The Welcome
If like me you don’t want your guests wearing shoes in the house (they play havoc with the shag pile), then offer them slippers to wear. I keep a stash of hotel slippers for guests. I tend to put the ones from Le Manoir at the top.
Atmosphere
I think candles are essential in creating a welcoming atmosphere. Jeremy once said our home was ‘lit up like a bloody Princess Di vigil’. I thought that was a lovely thing to say. I like to buy candles from Jo Malone put them where everyone will notice. 
Food
Some of you might be aware that I have a severe gluten-intolerance. I will be doing a FacebookLive chat about it next week-stay tuned for dates.
Anyway, all my dinner party meals have to be gluten-free. I don’t eat sugar, processed carbs or garlic either so you might think I’d be limited to what I can cook but you’re so wrong! The last dinner party we had for Jeremy’s clients I wowed them with a caulirice bake.
Conversation
I always try and keep things light: the various achievements of the children, the problems with finding progressive private schools, what’s new in piano tuition and so on. Brexit was a real worry for me when hosting this year, but luckily all our guests have been in agreement on that topic!
The Goodbye
For some reason, our guests never seem to outstay their welcome and most of the time they’re putting their shoes back on by 9.30. I like to give them a momento of the evening and so give each guest a jar of my signature homemade medlar chutney as they leave. Actually, the gardener found three jars of it when he cut the hedge last week. Must remember to ask the children if they know anything about that… 
SmugMummy 