ENTERTAINING - Ladies that Brunch..... with children

Entertaining should be my middle name after Champagne-bubbles of course. Farmer Joe and I love entertaining at home we have done so since the day we got married, I remember the days when we used to live in our CBD apartment and would have loads of people for drinks and canapes and eventually the sing star (karaoke) would come out and well... there would be that knock from the building security to let us know to keep our off key singing to a minimum.

Fast forward to the present we do not have too many rowdy night soirees but we definitely do entertain a lot at the Whitecottage, we love having people over and I must say I quite enjoy the gatherings where the children are running around it brings back memories of my childhood.

I am lucky enough to have made amazing friends since the munchkins were born and we still meet on a regular basis for brunch and play dates. I must say I probably host brunch and playdates at least twice a week at the Whitecottage and why 
not us girls enjoy it and the children enjoy it.

I do not claim to be an expert on event coordinating but I know what works and what doesn't work for specific gatherings. The key to success for any gathering is:

ORGANISATION- 

for a small gathering such as today's brunch- prepare and organise as much as you can beforehand. We are having a mid morning (brunch) event. 

The day before I will bake a cake and prepare the table with all the plates, crockery, napkins and glassware.

THE BRUNCH-

In my experience I try to keep it as simple as possible to allow me to prepare the food quickly and easy and to sit down and spend time with my guests.

I also prepare the children's table with crayons, butchers paper and anything that might keep them occupied for more than 5 minutes.

 Today's menu

assorted sandwiches
Hummus&crackers
Fresh fruit
Apple tea Cake

Children's menu

Chipolatas
Vegemite sandwich
Strawberry smoothies
fruit Stick
  
I usually use ingredients that I already have in my fridge and pantry I like to keep it real after all it is all about the experience and the company.


A DEPARTING GIFT

I always do this. I prepared a small homemade gift for my guests, it is old fashion but believe me no one has ever complained for going home with a small cake or 1/2 dozen of eggs courtesy of my trusty chickens. 

In order to give my guests a departing gift I either bake an extra cake if I have the time or I wrap  the left over cake in baking paper tie it with string for that extra detail, and write a small 
thank you on a tag. Give it to my guests as they leave.

Cheers

Karla