To ask for your worst dinner party experiences?

[Smileandtheworldsmileswithyou]

I know there have been threads on this before, I just absolutely love them for some reason. These and the CF ones are the best! I'll start with mine. I had recently moved with my husband to a new country and my new boss invited me and a few other people from work to his house for dinner. When we arrived he was completely pissed, literally stumbling around drunk. He spent ages showing us a lizard on the wall which we all politely commented on, and waited and waited for the food...He then dropped a box of brownies all over the floor that another guest had brought as a gift and laughed about it for ages. Finally we were asked to sit down for dinner, but he said he couldn't carve the chicken so asked me to do it for him. He then came into the tiny kitchen to watch me try and carve it up and told me how I shouldn't worry, he would make sure I passed my probation at the end of the year. He then persuaded my husband to go in and finish off the job with the chicken before asking him if I was happy at work and if I liked him. We finally got to the table and he starts drinking my wine which I just ignore. He then tells everyone that he has made the bread rolls himself, even though I saw them in a packet in the kitchen. He told us a big elaborate tale about where he found the seeds for them. Dessert was finally served at around 1am, by which time everyone was desperate to get the hell out of there. He said we should take it in turns to host, funnily enough no one ever did take him up on that!

I was on a course. One of the guys invited us all for dinner. I think he just wanted to show us his house, to see if we were shocked. All the beds had mirrors on the ceiling, and in the bathroom, the towel holders were models of erect penises

@BakedTattie

We had a couple who were good friends round for dinner one night. My husband is a chef and we both love entertaining.

The couple turned up empty handed. No problem though, never expected. But! We had (one) bottle of champagne then prosecco. The couple moaned we didn’t have any more champagne. I offered them beer, wine, prosecco, spirits.... nope they wanted champagne. We didn’t have any more though. They weren’t happy so accepted wine grudgingly.
My husband had made a lovely starter, then as we knew the couple loved it, we had venison and dauphinois potato’s, followed by a nice cheese board. Our ‘friends’ drank 3 bottles of wine between them throughout the meal, then desert wine, followed by whisky. Over the whisky, they proceeded to critique the whole night and , criticise my husbands cooking. It was awful, you could have cut the tension with a knife.

They left without so much as a thank you. But said they would have us to their house to ‘show us how to throw a ‘proper’ dinner party’

We went to theirs (grudgingly!) a month later. Arrived and They had no food in so left us at theirs to go to the shops. Came back bragging about what an amazing meal we were about to have.

They served us both a glass of Coke, with plain penne pasta with smoked sausage cut up through it to eat.

Safe to say, we aren’t friends anymore.

One of those times... That the dinner party gives you all you need to know about someone.. freeloaders with rude critiques... Who then proceed to show you the contempt they hold their friends in...

Living abroad, DHs ex-flat mate (who wasn’t American) asked us to come over for a Thanks Giving lunch he was having for all his friends, we politely declined because we already had a restaurant booked for dinner the same day with some friends who were American for a Thanks Giving meal and didn’t fancy eating two large meals in one day, but the ex-flatmate kept pestering us to come, saying it’s only a buffet, you don’t have to eat, I just want to see you before Christmas and so on, which we thought was a bit weird as they were never that close and had only been flatmates for a short time.

When we turned up the food was horrendous, burnt, cheap and inedible and his friends were quite rude to us. He then blocked the door and announced everyone had to give him 15€ for the food before we could leave, we didn’t even have any cash on us and we certainly weren’t going to pay him so we all had to stand their awkwardly until he accepted he wasn’t going to get any money out of us. It was the weirdest social situation I’ve ever found myself in.

4 hour gap between service and reception with no canapes

That isn't necessarily a problem in itself. If the service was at 3pm and a reception at 7pm. I'd expect guests to have had lunch before arriving at church. That said we did do canapes in between to soak up the fizz. Buffet running out and overcrowding is a nightmare though and I've been hungry and bored - stuck somewhere without drinks even- a couple of times at weddings so I wanted to make sure our guests were well-fed and watered.

Went to one where we were evening do only, and the all day guests who had not long finished their meal piled into the evening buffet in a way that the B&G hadn't anticipated, and the venue had to cobble together a few more plates of sandwiches.

@SlightlyJaded Oh I like the Chopsies!

Any update in the relationship in the last ten years or so?

I went to a wedding where we all sat waiting for food for ages at tabes in a marquee - finally the caterers brought out a plate of salad leaves for everyone, which we ate, assuming it was the starter. Then they brought out bigger plates of salad leaves, which we ate. Then more salad but this time with a few nuts in, and presented with a flourish. It was weird, no one wanted to ask what was going on but I guess they had a cock-up of some kind and just didn't have the right food available. Eventually someone fired up the disco and we all just got pissed and danced the night away instead and no one ever talked about it!

my mum was caught out by my father bringing home his colleagues and wife without telling her and asking her to cook something (I know!) and she was only 18-19 but quite a good cook at that age anyway ( I was a baby) and realised with horror that she only had onions and liver in the flat. This was the 70s so there were no after hours shops open.

