This weekend we hosted a 6 nations final/ St Patricks Day party,  which included the first BBQ of the year – it always was going to too, rain or shine…

Our house is quite small, so we only had a few friends over, some from London, some from Bristol and some neighbours. Much booze was consumed, food was eaten and merriment enjoyed.

What makes a good gathering though? We didn’t have gourmet food – although the BBQ food was not burnt on the outside, raw in the middle. There were no fancy cocktails or very expensive wines – we mostly drank real ale, cider and Guinness. We watched rugby, some trashy TV (Take Me Out) and played Lips on the XBox. Everyone was relaxed – some a little too much, but they were kept in check by there partners. We have received much praise and thanks for our event, and I think the secret was probably a small focus (rugby) with nothing too complicated (drinking games) getting in the way. No dress code, bring your own booze and just enjoy.

Now to plan my 30th with the same success….