Is there anything more quintessentially English than a garden party?  Tea on the lawn?  Scones and jam?

Well summer is here and it would seem logical that summer would be the perfect time for a summer garden party.  Of course if your lawn is a traditional natural lawn, it may be hard for you to host such a party, seeing as how the lawn very probably resembles a recently ploughed field, with water-filled tranches that would work perfectly well for the next World Bog Snorkelling Championships.  If, however, you have employed Cheshire Artificial Grass to supply an artificial lawn, you will be sitting pretty, able to host your party with no concerns at all, as the weather will have no impact on the lush look of your lawn.

However, such is the perniciousness of the British weather that we may all have collectively forgotten the art of the Great British Garden Party.  How does it work?  What’s entailed?  Well, as the art has slipped the collective British consciousness, here at Cheshire Artificial Grass we thought we would help refresh your memory.  All we ask in return is a glass of Pimm’s, and maybe a few olives.

Food, drink and garden party deco

The garden party is built on the rustic beauty of the English country garden, and should build on all those flavours of fruits and vegetables, herbs and flowers, feeding into both the décor, food and drink.

Dealing first with the décor, draw inspiration from the countryside and serve your food in flowerpots or seed boxes.  Use natural wood for trays, decorated with petals, leaves or flowers.  Why not serve your aperitifs on skewers, laid upon trays of wheatgrass.

Moving on to drinks

Try to invent a signature drink for the house – a cocktail de la casa – which can define your party. To give you a head start, consider an Apple and Sage Martini, a Lemon and Basil Martini or a Pear and Rosemary Cocktail.  Or how about a Garden Elixir, blending cilantro with apple juice, celery juice, gin, lime, and Chartreuse?  Add an edible flower as garnish and to continue the natural feel, why not freeze flowers into the ice cubes?

Grub-wise, try to keep your food to what’s in season, and distil the essence of the garden into what you serve.  So go for lots of natural, earthy ingredients and flavours, complimented by plenty of fruits, vegetables, and herbs and even edible flower recipes.

In terms of a steer on dishes you might serve, consider chilled soups (if you serve them in shot glasses it helps those hungry guests standing up in the garden).  Again you could also serve salads on skewers to ease consumption, whether a Greek Salad or Caesar Salad, cleverly reimagined so as to work almost as a kebab.  For desserts, return to the natural flower theme, perhaps Hydrangea Cupcakes?

Let’s face it, if you wanted boring food you could go to Nando’s.  However, if you have your artificial lawn and want to celebrate life al fresco… take fine dining into the great outdoors.  And with an artificial lawn, such gloriously civilised behaviour might last long past summer…