So they had onion soup and then liver and onions with onion surprise (ie an onion)

I had a dinner party where I had made a fairly intricate vietnamese feast and had invited my long lost friend from school (she was a tutor at an Oxford college( among others (arty posh gay couple) and she turned up fairly refreshed with someone I didn't know and who I can only describe as a Phil Mitchell lookalike. He was introduced as a former boyfriend.

He then proceeded to smoke a joint of crack at the table and get his knuckle dusters out to regale us with tales of him smashing faces in round his 'manor'.

ah yes, forgot - the arty gay had to sit though a fair bit of homophobic 'banter' as well.

My partner and I had planned a quiet Christmas at home but about a week beforehand her father became extremely ill and she and all her siblings had to race back to be with him and their mum. So I was going to be home alone — not a problem.

We had a friend who lived a 15-minute walk away. She insisted on inviting me to join her and her two daughters, in their early 20s, and their boyfriends for lunch. There was a lot of 'We can't possibly have you on your own for Christmas' stuff. One of the boyfriends was a chef and was going to cook a wonderful Christmas lunch and give my friend a break from the chore. I'd met the daughters previously and they'd been chatty and pleasant and a restaurant-standard meal sounded enticing, so I agreed.

I arrived at 1.30pm, as requested, with two very good bottles of wine and gifts for everyone. My friend opened the door looking stressed and ushered me into the sitting room, where a bare-chested young guy in tracksuit bottoms was playing a video game. The two daughters drifted in and out in PJs, obviously only just out of bed. They were eating toast and cereal: apparently all the youngsters had been out till 3am, partying. The chef boyfriend was still in bed. No one had opened any presents and they all seemed worse for wear.

After a while an argument kicked off upstairs. I could hear a man shouting and my friend trying to cool things down. Then she came in, told me that Christmas lunch would be served at 5pm and went to the kitchen to start cooking. I asked if I could help and she told me no very firmly. So I said that I'd head back home so that they could have the space they needed.

I went home, had cheese on toast (I was starving) and made myself cosy in front of our log-burner. It started raining quite heavily and it was dark, so I phoned my friend and said that something else had come up and that I wasn't going to make it for dinner. She said she'd be very offended if I stood her up after all the trouble she'd gone to, so I put my raincoat on and trotted round there obediently.

It was a traditional Christmas dinner and the food was fine, but the atmosphere was terrible. The daughters were sulky, the two boyfriends were silent and uncomfortable. There was a vague smell of dope in the air: they'd been smoking spliffs in the conservatory. My friend put on a performance of everything being bright and cheery and expected me to banter with her, talk about the weather etc. I've never felt so uncomfortable in my entire life.

This is why single people don't jump at the chance to spend Christmas Day with families.

Does a nightmare guest when I was hosting count?

I'd organised a BBQ, told everyone we're eating at 5 but happy for them to turn up any time from 3 and stay over if they want. He turned up at 9. There was plenty of food left, I'd been cooking all day - the leftover meat was obviously cold but there were sides, salad, potatoes, pasta, bean chilli... I offered to heat up anything in the microwave and he said no it was fine. So I assumed he'd already eaten. We still had crisps and dips outside so everyone was eating those.

Later I saw his insta story, where he'd posted a pic of the crisps and captioned it "awkward moment when you go to a BBQ and this is all there is". I don't think he knew I followed him.

Not so much a 'dinner party' but just an awkward meal at someones house.

In my teens I was recently dating this new guy who took me to a party at his friends house where we had been picked up a driven there, he then proceeded to dump me and leave me with no clue where I was.

I phoned my best friend who phoned another friend of hers who was the only person she knew who could drive and he figured out the area and came to collect me.

He INSISTED I stay at his house for the night as it was 'too far' to best friends house so late at night, problem is this guy was a bit of a creep (classic self proclaimed 'nice guy' type).

I spent the whole night on the sofa with him trying to hit on me and crawl on the sofa to sleep next to me and having to litrally fight him off (while his pregnant girlfriend was in the bedroom next door as it was a 1 bed flat).

Next day I just wanted to go but he lived in a tiny 'village' in the middle of the yorkshire countryside, his girlfriend came out to meet me and INSISTED I stay for dinner.

I tried to explain I needed to go but they just didnt seem to want to take the blatent hint and she asked what I wanted for dinner to which I simply explained Im vegetarian and it was no bother if they just drop me off somewhere I would get my own food.

