Hosting and Entertaining Guests

Plant-Based Charcuterie Board

Written by Kelsey Riley, Planted in the Kitchen

As we begin to think about returning to more of a regular lifestyle, we often think of travelling and leaving our homes. Along with the joys of travelling away from home, we are also beginning to prepare for hosting and entertaining guests in our homes. Let’s talk about how to make our guests feel as comfortable as possible as we welcome them into our homes.

Keeping A Clean Space For Guests

The very first thing we should keep in mind as we welcome family and friends into our homes is preparing by cleaning and sanitizing before and during their visit.

Start by freshly washing all bedding, bath towels, hand towels, and linens of any kind. Even if you washed these items since you had your last guests over, it might be nice to freshen them up if it’s been a bit of time. It might also be a good idea to stock disposable hand towels in the bathroom so you can ensure that your guests have a fresh towel to dry their hands with each time they wash them.

I always like to do a deep clean of my house before having any guests over, especially if they are staying with us overnight. Sanitize all countertops, doorknobs, light switches, and any other highly touched areas of your home. Always sanitize the guest bathroom sinks, counters, shower, and toilet area. While you’re in the bathroom, make sure that extra bathroom supplies like toilet paper and soap are easily accessible to your guests.

It’s a good idea to keep your cleaning supplies fully stocked during the visit. This way you can do little bits of touch-up cleaning through their stay and will have extra supplies on hand if your guests should need them at any point.

Selecting Activities

Everyone has their own levels of comfort when it comes to travelling, activities, and entertainment right now. Be sure to have an open conversation with your house guests prior to their arrival to discuss what each person is and is not comfortable with. This will help you get a good feel of where to start in planning activities.

Some will feel most comfortable in outdoor settings, while others don’t mind being indoors or in more crowded spaces. I recommend making a list of several options of how to spend the visit so your guests will have options when selecting which activities work best for them and their comfort levels.

Try to avoid surprise activities and have a few backup ideas in the event of changes like poor weather or cancellations.

Preparing Foods

Food selection and preparation can be tricky these days. Not only do we want to make sure that our guests enjoy the food that we make for them, but we want to make sure we are keeping any food allergies, sensitivities, or preferences in mind when we are entertaining. It is always a good idea to touch base with anyone you might be cooking for or providing food for so that mealtime can be safe, fun, and delicious, rather than a time of worry.

Prior to their arrival, be sure to ask your guests about any food allergies, sensitivities, or dietary needs they might have. Not only will this help you avoid any foods that they might not be able to eat, but they will most likely feel extremely grateful that you took the time to ask!

One of my favourite things to make when I am entertaining is a plant-based charcuterie board. You can select your favourite fruits, vegetables, nuts, crackers, and anything else you love to snack on. This is already a vegan recipe, but can easily be made to accommodate a gluten-free diet, and many food allergies by simply swapping foods in and out.

You might also want to keep some snack foods on hand so that your guests have something to eat during all times of their visit. Make things easy by keeping a bowl of fruit like apples and bananas, and granola bars on the kitchen table for easy access. These food items will also be easy to grab and take along on any activities, or for them to have during their journey home.

Summary

As we all start thinking about hosting and entertaining guests in our home again, we want to be as prepared as possible to make the visit both comfortable and fun. With these tips and guidelines, we can spend time planning in advance to make the most of our visits with our friends and family.

Plant-Based Charcuterie Board Plant-Based Charcuterie Board Plant-Based Crcuterie Board Plant-Based Charcuterie Board

---

---