Entertaining has really moved on – gone are the days when you needed a 275 piece dinner service before you could even consider having people for dinner. Then you needed a stylish dining room with a super-large table and the family silver and crystal to adorn the linen tablecloth. Thank goodness times have changed.
So Why Has Entertaining Evolved?
The whole entertaining experience has become more relaxed over the years. The formal stuffy dinner parties have made way for a more laid back approach. Of course the food and drinks remain important, but how you make people feel about the whole evening, is paramount.
We all lead busy lives and don’t always have the luxury of time to prepare everything from scratch at home, using complicated recipes. What we serve people is often very simply presented but with bags of flavour and ideally ingredients will be locally sourced and in season.
Many modern homes have less space so if we want to entertain a bunch of our friends, we need to adopt a different approach. Choosing foods which can be presented on platters and can be eaten with a fork or your fingers, or recipes served in a bowl so guests can wander around or sit casually whilst eating, without having to be seated at the table, are more the norm these days.
As there are fewer and fewer dining rooms in new homes, the kitchen has become the heart of the home and the place to be when entertaining friends. For this reason the food we serve has become less structured and more spontaneous.
Why Bowls Are the Best Buy
The most versatile piece of crockery is no longer the dinner plate, it’s now the bowl.
If you choose the right bowl, it will last you a very long time and will offer the most versatility. Imagine having one type of bowl for all these foods:-
- Serving nibbles such as crisps, nuts popcorn and dips
- Soup
- Salad
- Pasta
- Rissotto
- Stir fry
- Curry
- Stews or casseroles
- Vegetable serving dishes
- Desserts
What to Look For in a Bowl – 6 Beautiful Creations
As with most things, there is no right or wrong design but if you follow these points, then you should hopefully end up with a great purchase.
- Buy what you love – you want your investment to be special
- Choose something that is not too big and not too small to provide versatility
- Look for dishwasher safe if that’s important to you
- A timeless design built to last to ensure your crockery has a long life
- Colours that blend or contrast with existing tableware so you are adding to your collection
Here are a few suggestions to think about:-
Sohpie Conran 23.5 cm diameter bowl
I actually have a set of these and they are wonderful. The colour goes with other crockery I have and the design stands out – a perfect combination.
Rick Stein Coves of Cornwall Bowls
These are beautifully stylish bowls as you would expect from anything that the very talented Rick Stein puts his name to.
Handmade Bowls from Ibbi Direct
These bowls just make me smile and that’s before they have anything in them! If you see a bowl that makes you smile, that’s a pretty good reason to buy.
Bowls from Habitat
Can classic and contemporary combine? I think they can and this bowl is a brilliant example in a colour which is bang on trend. It is part of a lovely set as well.
Vassa Black Stoneware Pasta Bowl from Procook
If you want to bring drama to your dinner table – then this dish will deliver bowl-loads every time. Black dishes can really make your food stand out.
Gold and Glass Bowls From Zara
You might not want a table full of gold crockery, but a splash of gold can look really effective and elegant with a touch of the exotic…. what’s not to love?
Which bowl would you love to have?
Maybe, you have just bought bowls – what did you choose and why? We would love to hear from you, so please add a reply in the comments box below.