Well we all bundled into the car (me hoping they would drop me off at a bus or train station so I could 'escape') but they drove to a big Morrisons store and ushered me inside where the girlfriend proceeded to walk me through the butchers section thrusting every single item of meat at me and say 'but vegetarians can eat this one right?' and 'how about this one? you must eat this one'.

It was the most awkward and bizaare night and day, I still dont know if she was just increadibly stupid and couldnt grasp the simple concept of vegetarian (even though several people in the shop who where just passing tryed to explain it while she staired blankly) or if she was somehow attempting to punish me for the fact he boyfriend was blatently a sex pest who was intested in me but surely if the latter then just letting me go would have been best for everyone instead of drawing it out.

Just a small one from me..Set the table in the dining room it looked beautiful. Eight people for dinner with my magnificent new table center piece to crown it all.Stunning arrangement I had specially made,Think fruits and flowers with candles very artizan and I was too young to know better,Meet and greeting guests and showing off my new elegant dining room eeryone admired my center piece.Drinks in the garden and one of the guests went to the loo only to return to say dinner smells lovely but it might be burning Lump ,so I go investigate,no everything ok,Another drink another guest goes to the loo only to come back to say "is your dining room supposed to be on fire?" The bloody center piece up in flames ! Ruined!! Young and stupid ..I learned!!

@HarebrightCedarmoon

4 hour gap between service and reception with no canapes

That isn't necessarily a problem in itself. If the service was at 3pm and a reception at 7pm. I'd expect guests to have had lunch before arriving at church. That said we did do canapes in between to soak up the fizz. Buffet running out and overcrowding is a nightmare though and I've been hungry and bored - stuck somewhere without drinks even- a couple of times at weddings so I wanted to make sure our guests were well-fed and watered.

Went to one where we were evening do only, and the all day guests who had not long finished their meal piled into the evening buffet in a way that the B&G hadn't anticipated, and the venue had to cobble together a few more plates of sandwiches.

Its not normal to expect people to go 7 hours without even nibbles.

I have also been to weddings with the buffet issue, everyone always claims day guests wont eat any more and to undercater and often the day guests do still want to eat again. Many times the main meal wasnt that great or something the person would choose so day guests are still fairly hungry, theres nothing worse than not having enough food, how do places still deliberately undercater.

We used to have reciprocal dinners with a friend of XH and his partner a few times a year.

On one occasion Mrs Partner (MP) rocked into my kitchen, quizzed me about whether I'd lost and weight recently (not in a good way), regaled me with her Weight Watchers story and quizzed me about what I was cooking.

She painstakingly picked the tempura batter off her king prawns, before polishing off the main, pudding, a substantial chunk of the cheeseboard and the best part of two bottles of red, then swore at me and called me an idiot for making a bad play in cards.

Oh and she and her partner and XH all lit up between courses .

@takealettermsjones

Does a nightmare guest when I was hosting count?

I'd organised a BBQ, told everyone we're eating at 5 but happy for them to turn up any time from 3 and stay over if they want. He turned up at 9. There was plenty of food left, I'd been cooking all day - the leftover meat was obviously cold but there were sides, salad, potatoes, pasta, bean chilli... I offered to heat up anything in the microwave and he said no it was fine. So I assumed he'd already eaten. We still had crisps and dips outside so everyone was eating those.

Later I saw his insta story, where he'd posted a pic of the crisps and captioned it "awkward moment when you go to a BBQ and this is all there is". I don't think he knew I followed him.

I really hope you replies to his post saying “Well, when you arrived at 9pm and I offered to heat and serve you the mountains of , you declined, so I assumed you had eaten you whingeing, attention seeking liar.”

I have a habit of collecting stray animals so when I took in a little staffy who had followed me home one night I rang around all the usual numbers and the wee dog spent the night with me on the sofa. The next morning his owners text me to claim him and I met the boyfriend to hand over the wee chap, it was a man and he didn't say a word to me he just took his dog on my lead and left.
His girlfriend text me to thank me for taking care of him and invited me over to theirs for a bbq as they were new to the area and would love to make some new friends. I went over and took beers (their preference) and flowers. I arrived at their front door to hear the boyfriend shouting at the girlfriend and I could hear kids screaming (albeit playful screaming). The boyfriend answered the door and invited me in before turning around and continuing to argue with his girlfriend. The 3 kids were chasing the dog around and trying to stick a pencil up its arse while the couple really got into their row in the back garden. Then the girlfriend came back in to speak to me all quiet and normal and says "Have a seat and get comfy, we're going to go and buy a bbq in a bit". I gave the kids a row for bullying the dog and I left as soon as the crazy couple were back in their garden - fuck THAT for a pleasant evening.

