Summer’s here and that means delightful dishes of blush tomatoes, fresh herbs, and spiced sauces are not far behind. Hosting the perfect dinner party, however, begins with the perfect dining set. From eclectic designs to summery table arrangements, our collection of elegant pieces is at hand to help you entertain friends and family this season.
And that’s not all! We’ve teamed up with Social Pantry, a creative, passionate and socially responsible catering team, led by founder Alex Head, to bring you a selection of delicious, healthy recipes that can be shared and enjoyed upon our dining collection.
So, for some seriously stylish summer dining inspiration, indulge yourself in our top tips, and deliciously curated recipes, for hosting the perfect brunch, lunch, and dinner.
Mismatch colours
Add personality and flair to your dining space by incorporating unexpected colour pairings in your seating arrangement. By selecting a single style of chair, such as our Arabella dining chair, in different shades or contrasting colours you are still able to retain a sense of symmetry and harmony around your table. Whether you desire more a more understated, light colour palette or bold, striking colours, mismatched colours are a fabulous way to elevate your dining experience and make you the hostess with the most-ess.
Eclectic shapes
To create a sociable hub try using an array of seating styles, including a mixture of dining chairs and benches. Perfect for squeezing in more bums, a bench allows for a lively and convivial atmosphere and is ideal for making your space feel less cluttered. For a little extra padding, why not try our sophisticated Buttons bench? Pair with our Sinclair dining chair and Kingsley dining table and prepare for an evening of games and giggles.
Circular seating
Have you ever gone to a dinner party only to realise that you’ve only spoken to one half of the table? Well, we have just the solution to all your conversational needs! Round tables, such as our Randolph, encourage a more inclusive dining experience, making it much easier to bond over bruschetta. Style with our curved Margaux dining chairs for a sleek and relaxed look.
Artistic arrangements
Treat your guests (and yourself!) to a beautifully designed table arrangement like @viviennecutler. Rattan placemats, dove grey napkins and the ultimate comfort of our Darcy dining chair are perfect for fashioning a stunning, rustic table decoration. Finish the final look with the fragrant scents of wildflowers and an assortment of candles and get the feeling of summertime skies and fresh fields – whatever the weather!
Savour Social Pantry’s tastes of summer
It is universally acknowledged that dining in the summer is so much more enjoyable when surrounded by your friends and family – some may even say it makes the food taste better (but, we will let you make your mind up on that!). Our dining collection features a elegant collection of pieces that lend themselves perfectly to throwing the perfect lunch or dinner party this summer – learn more about creating a social hub of the home in the kitchen.
The Kingsley and Randolph tables both offer an effortlessly chic solution to seating a group of people and with our collection of dining chairs, stools and benches – you can create the atmosphere or social setting which is right for your home.
For some seriously stylish summer dining inspiration, we have teamed up with Social Pantry, a creative, passionate and socially responsible catering team, led by founder Alex Head, to bring you a selection of delicious, healthy recipes that can be shared and enjoyed upon our dining collection.
One sunny afternoon, we joined the Social Pantry team at The Social Pantry Cafe, in Battersea, where we were lucky enough to be able to take a seat in our vibrant Sinclair dining chairs around our Bennet dining table in the sunshine, but if you can’t do this, delight your guests by bringing the sunshine inside with one of Alex’s amazing fresh and healthy recipes below!
Grilled Avocado Salad
(Serves 6)
A great, light and fresh recipe that’s quick and easy to make. It’s the perfect accompaniment to lunch, dinners or even BBQ’s this summer.
Ingredients
3 avocados
18 baby carrots (orange & purple) – keep whole
3 broccoli stalks, chopped
1 punnet cherry tomatoes
540g wild rice
Maldon sea salt
Cracked black pepper
Serve with a Tahini dressing
Method
Cut the avocados into quarters removing the skins and then lightly grill them on a griddle to get the grilled look.
Toss the carrots in olive oil, salt, and pepper and then roast the whole baby carrots in the oven for about 30 minutes on 200°c or until they’re cooked through.
Boil or steam the broccoli stalks for 3-5 minutes until tender.
Halve the cherry tomatoes and then roast them in the oven for 8-10 minutes at 200°c or until they’re cooked through.
Whilst the vegetables are roasting, cook the rice according to packet instructions.
Once everything is cooked let it all cool and then mix the carrots, rice, tomatoes and broccoli stalks, lastly place the avocado slices on top and drizzle over the tahini dressing.
Tahini Dressing
Ingredients
50g tahini
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic gloves, crushed
Maldon sea salt, to taste
Cracked black pepper, to taste
Method
Blend all of the ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Season to taste and serve.
Tri Colour Tomato Salad
This beautiful salad is the perfect BBQ accompaniment, light summer lunch or go-to picnic recipe. It is delicious, pops with colour and super quick to make. It is a summer staple and always a winner with guests.
Ingredients
2 beef tomatoes
3 yellow tomatoes
3 green tomatoes
1 punnet cherry tomatoes
100g feta
1 tbsp sunflower seeds
1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
1 tbsp chopped mint
1 bunch of basil (torn)
Drizzle of good quality olive oil
Method
Chop, slice and dice the tomatoes. I love cutting them all differently to create added texture to the salad.
Mix the tomatoes with the crumbled feta, chopped mint, torn basil and seeds.
Serve on a gorgeous serving platter with a drizzle of oil or chimichurri (recipe below).
Herb Stem Chimichurri
If like us, you always wonder what to do with your leftover herb stems, this recipe is the perfect way to use them. It is very rustic so the measurements below are only a guide, feel free to freestyle!
Ingredients
30g leftover herb stalks
½ pack of coriander
½ pack of parsley
8 mint leaves
1 small red onion
2 small red chilli’s
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
5 tbsp olive oil
Maldon sea salt
Cracked black pepper
Method
Finely chop the stalks and herbs, chilli and onion.
Mix all the ingredients together and add in the oil and vinegar.
Season to taste.
Broccoli Rice Salad
There are a few ways you can make broccoli rice, one is to chop it, the other, which I prefer is to blitz it in a food processor. You can enjoy it raw or cooked, if I cook the rice I normally saute it until it is bright green; you could also stir-fry or steam it.
A lemon dressing works perfectly with this salad, keeping it fresh and light. You can add in any leftover vegetables you may have, tomatoes, spring onion or avocado work as a perfect addition.
Ingredients
1 broccoli, head and stem
50g almonds, toasted and roughly chopped
½ bunch parsley, chopped
½ bunch mint, chopped
½ bunch coriander, chopped
1 lemon, zested
Maldon sea salt
Freshly cracked pepper
Method
Cut the broccoli head into florets and the stem into small pieces and blitz in a food processor in batches until it starts to look like rice.
In a large bowl, add the chopped herbs, nuts, lemon zest and broccoli.
Mix thoroughly and season to taste.
Serve on a large sharing platter and sprinkle with any extra nuts and herbs.
Enjoy!
Social Pantry specialise in providing delicious, well-sourced and seasonal menus from a eclectic collection of locations across London, as well as providing mouth-watering menus for private functions and supporting and assisting with Bad Boys Bakery, a successful and inspirational initiative set up inside H.M Prison Brixton by Gordon Ramsey in 2012. To find out more about Social Pantry, the work they do, or discover more of their recipes, you can visit them at: https://socialpantry.co.uk/
If you wish to host your own event, take a look at the full dining collection available from sofa.com to make your guests feel at home: Dining Collection