Dinner parties offer the perfect way to entertain friends on a budget, and all from the comfort of your own home.
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And while the usual formula for this type of soiree includes a bottle of something fizzy and a couple of courses, it seems what constitutes an ideal dinner party could fast be changing.
A poll commissioned by kitchen appliance manufacturers Stoves revealed that Brits host a average of 720 dinner parties during their lifetime, spending a staggering 5 weeks of their lives in all preparing, planning and clearing up in a bid to play the hostess with the mostest.
But the modern-day etiquette for parties, according to the research, has changed in a number of ways and that includes re-naming these gatherings as 'kitchen suppers'.
78 per cent of those questioned felt that that term 'dinner party' was outdated, while one in ten also felt that serving Prosecco is passé and that English sparkling wine or Cava are more on-trend choices for dinner party gatherings.
A further 19 per cent also said they would always dish up a vegan option as part of their 'kitchen supper' menu, while 41 per cent would check that none of their guests had any allergies before getting cracking in the kitchen.
And when it came to the key topics of dinner party conversation it seems talk about the latest Netflix series is in, while talking about politics (25 per cent) and gossiping about other people (27 per cent) is out.
Another surprising take away from the survey was the fact that today's dinner party hosts are quite happy to have guests muck in with prepping food, rather than slaving away over a hot stove all by themselves.
Commenting on the findings, a spokesperson for Stoves said: 'The research shows that simply staying in and getting a take-away, or cooking a simple dish won’t suffice. We are going the extra mile to impress our guests and rather than just ‘staying in’ we’re ‘staying in-in’ by bringing a restaurant-style experience into the home – and with that comes new rules to live by.'
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Will you be embracing contemporary dinner party trends?
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