The complete dinner party checklist — from sending invitations to clearing the last plate. Organised by timeframe so nothing gets forgotten and nothing piles up on the night.

Dinner party hosting has a way of starting with excitement and quietly turning into anxiety. The questions arrive fast: what to cook, when to do what, how to look relaxed when the doorbell rings at 6pm. The good news is that a great dinner party is almost entirely a planning problem, not a cooking one. Get the decisions made early, build a sensible timeline, and the evening runs itself.