Create the Perfect Outdoor Dining Set-up - Alfresco Dining

As Summer blooms and lock-down eases, it’s the perfect time for those of us fortunate to have an outdoor space to make the most of sunshine. One of the best ways to enjoy the sunshine is to have a relaxed meal with friends and family in the beautiful outdoors.

Here are my top tips to create the perfect al fresco dining experience with these fabulous must-have accessories.

Use different dining ware for indoors and outdoors

Often the items you use indoors for your meals are not as practical for outdoor dining. Stark white plates and fragile glasses are much less suited to outdoor use. That’s why it's always a great idea to have a set of outdoor dining plates.

Sturdy pieces with rustic designs are ideal for outdoor use. Garden Trading have a beautiful rosemary coloured Winderton dining set which is one of my favourites. The colour and natural shapes instantly complement the outdoors, and the ceramic glaze ensures they are easy to clean too.

Browse Garden Trading’s Winderton Collection

Use lightweight accessories

The last thing you want to be doing during your alfresco gathering is moving heavy plates and bowls in and around the garden. Combat this by using lightweight accessories that can easily be moved around the table. Talking Tables’ Mango Wood Bowl is both stylish and light. Combine this with their Mango Wood coasters for bright yet durable outdoor dining accessories.

Browse Talking Tables’ Global Gathering Collection

Create a sense of intimacy with table runner

Outdoor dining tables can often be quite large, especially if you’re using a garden bench. Tables runners used across larger tables create more of an intimate feel and can be used to draw all the diners together.

You can also also use them to add a splash of colour to the table. I love Talking Tables’ Boho blue fabric table runner. This durable and fun runner is great for adding colour to any outdoor table.

Order your table runner from Talking Tables

Don’t be afraid to use bright colours

When dressing a table it’s easy to hide behind neutral tones. However outdoor dining allows room for more experimentation. Bright colours are great for informal dining occasions, especially lunches.

Colour is key to set a uplifting scene for the meal without overpowering the table and Royal Doulton’s 1815 Bright collection does this perfectly. Each piece is a combination of vibrant fresh colour combined with a cooler white to provide the perfect balance. I love the mini serving dishes in particular as they are great for serving small portions of snacks such as nuts and olives. Combine with neutral napkins and tablecloth for a fresh and vibrant table setting.

Explore Royal Doulton’s 1815 Bright Collection

Match your tableware to your menu

Serving a variety of food and drink at your outdoor dining event is a great way to ensure all tastes are catered for. However different menus require subtly different dining ware to serve it in.

For example, tapas is an easy starter to prepare and serving them in specialist tapas plates makes them even more desirable. Sous Chef has a beautifully bright Jerez collection which is ideal for tapas and I always start any outdoor dining occasion with these.

It’s also a good idea to use glassware that matches the drinks you are planning on serving. Whether that’s wine glasses, tumblers or cocktail glasses. I totally love Artland’s alfresco glassware including these martini glasses, which are perfect for a dirty martini in the sun!

Make sure your drinks stay chilled and fresh

Dining in the sunshine means the heat can impact your drinks even before you’ve had a chance to fully enjoy them. Keep drinks cool outside with the CaddyO Bottle Chiller, designed to chill warm bottles in minutes and keep them cold for up to 9 hours.

Using the right wine accessories also helps keep them fresher for longer. Oxo’s Steel Corkpull makes opening a bottle of wine significantly simpler. Combine this with Vacuum Wine Preserver, which pumps air out of a wine bottle to slow down the oxidation process, to keep the wine is perfect condition for longer.

Picnics can be luxurious too

Outdoor dining also includes picnics, but they don’t need to be rushed and haphazard. A few luxurious touches can elevate any picnic to a classy occasion. I particularly love using The Tartan Blanket Company’s comfortable and durable recycled wool picnic blanket. They are even available with a waterproof back and with a super stylish and handy leather picnic strap too.

Order your picnic blanket from The Tartan Blanket Company

As an alternative to a picnic hamper, I find it is easier to carry food and drinks in a good strong backpack, especially is you are walking long distances. This has the added benefit for keeping your hands free too.

I love Scaramanga’s leather backpack which is a must-have accessory for gatherings of any kind - including a picnic! It’s sturdy frame and different compartments makes it ideal for carrying weighty yet fragile food over long distances. Not to mention it’s gorgeous boho style is sure to turn heads.

Browse Scaramanga’s leather backpack collection

Take the hassle out of BBQs

Barbecues are a great social occasion and it’s worth investing in a good quality BBQ set to make the experience easier and even more enjoyable. Viners 16 piece BBQ set features high quality, stainless steel BBQ tools, accessories and the perfect dual purpose bag which can also be used as an apron and for storing them! The set contains a wire brush, set of tongs, turner, fork, four skewers and even eight corn forks too.

Check out Viners Summer Sale for more kitchen and outdoor accessories

Don’t be afraid to experiment

With the relaxed atmosphere outdoor dining brings, it’s much easier to experiment with the food your serving and with the accessories too.

Add something to the menu you haven’t tried before or your diners might not have tried before. My go-to for a post-meal drink is masala chai, which served in a charming chai tea glass set which never fails to make an impression, especially when the spoons used to stir in the sugar have cheeky brass monkeys on them!

These glasses are also great for serving a variety of drinks and not just chai. The handy wire basket makes them ideal for serving cocktails and coffee too.

Order your charming chai set from Mint & May

Stay Sustainable

Outdoor dining shouldn’t be used as an excuse to be lax about recycling. Instead of plastic containers, use reusable and natural options to store and transport your food.

BeeBAGZ are fantastic beeswax food storage bags which are lightweight and easy to wash. Stasher is also a great alternative, as it is 100% plastic-free silicone bags which are self-sealing, airtight and leakproof. You could also go a step further and make use of Bamboo Utensils, which are perfect for eco-conscious outdoor dining.