Inviting guests over to your home for an evening of food, conversation and fun, is an excellent way to give them a happy time and demonstrate that you value their friendship.

It can be a lot of fun, not only for the people you invite along, but for you as well.

The big make-or-break factor is so often your dinner party menu.

The menu you choose is vital. It's the single most important thing in determining whether the dinner party is a success or failure.

A poorly executed or served meal, will be unfortunate for the host and disappointing for the guests.

So how can you virtually guarantee, that you'll pull it off successfully?

The secret is to work out the menu courses, extremely precisely.

Start by thinking about your guests. Is there anything they don't eat?

If you're not sure about that, ask them.

Asking is far preferable to dishing up, say, a main course, that one or more of your guests will not eat.

It may be more than simply a dislike. It might be an allergy, a medical problem or a confirmed lifestyle choice like vegetarianism.

In any case, it is better to know in advance.

Having narrowed down the menu areas, then review the dishes you like to cook.

When giving a dinner party, you really should not start experimenting with new dishes or new cooking techniques. Stay with the dishes you know you can do well.

Remember also that it's much, much trickier to cook for eight, ten, twelve or more people, than it is to cook for three or four.

You can of course prepare variations on your standard dishes, say by adding an elegant garnish or something on the side.

It is pretty much essential to do what you can by way of preparation, before the party starts. If you don't, you'll be working too hard during the party and not talking and having fun with everybody.

As a suggestion you could serve a cold desert, made that morning or possible the previous day. Similarly, a simple but tasty starter, could be laid out just before the guests arrive and served at room temperature.

With desert and starter done prior, there could be just the main course to be prepared hot, when you are with your guests.

Bear in mind when selecting a recipe for the main course, it's best if it doesn't need precise timing. A dish like a casserole is good. Then if guests arrive late, or if the starter course takes longer than expected, the main food won't be spoiled.

Carefully selecting the most appropriate dinner party menu, should make for a much more relaxed and pleasant experience, both for your guests, and for you, the host.

Don't overspend on your next dinner party and spoil the experience.

Use this free Dinner Party Cost Calculator to think through your budget and work out the costs. Dinner Party Cost Calculator You can even calculate the Cost Per Person - are they worth it?

Get some good planning tips at.. DinnerPartyThemes.net