My own dinner party. For some new and senior colleagues of my DH. This was 20 years ago.
I made Delia's black bean soup. Great flavour, but realised too late that I had bought, soaked and used black eye beans instead, which predictably are small white beans with a black dot in them. Resulting soup tasted great but looked like gruel. No matter, thought I. I just nipped to the supermarket and bought some black food colouring. Result? Horrified realisation as I looked round the table, everyone had black teeth and lips!

Not a dreadful experience, but we were having dinner at the house of friends when they started a massive argument about whether they had got cream for dessert and, if they hadn't, whose fault that was. They had an open plan kitchen/dining room so we were around three steps away from the fridge. DH and I were trying to work out whether suggesting they check the fridge would make things worse or better. Eventually our hosts did check, the cream was there, and the meal resumed as if absolutely nothing had happened.

Abusive sister invited me and bf at the time for dinner to her new house she'd just bought with her partner. Her friends I'd never met were there. I didn't want to go because of the abuse she'd give me but my parents pushed me and said I have to grow up and stop making drama. I had just turned 18..sister 22

She always put me down. Sister is a quiet office job type person as is her partner and friends. I am very sporty. At the time I was injured (torn ACL)

The whole night it was clear she was trying to make out to her friends boyfriend and I were stupid...and rough (i am neither but we grew up in a rough place, sister seems mortified by this and adopted a fake accent when she moved out.)

I was getting up from the chair to go to the bathroom and stumbled slightly as I reached for my crutches. She then said loudly in a mocking tone ''omg god everyone..look at me and my sore leg ooh!! Pay attentionto me!!! '' .......I was mortified. Her friends looked mortified. I had to silently hop out of the room.
She got pissed and went to bed. At 18 I wanted to stay up n watch a film ,they said we could. Her partner sat there on the sofa trying to stay away til 5am...watching my partner and I. As if we would steal something or do something careless and 'scymbaggy' 😑

Next morning at breakfast she hid her nice spreadable cheese under her partners broadsheet newspaper. As she new I liked it. 🤣🤣 I have to laugh at that. But here were 3 sausages left over. She asked my partner and hers, who wanted them. They both said they didn't mind. She hummed and hawed for a few minutes..gave them a sausage each,cut the other one in half and shared it accordingly. She's mental 🤣

Trying to stay awake*

Scumbaggy* 🙄🤣

@ShagMeRiggins No, I took the passive aggressive route 😂 I posted a series of pictures to my own Instagram of all the leftover food, and tagged him in it. I captioned it something like ooh look at all these leftovers, BBQ for breakfast anyone? Etc. My friend who was equally annoyed on my behalf commented "thanks so much for last night, so much food!" Thankfully he'd buggered off by then.

@takealettermsjones

Does a nightmare guest when I was hosting count?

I'd organised a BBQ, told everyone we're eating at 5 but happy for them to turn up any time from 3 and stay over if they want. He turned up at 9. There was plenty of food left, I'd been cooking all day - the leftover meat was obviously cold but there were sides, salad, potatoes, pasta, bean chilli... I offered to heat up anything in the microwave and he said no it was fine. So I assumed he'd already eaten. We still had crisps and dips outside so everyone was eating those.

Later I saw his insta story, where he'd posted a pic of the crisps and captioned it "awkward moment when you go to a BBQ and this is all there is". I don't think he knew I followed him.

I'd have had to comment!

"Awkward moment when you turn up four hours late to a BBQ, refuse the offer of having the meat heated up for you and forget the BBQ host follows you on instagram..."

The first time I met my BIL and SIL. They threw a dinner party just for us four (thankfully), they were absolutely lovely to me, I was very nervous, which probably showed, but they were lovely people. The starter SIL had chosen to make was goat’s cheese tart, it was delicious - she’s an excellent cook. I’d never had goat’s cheese before. Turns out I’m quite allergic to it, which became apparent later in the evening. All over the dinner table, suddenly, unavoidably and violently. Luckily they weren’t too put out, and looked after me. I’m glad I hadn’t been drinking or else they might have been a bit suspicious as to the cause!

I must just be me but I've never invited anyone I'm not really pleased to spend time with apart from inlaws

If I'm hosting and it's all a bit of a distaster, my friends would laugh about it and roll their sleeves up to help or order a takeaway. No one needs to be mortified, these things happen. When I hosted Christmas dinner for 23, I got through it by thinking well the worst that can happen is we all have beans on toast and I did actually stock up with tins and sliced bread just in case

At friends' houses I'd think nothing of popping to the shop if there was a shortage of anything. I once cleared the corner shop of biscuits when a friend realised at the last minute she hadn't got any treat food for a children's party.

SIL did once let me ooh and ahh about the amazing chocolate torte she'd made before telling me I couldn't have any becuase of the raw egg and me being pregnant. It was OK she had a banana for me!