Inviting neighbours in for drinks ... what do you serve up?

[hidinginthegarden]

I was brought up very frugally and my parents didn't ever have friends round and I feel ,as an adult, I'm not very good at making Christmas feel luxurious when it comes to food and drink or having people round. I feel a bit like I just don't do it right!

One of our neighbours invited a few of us round for Christmas drinks. I didn't go but our other lovely (and quite wealthy) neighbours went and said it was frugal - they had crisps and sausage rolls and Prosecco. It was only a couple of hours (as most are elderly) so it sounds fine to me. But it got me thinking - it's a good example of where I would feel awkward hosting. What would you have put out in this situation?. I don't want to waste food but would want to feel like a good host. Thanks

I’d probably have a wider range of drinks, Prosecco, wine and beer. Maybe milled wine or a cocktail. Crisps, mince pies and maybe a cheese board. But I wouldn’t invite your cf neighbours and I’d probably expect everyone to bring a bottle (even though I would have enough).

Were the wealthy neighbours expecting a meal, or was it clear it was just drinks and nibbles? Extremely rude of them to complain to you about it though, but it does seem a bit frugal for being there 'several hours'

Depending how many I was expecting, I too would provide more drinks than prosecco- red/white wine, beer, mulled wine and soft drinks. We normally have baileys and other sprits in, if someone had wanted something else though.

DH makes delicious, home-made sausage rolls, so we'd have those. A charcuterie board with various meats, cheeses, grapes, crackers, chutney. Dips with celery/carrot batons, crips/nuts, olives and some sort of canapes. Mince pies, mini florentines or something else sweet.

Again, if it was just Bob and Linda from next door, I wouldn't put on a massive spread, but if I was expecting the whole street I would.

We have a chilli night with friends which we host and I do a couple of different chilli's, all the sides and then when people ask what to bring we say whatever you're drinking, we always have plenty of wine, beer, some sort of sparking wine and soft drinks as well.
I suppose you just need to know if it's drinks and nibbles or something more substantial to cater for.

'Christmas drinks' ?

I would offer mulled wine, a non-alcoholic alternative, or tea / coffee and nibbles, as per your neighbours.

I've been to 2 different houses for Christmas rinks this year.
One offered tea / coffee and mince pies or chocolate gingerbread.
The other offered mulled wine or bottle beer or juice or tea / coffee and crisps of different sorts sitting around in bowls around the room.

Extremely rude of them to complain to you about it though

Agree with this.
What odd neighbours you have.

Prosecco
White wine
Red wine
Mulled wine
Gin and tonic
Whiskey
Baileys
Brandy
(But I usually have all of that in my home anyway except the mulled wine)

Crisps
Nuts
Olives
Party platter type thing from marks
Sausage rolls

Shortbread
Chocolates

I'd also have beer and some alcohol free drinks.

Wine and beer (mulled wine is not to everyone's taste)
Crisps and nuts
M&S party food - mini quiche etc, bite size stuff

I think Prosecco was probably the issue - should have been champagne at christmas if for a few people and only for a couple of hours.

Some nice nibbles - so home made ideally or smoked salmon blinis etc.

We've just had our neighbours round for drinks&nibbles.
We had red&white wine, the boys also had beer then we did coffee&tea to finish. We put out a lovely 'beige buffet', including a big grazing board of cheese&crackers&pate&grapes, bowls of crisps and stonebaked pizza.
We had mince pies/Christmas cake to finish.
It was a laugh as ever with them! We wouldn't judge each other on the food layout, we're good friends as well as neighbours.

Thank you for the details. That's what I'm not good at. Or feel that I'm not! I read more into the comment as it's something I perceive about myself!

If neighbours invited me for drinks I would be v happy with sausage rolls and crisps and would have a great time chatting.

And would never comment on anyone else’s hospitality in such a snobby ungrateful way.

If I had people in for drinks I would do a range of snacks, olives, crisps, maybe samosas and pakora, or bruschetta , or sausage rolls, bite sized canapés,

And I would serve Crémant or good cava , red and white wine, beer, red and white wine and a selection of soft drinks .

I would not moan or be ungrateful for the Prosecco but personally I would not serve it.

Not cheap supermarket Prosecco anyway, which is generally horrible.

I wouldn’t serve Champagne, couldn’t afford it , but it would be Crémant of good Cava which is generally much better.

Sounds like your wealthy neighbours are just snobs tbh. If I was invited around for drinks I'd bring my own drinks 🤷‍♀️

They are snobs, as is the person saying you should serve your neighbours champagne at Xmas!! Literally nothing wrong with a few glasses of Prosecco, a few crisps and sausage rolls at a neighbours drinks do. Sounds lovely - if the neighbours wanted something particular they should have brought it themselves!

Love a beige buffet. I’m moving next door and inviting myself next year!

To answer your question @hidinginthegarden we’re having neighbours drinks on NYD and I’ve planned a cheese board, tempura prawns, hummus, french bread, crackers, crisps, smoked salmon rillettes, mince pies and thick brandy cream. Red white and fizzy wine and soft drinks.

Prosecco
Red and white wine
Brandy
Rum
Gin
Baileys
Mixers

Not mulled wine. I don't know anyone who chooses that in real life!

Crisps
Pigs in blanket
Olives
Cheese board
Nuts
Crudités
Etc

Thank you. I'm loving hearing what you are all serving and feel I've not explained myself terribly well. It's not about the neighbours - it's about what I could serve that would feel less frugal/miserly if I was having people round.

Nigella writes about this in I think How to Eat and how it is best to serve fore example a whole brie with crackers etc as it looks more bountiful than tiny wedges of 5 different cheeses.

So I would keep it simple - just a few different canapés or cheeses and some very nice champagne or wine. You aren't a bar so I wouldn't be offering a thousand different drinks - just a couple of decent alcohol ones and some nice non alcohol choices.

But neighbours being bitchy were not nice at all.

I mean I don't really like Prosecco but I would drink it because I have manners.

DH makes delicious, home-made sausage rolls, so we'd have those. A charcuterie board with various meats, cheeses, grapes, crackers, chutney. Dips with celery/carrot batons, crips/nuts, olives and some sort of canapes. Mince pies, mini florentines or something else sweet.

That's not 'drinks', that's a buffet supper.

I'd try to find out what my neighbours like to drink, if I didn't already know, so that I didn't buy too much of something that wouldn't be drunk - do they prefer beer or wine, red or white. Plus fruit juice. And a couple of plates of mince pies and an alternative for anyone who doesn't like or can't eat mince pies (they often have nuts).

I wouldn't spend a lot of money buying stuff I wouldn't drink myself. No need to go overboard just for a couple of hours.

Agree @MissRoseDurward

We had neighbours around for drinks earlier in the week. We just offered them something from a selection! Choice of fizz or mulled wine when they arrived, and then some had normal wine and others had festive gin mixes.

We put out a cheeseboard, olives, crackers, nuts and crisps. It wasn't an all night thing, just a few hours to chat so there wasn't need for a big table full of food or anything.

We'll probably have neighbours drop by this week and do the same, though we're in Norway at the moment and these neighbour tend to bring their own and DH says it's polite to open that as well as ours here! We'll do a cheeseboard of some description, and whatever bits DH reckons they'll want.

You neighbours sound unkind and ungrateful to be honest

I always find it hard to know what to give people - we usually just serve tea and Christmas cake as it’s usually just an hour that people call in for & usually unexpected

but a gin and tonic or wine and party bites or sandwiches and crisps and nuts is totally fine i think