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Canapés, biscuits, holiday music, flowing drinks, and a luscious brie nestled alongside a well-built gruyère on a cheese platter flanked by grapes and fresh figs: this season offers the perfect opportunity to entertain, indulge, and celebrate.
What’s even more fantastic is that a lot can be done before the big event: set the decorations, prepare canapés, get your dinner prepped for the oven, and even mix up your cocktails ahead of time. We’ve consulted chefs, wine specialists, and seasoned hosts among others to create a tailored guide covering every aspect of your festive meal, from ethical turkeys to table adornments that won’t be stored for the next eleven months in a drawer.
Hosting a festive dinner
Dinnerware
Antique linens
“The table takes precedence,” chef Fergus Henderson famously stated, and this holds especially true for hosting. Irrespective of how many tasks remain, a well-set table, akin to an elegant outfit, instills a sense of control. Steer clear of the temptation of disposable plates and napkins: they’re non-recyclable, look cheap, and are an illusory savings if you frequently entertain.
Investing in quality table linens can be affordable. Skye McAlpine, a chef and the author of The Christmas Companion, boasts an extensive array of napkins and tablecloths sourced from years of exploring antique markets and thrift stores. “If you lack access to a market or quality second-hand shop, there are tons of remarkable vintage linens on Etsy and eBay,” she mentions.
Food writer Anna Jones, whose newsletter is a treasure trove of elegance, also appreciates a good tablecloth. Her preferred options come from Block Shop Textiles and SZ Blockprints, but she recommends purchasing a few meters of cotton or linen from an inexpensive haberdashery — “there are numerous remnants in the discount bin” — and simply draping it over the table as a more economical choice. “Hemmed edges are not necessary. It looks great regardless.”
Fabric napkins
Fabric napkins always evoke a sense of festivity. If you’re looking to elevate your current napkins, repurpose ribbons from presents or visit VV Rouleaux. “You can brighten up any napkin by tying it with a stylish ribbon,” suggests McAlpine.
When purchasing new, prefer warm, earthy tones, suggests author, editor, and frequent dinner party organizer Alexandra Dudley. “[You want] items that can be enhanced with a sprig of holly or leafy clementine but aren’t so [seasonal] that they are shoved to the back of the cupboard for most of the year.” According to Dudley, the White Company offers “the finest napkins globally. They withstand thorough washing, and there is no need for ironing.” If you’re after a pattern, consider Midnatt, a stylish Swedish brand providing textiles made from sustainable organic cotton. The versions below adorned with red ribbons strike a balance between understated elegance and charm.
Rustic linen napkins
Bow napkins
Mixed dinnerware
If you’re short on serving dishes, consider supporting independent artisans. “At Christmas, we usually host between 12 to 14 guests – significantly more than our everyday crowd,” shares Jones. “I enjoy adding pieces to my collection. My favorites are Pip Hartle, Jono Smart and Emily Stephen, and Rebecca Proctor. I think there’s no need for people to stress about having perfectly matched dinnerware.” Consider Minnie-Mae and Rosie Gore for serving pieces, available through Glassette, managed by Laura Jackson, the queen of chic entertaining.
Tasty table decorations
“I adore embellishing the table with items that can be indulged in afterward,” states McAlpine. “Fresh fruits, sweets, jars of candy canes, and scattered chocolate coins – Divine’s milk chocolate coins are exquisite and Fairtrade.” Jones also sticks to edible decorations like “clementines, lemons [and] green mandarins. I also create posies using garden herbs and place a sprig on each guest’s napkin.”
Divine milk chocolate coins
Fresh (British) blooms
Flowers enhance any festive table setting. “Opt for seasonal, locally-grown options. During this period, embrace the stunning autumn foliage available in the UK – along with winter blooms such as clematis and hellebores,” advises Alex Head, the founder of Social Pantry, an independent catering firm emphasizing sustainability and social responsibility. Garden centers are ideal, as are local parks; just ensure that you responsibly forage for any holly, ferns, or mistletoe (if within reach!).
Certified B Corp Freddie’s Flowers provides responsibly sourced, seasonal bouquets delivered to your door. A large bunch can fill numerous small vases, often found in charity shops; however, if you’re seeking new vases, the White Company features the lovely pomegranate-bud vases shown below.
Chef-owner of the Michelin green-starred restaurant Apricity, Chantelle Nicholson, leans towards “plants or dried arrangements for reusability.” Harebell & Bee in Gloucestershire grows, harvests, and dries all their floral arrangements, as members of Flowers from the Farm, a UK trade organization committed to a viable and eco-friendly local cut flower industry.
Flower bouquet
Pomegranate bud vases
Pillars of light
“The ambiance set by candlelight at Christmas carries a special charm,” notes Dudley. “Pott Candles are exquisitely crafted and entirely eco-friendly,” equipped with convenient candle refills that extend their lifespan well beyond the holiday season. Less romantic, but extremely practical, are LED candles, popular with Social Pantry. “They’re incredibly effective,” adds Head. Candled is a UK-based brand that offers impressively realistic LED “flames.”
If you find such options outside your traditional comfort zone, consider organic beeswax candles like these from Skar: crafted in collaboration with apiaries focused on sustainable environmental practices, or these patterned wonders from Pygmalion, handcrafted from plant-based wax and organic dyes.
Candles effectively introduce color as well. McAlpine suggests selecting them individually to create a unique collection. If you prefer patterned tapered candles, opt for a classic holder, either in brass or stoneware, according to Dudley. Alternatively, if you favor pillars, these brioche-tin style candle holders from Rebecca Udall work wonderfully, as they double as serving dishes for snacks.”
Refillable candle starter kit
Christmas Crackers
The era of thoughtlessly purchasing whatever crackers are available and tossing the plastic gifts afterward is—hopefully—diminishing. Recyclable, refillable, and plastic-free holiday crackers are increasingly common; in fact, any crackers sourced from John Lewis or Waitrose are designed for recycling, with plastic-free gifts inside since 2020.
Numerous make-your-own or fill-your-own cracker kits are available online, along with other eco-friendly choices. Crackers from Little Green Cracker Company are plastic-free and adorned with sustainable ribbons, featuring usable gifts like seeds, organic teabags, or aromatic soaps from ethical brands. RSPB produces their crackers using sustainably sourced certified paper, with small wildlife pins as gifts, plus the proceeds support conservation efforts. And crackers from Keep This Cracker can be reused year after year, as they do not break when pulled; simply replace the contents and the “snaps.”
If the lack of a pop doesn’t bother you, the velvet Christmas crackers featured below from Holly & Co are intended to be unfastened and reused annually.
Cracker-making craft kits
Luxury velvet reusable crackers
