With the arrival of warmer weather, what could be better than to throw a garden party!
Having relaxed, informal summer parties in your garden will give you a chance to catch up with friends and family while sharing some tasty food and refreshing drinks.
What summer garden party would be complete without the customary barbecue smoking away in the corner? Getting your barbecue prepared ahead of time is an excellent time-saver so give yourself plenty of time to give your barbecue a deep clean. Make sure you buy plenty of fuel, whether that be barbecue brackets or checking to see if your gas bottle needs replacing.
Remember to give your garden a bit of a tidy up by mowing the grass, pulling weeds, trimming overhanging branches, clipping the hedge, sweeping up fallen leaves, and getting rid of any unwanted clutter.
You may even want to pressure wash your patio to brighten it up and remove any dirt, mildew or moss growth. Once your patio is clean, you may want to set up a fire pit for your guests to gather around after dark.
Stage your garden
You can really set the scene and mood of your garden party by adding a bit of personality and unique style or by following one of your favourite party themes.
If you plan to carry on partying into the dark, then string some fairy lights around your outdoor space. Stand tea light lanterns around the edges of your patio or deck, and add some candles to the middle of your table to create some soft ambient lighting.
There are some really stylish solar powered garden lights that you can use after dark. These can give some effortless illumination to your garden and take your garden party decorations to the next level.
Be prepared for all weathers
We know that we cannot guarantee the weather every day, so never be caught short by having some cheerful and bright umbrellas to shelter under until the shower passes. If the night turns chilly, keep warm and snuggly blankets within easy reach for your guests.
If you have room, a fold-away gazebo is a great addition, it can keep the hot sun off people's shoulders during the day and keep them dry and protected from a sudden rain shower.
Add some flower power
Nothing evokes a warm feeling of summer than pretty flowers. Even if your outdoor area doesn't have a flower border, you can add some flower pots to brighten things up.
Brighten up your table with a floating flower bowl display! Take a large bowl and fill it 3/4 full with water. Clip some large flower heads and float them on the water.
Fabulous food
As well as cooking up a storm on your barbecue, you can offer your guests some light and refreshing sides to go with their BBQ food. A simple, crunchy green salad with light olive oil and white wine vinegar dressing is always welcome.
Don't forget to offer plenty of crudités and some tasty dips for your guests to nibble on while sipping a nice cold Brothers cider. Make sure you have something for everyone!
Vegetarian or not, your guests will be delighted with our Chinese Toffee Apple Tofu recipe. You can rustle up a tasty meat-free treat laced with oriental spices and sweet toffee apple tones from the inclusion of our delicious Toffee Apple fruit cider.
Or if you are up for adding a bit of a wow factor to your food, why not try our recipe for tasty Toffee Apple cider chicken burgers! This will certainly make your garden party memorable for all the right reasons.
Delectable desserts
Remember that your guests can quickly fill up on your savoury foods, so the idea of a stodgy pudding may not be ideal. Instead, why not offer something light and fruity that you can prepare in advance of your garden party.
A big bowl of fruit salad is always nice to finish off the evening, with or without cream. You could also offer some cooling ice cream or fruit sorbet if you want to posh things up a bit.
Or why not offer your garden party guests a curious twist with our recipe for homemade Marshmallow Cider and Raspberry lollies! Not only do they taste amazing, but they are extremely easy to make.
Get creative with cider
The drinks you offer at your summer garden party can make all the difference, and there is nothing that screams summer more than the range of curious flavours from Brothers cider!
Our Mixed Cases offer a perfect solution for a summer garden party where guests can choose their favourite flavours. Our latest offering, Mixed Case 2.0 consists of 2 Honeycomb, 2 Marshmallow, 2 Pink Grapefruit, 2 Rhubarb & Custard, 2 Strawberry & Lime & 2 Toffee Apple. Don't forget the ice bucket!
Cocktails go hand in hand with summer garden parties. Check out our recipe for Brothers Marshmallow Vanilla Fizz. This refreshing, bubbly, light cocktail can be made in minutes and tastes like summer in a glass. Or step up your cocktail game with a curious twist and try our Red Apple Mimosa cocktail. This is a classic cocktail using Champagne or Prosecco blended with our refreshing Red Apple Somerset cider.
Fancy something with a bit of a fizz? How about rustling up our Pink Grapefruit Spritz. Summer cocktails don't come any better than this and is a real crowd-pleaser at parties.
Take a look at all of our mouth watering recipes and cocktails.
