Thanks to IKEA’s ‘Setting The Table For Christmas!’ mini event we’re now inspired and more confident. They’re so much more than a pretty face and an Alan Key! It turns out that their Food Department has so much more than just meatballs to get you through the holiday season.
In less than 45 minutes we saw how to feed a crowd (‘wine & dine’) with numerous sweet and savoury treats With limited effort you can make a major impact (a bit like their furniture assembly).
It’s not champagne but Sparkling Pear Drink. (It tastes like a fruity moscato wine) It’s the perfect beverage for family toasts that everyone can enjoy. Mocktails anyone?
Gingerbread is a European tradition for Christmas and it ‘s perfect for warm cosy winter evenings. To make the cookies/biscuits from ‘scratch’ can be time consuming. IKEA has the perfect solution with frozen Gingerbread dough! Just roll it out and bake. Your kitchen will still smell delicious and you can take all of the credit. Ice them or just serve them straight from the oven.
Or try something different. IKEA served the gingerbread rounds with a touch of blue cheese and orange marmalade for a unique appetiser. YUMMO! We’ll be serving it with our Rainforest Lime Chutney for an Oz citrus touch.
And the table. The tabletop directions were to mix things up and be a bit creative. The runners were fabric lengths in various patterns that went across the table. Under the plates, they’re not traditional placemats but simply fabric cut to size. Our stylists’ suggested leaving the edges slightly frayed for a ‘rustic’ look. And don’t worry if all of the china doesn’t match either. Start with where you were placing the actual place settings to give you an idea of how much space you had to work with. Here’s their suggestion order:
- Tablecloths
- Runners
- Place settings
- Cutlery
- Centrepieces
- Serving Dishes
- Additional decoration (including, garlands, candles, etc.)
Give yourself enough time to do a dry run to make sure that nothing is forgotten. Then take a deep breath and relax.