The lovely Melissa Hoyer has helped me put together a great get together with wine and beers with the friends.

Here are Melissa Hoyer’s crackin’ good tips for a happy host and great party.

PARTIES ARE ALL ABOUT THE PEOPLE SO GET THE GUEST LIST RIGHT

To throw a great party, the guest list is important. Aim to have groups of people with common interests and that you know will ‘gel’ with one another.

THREE WEEK RULE

Melissa suggests inviting your guests at least 3 weeks in advance. Receivers of an invite should also not text their RSVP as it may get lost in translation. Therefore, hosts should give an email address for their guests to RSVP to. That way the confirmation is saved and you can go back to it when you finalise the guest list.

BE PRESENT AND AVAILABLE

This can be hard when you're constantly refilling the buffet table and hustling trays of food into and out of the oven. More importantly, everyone has come to see you and if they see you stressed then they will become uneasy partygoers.

NO ONE GOES HUNGRY ON YOUR WATCH

Melissa loves a relaxed style party, where guests can enjoy being themselves, perhaps out in the backyard watching the sun set. As a host, she is always thinking about her guests, making sure they are having fun and are relaxed.

PROVIDE LIGHT NIBBLES THAT ARE EASY TO SERVE AND SOURCE

Melissa is pretty sure that generally people love going to parties because of the sheer hospitality they receive – complimentary drinks, food and great company. She's also sure that hosts put on parties to have fun too. So, she makes sure all of her parties are relaxed and simple. Melissa loves serving fresh seasonal produce that’s of great quality, easy to serve and available at her local supermarket!

IS IT OK TO ASK PEOPLE TO BRING SOMETHING? – OF COURSE!

Most people will want to bring something; Melissa always tend to ask to bring a bottle of something they like drinking so that people have what they want throughout the event, plus it helps with the overall cost of a party. 

As a host, be confident to put the request in the invite but subtly rather than demanding.

As a guest, Melissa always brings a bottle of wine, some nibbles or a candle when she is invited to someone’s house. Try to bring something tangible that won’t stress the host out. Flowers are lovely but sometime the host finds it difficult to find a place for them in the heap of party preparations.

As you can tell I just could not resist!!

Roasted to perfection with a touch of salt makes the Roasted & Salted variety irresistibly crunchy. My favourite of all the roasted pistachios as I like my nuts with a hint of salt always.

Salt and Pepper 

With its delicate pepper flavour, the Salt & Pepper variety is sure to spice up every snack occasion. This is great and then you will get the taste of cracked pepper and it really gives it that kick. The girls love their nuts and this was their favourite, it wasn't to bland and for some strange reasons they got excited when they got that nut that had a little more pepper then the other (certainly don't get it from me!!)

Sweet Chilli

A slightly spicy and irresistibly sweet pistachio flavour. For me it is quite spicy but I don’t like any type of spice at all. I wouldn't say it is the hottest things that has been in my mouth but it def had some kick to it. My partner and his family absolutely LURVED this and think they will stick to these rather then their flavoured peanuts. 

Roasted unsalted