Spring Zingers: A Herb-Infused Cocktail Party

Spring is here! The flowers are not quite in full bloom, but the herb garden is definitely looking happy… and what better to do with the longer evenings than to enjoy a few deliciously herbal cocktails in the garden?

I’ve put together five simple cocktail recipes featuring rosemary, Greek basil, thyme, lemon balm, and mint. They’re fruity and beautifully aromatic – perfect for inhaling the fragrances of spring! – not to mention very pretty to look at. They’re perfect for barbeque season and beyond. 

Easter Tea Time: Florals, Neon, Chocolate & Geometrics!

This year in the UK, Easter Sunday falls on the day that clocks go forward, so it’s a sign that spring is truly here! To celebrate, we ditched the traditional pastel palette and opted for vibrant and zingy hues – perfect for the season where nature springs back to life.

This Tablescape makes a bold statement. I layered patterns on patterns, clashing delicate spring florals with sharp geometric prints. I mixed materials, from china and glassware to plastic egg cups and melamine plates. Of course, it wouldn’t be Easter without chocolate bunnies and decorated eggs, and it wouldn’t be a tea party without pretty china and home-baked treats, so there’s plenty of those too. Above all, however, it’s a glorious celebration of colour. In fact, when my husband walked in, he did a double-take and dead-panned ‘… I think that table needs some colour!’

Helena’s Table: Taking Inspiration from Jenni for NYE

Happy new year! 2016 is here and we’re bursting with creative ideas to show you. We’re kicking off the year with something a little different: a Jenni’s Table-inspired look from our photographer Helena! The rest of this post is in Helena’s words…

‘I’ve spent the past year photographing Jenni’s fantastically creative tablescapes, and it seems that I’ve been absorbing some tips and tricks along the way! During our shoots, I look on as Jenni playfully combines seemingly disparate objects from all over her house to create her displays. I took a leaf from Jenni’s book for my own New Year’s Eve party.’

Thanksgiving: A Cornucopia of Good Things!

Thanksgiving is tomorrow! As a Londoner, I’ll happily take any opportunity to gather my nearest and dearest for dinner!

Having lived in the US, I’ve come to really love Thanksgiving food and traditions. However, this post is not about recipes; if you want to cook the perfect turkey or pecan pie you’ll have to look elsewhere (and then come back and tell me! I’d love to hear your recipes). Instead, this post is about creating a cosy Thanksgiving ambience and a bountiful tablescape in your dining room: I was inspired by the idea of a Cornucopia, ‘a symbol of abundance and nourishment… overflowing with produce, flowers or nuts.’ I took this idea and ran with it. 

Halloween Drinks Party: Sophisticated Spookiness!

Halloween is this Saturday! Here’s how to throw a themed drinks party without a plastic ornament in sight. In fact, you won’t even need to carve a pumpkin.

If you visit a supermarket this week, you’ll be confronted with a sea of Halloween decorations in classic colours: orange, black, deep purple and green. This colour palette was the inspiration for this post…but instead of stocking up on plastic props, I created a spooky party spread using lots of natural ornaments. Read on for tips on hosting your own rustic, sophisticated and perfectly seasonal party.

Off With Their Heads! Creating Tablescapes with Colourful Cut Flowers.

You don’t need a giant bouquet to create a striking floral centrepiece. Pluck the heads off simple supermarket flowers and you’re good to go!

Last month, for my mother’s birthday party, I created a floral table runner constructed entirely of flower heads strewn along a white tablecloth. It was simple to assemble but looked so cheerful and striking, and contrary to what you might think, the flowers lasted for weeks afterwards. For today’s post I’ll be recreating the tablescape for you, as well as using the same flowers to demonstrate four more ways to use your flowertops (and how to preserve them afterwards).

Petal Power: Using Lavender in the Kitchen

The flower pots on my balcony are heaving with fragrant purple petals – much to the delight of local bumblebees! – and I’ve been thinking up ways to use my flowers in the kitchen.

Today I have a trio of beautifully simple lavender treats which give a floral touch to baked goods and cocktails: Lavender Sugar, Lavender Infused Gin, and Lavender syrup. If you grow lavender at home then I suggest you give these a go (and if you don’t, I hope I’ll inspire a trip to the plant nursery!). Enjoy!

Aperol O’Clock: Raspberry & Mint Cocktails in the Garden.

The sun is shining and the bank holiday weekend is almost upon us: two facts that are clearly celebration-worthy!

If you follow Jenni’s Table on Instagram you might have spotted the odd Aperol Fizz lurking amongst the pictures, and today I’m sharing a very simple recipe for taking this cocktail to a sweeter, fruitier level. I call it a Muddled Raspberry & Mint Aperol Fizz, but you can call it whatever you like, as long as you give it a try! It’s absolutely delicious. Even if you find Aperol too bitter, this version should still appeal to your tastebuds. Read on for the recipe and tips.

Easter Treasure Hunt: Chocolate Eggs & Bunnies

 

This week we ventured out to Hampstead Heath on a blustery day for an Easter Treasure Hunt! Despite the wind and drizzle we had a lovely afternoon, and we were rewarded with some glorious sunshine too. As you’ll see below, the set-up is very simple, and you don’t need access to a sprawling wildreness like the heath. Instead, you can host your own Easter Egg Hunt in a local park, in your back garden, or even inside your home! All you need is a few lengths of contrasting, colourful ribbons to mark the path (one colour for each participant or team). Each colour has its own route, but all colours lead to the same final destination where a grand prize awaits…for whoever gets there first! You can add clues to help participants find the next ribbon marker. Around the halfway mark, we laid out some Chocolate treats and funny little characters for participants to meet along the way…

Wine & Washi Tape: A Taste Testing Party with a Twist

What’s your favourite wine? Perhaps you have a preferred grape that you find yourself reaching for whenever you’re buying a bottle. Many of us claim to have a favourite, but a lot of the time we stick to old habits instead of experimenting with something new. I thought it would be fun to shake things up by throwing a wine tasting party…with a twist! At this party, the taste testing is done blind. Each guest brings their favourite bottle, which the host disguises so that no-one knows which bottle is which. It’s a simple idea and it’s a great way to enjoy some of the best things in life: Food, wine, and good friends.

My party was organised for six guests and, consequently, six bottles. (You’re not necessarily expected to finish the wine, ahem.) Read below for details, but the basic premise is as follows: Each guest has six glasses in front of them, one for each wine.  Guests are given a score card to record details about each wine. At the end of the evening, scores are tallied up, and the winning wine is revealed! You could even have a prize for the guest who brought the winning wine – perhaps a fabulous corkscrew.