My favourite thing about the summer is eating outdoors. I have a pinterest board dedicated to outdoor spaces… I think the smell of the outdoors and the fact that in some lovely climates a bit of a chill sets in and you need a pashmina or a wrap as the evening goes on is just the way I love to live.
So how do you create a beautiful setting for a lovely meal, no matter how simple, to share with special people? Well given you are under the puffy clouds or the stars the volume of space is so vast you’ve just got to go all-out with the drama.
You could get away with a simple rustic set up and very homey feel, but you definitely make your guests feel more special if you do it beautifully. You can create the drama and a special ambiance with lighting – fairy lights in the trees, r with candles if you don’t have landscape lighting. Textiles and accessories are often the real show-stealers for me. Setting the mood with beautiful plates and serving bowls also makes the food taste better I think. Bright happy colours for a daytime gathering or more muted tones in the evening this time of year Foliage and flowers will do the rest. Below are some tables I will take inspiration from – one thing on a practical note however – no matter how beautiful you make your table if your seating isn’t comfortable your peeps won’t want to stick around. And that for me would be a tragedy. The highlight of the meal is the lazy time after everyone has eaten that people linger at the table over their coffees or cognacs. In Spanish we call it the “sobremesa” the “overtable” … Without a decent dose of that, no latin gathering can be considered a success.
