belated mothers' day celebration (just slightly late). We love having people over for food and socialising. We chose our home because it gave us the space to do that with a fully open plan downstairs and we have made it a priority to have a home that we happily share with people.
We're lucky enough that one half of us loves to cook and one half of us loves to tidy up & "table-scape" (yes, it's a thing): see here for some inspiration… It makes a meal a bit more of an occasion. Last night's dinner was a tasty success after a full day of cooking and baking. Philip doesn't use recipes but we enjoyed some home baked breads (a salt&chilli loaf and a garlic-herby focaccia) with a spiced butternut squash dip, a paprika/chilli roasted chicken with chorizo cream sauce, garlic roasted potatoes, greens & butternut squash, finished by a chocolate tarte with candied orange zest. I'm seriously lucky!
But it's more than just about the food, it's about the company you keep and the importance of spending time around a table together. Sounds so simple but so few people do it nowadays with our lives getting busier and family times moving away from the kitchen table to the sofa. It's good to set time out of the day to talk to others' and actually enjoy your food. Too often, Philip & I eat on our sofa in front of the TV (one the downsides to having an open plan house!). We're making a real effort now to make dinner a time for us and for catching up on the day.
(*pause writing while we enjoy leftovers for dinner*)
Jules Clancy, a food blogger, echoes this: "When life gets busy, it can be easy to slip into the rut of eating not the run & neglecting to take time to sit down together. yet this is something we should be striving to avoid. There are a whole host of benefits that comes with taking the time to eat dinner together, at the table". Some of the benefits she talks about include:
I. Helping you connect with one another
II. Helping you to relax after a long day
III. Improving nutrition & encouraging mindful eating
I think there's something to be said for setting aside time for meals and each other at least once a day (For me breakfast is eaten in the car and lunch is usually at my office desk). Here's to more dinner parties at the Jacksons!
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