A 1980s dinner party and do people still have them?

[Comedycook]

So I was reminiscing with my sister earlier.

Growing up in the 80s, our parents would host "proper" dinner parties.

The table would be set, prior to dinner, drinks and nibbles would be provided in the living room, a three course dinner would be served in the dining room, then afterwards more drinks would be served in the living room...brandies and whisky I presume.

The men would wear suits, children would be sent to bed or left with babysitters.

Do people still do this nowadays? When we get together with friends now, the whole evening is so informal in comparison. My parents dinner parties seem very grown up in comparison!

So just wondering if people still have "proper" dinner parties? Is it just very posh people or is it stuck firmly in the past?!

I don’t know anyone who does this!

We still have proper dinner parties! Usually 4/5 courses and music afterwards...

We do but prefer to do a lunch if possible

I don’t think it’s an 80s thing, it’s a posh person thing.

when my parents had parties it was only ever a buffet!

My parents did this in the 80s ans they were most definitely not posh!

I think peoole just went out less then!

We have friends round for dinner or go to friends for dinner, but they are very informal and relaxed. I will do nibbles and pre dinner drinks, sometimes a three course meal, but usually one or two courses. We don't have large appetites these days, so three courses would be the absolute maximum.

I dress nicely but very formally. DH will wear a shirt and his smartest jeans.

Yes, we do. A mix of this and more informal, chilled out get togethers. I certainly wouldn’t say we were posh.

Yes, definitely still hold them. Multiple puddings too.

Oh that sounds fancy. Are the desserts displayed on a hostess trolley,?

We have people over for dinner and their kids are left with a babysitter, ours go off to bed. We sit at the table, we’re hardly going to give the a tray in front of the tv. But no one wears a suit!

I think it’s to do with couple socialising- men tended to socialise through their wives, now men have their own friends and social lives so don’t need an introduction to so and sos husband

Yep, my parents did! Very Abigail’s Party!

@Comedycook not at our house but I do have a friend with one 🤣. It is heated and she loves it. She’s a great hostess and has cooked dinner for 18 on her own in the past.

Yep we still do this in my group, it's just having friends for dinner.

I dress nicely, but informally. I don't own any formal black tie type clothes.

We have friends round for dinner. No-one wears a suit but we make a bit of an effort. It's a nice way to see friends by cooking for them and ghen the favour is returned 😋
I thought most people did this but a while ago I invited a school friend and her husband over for dinner. I was a bit surprised when she practically laughed in my face.

I did before my marriage imploded though minus the suits and my kids always were welcome to sit at the table (on condition they behaved, they did from very young, they didn't want to be sent upstairs!)

It's been covid since so not sure now, mostly we meet in restaurants because money isn't an issue thankfully

@BloodyHellKen
you can’t leave us hanging like that! Did she come or not? I can’t imagine being so surprised at being invited for dinner!

Yes we still host and get invited to lots of dinner parties.

Some are kitchen table affairs - especially in houses where the dining room is a trek from the kitchen, but also we have formal sit downs with canapés and champagne first.

We still do this! Host or attend adult ones twice a month and host or attend a Sunday lunch version with one other family at a time. That is more relaxed,dress code and booze wise, but never food wise!

My parents still do this! I agree it's an 80s thing. My generation seem to go out for a meal instead then back for drinks. I guess we're just lazier!

My mum was a big dinner party host. She’d cook herself into a frenzy in order to impress everyone and have little place cards to tell everyone where to sit. She still does the place cards when the family go round for Sunday dinner, which I find utterly batshit, especially as we’ve all sat in the same places for 40 odd years (with the exception of small children being squeezed between whichever parent is most convenient.)

When my friends come over we tend to have a pasta bake, or chilli, traybake, that kind of thing. Something everyone digs into and grazes on. And everyone can sit where they like. No-one gets dressed up but we’d not turn up in our gym gear, or decorating clothes, or whatever.

People didn't eat out often in the eighties but did tend to host their friends. I remember my parents doing this and I also used to invite friends for dinner regularly when I first got a grown up ish home. Wasn't quite 5 courses followed by whisky etc but two with wine.

The problem with eating out where we live is that someone ends up driving as taxis round here are not abundant, and you have to book ages ahead for one. No Ubers round here.

We used to, well not dressing up, but delving into the new posh cook books, making things my mum would never serve, nice wine.Dh decided to do this and made poached pears stuffed with Roquefort mousse and calves liver in something. Except he got the measurements wrong and we ended up with a huge tub of mousse (it was very rich so a spoon full was enough) and far too much calves liver (it was gross btw). But then we cracked open the Strega. And I woke up to all the glasses cracked from setting it alight. My head was thumping.