One of the most enjoyable elements of travelling is relaxing over an evening meal, whether that be choosing your favourite dish or trying something new. Bring the feeling of delightful summer getaways to your home with our al fresco dining tips.

Whether you are entertaining friends or just you and your partner, a few simple steps can make for a special evening. Read our blog post on how to set up your al fresco dining space here.

Rather than serving everything at once, make the most of individual courses to elevate your evening. The secret to mastering this is to prepare ahead, so that you are not in the kitchen all evening and can enjoy the experience yourself.

In France, traditionally they break their meals down into seven courses: aperitif (pre dinner drink), appetizer, main course, salad, cheese, dessert and coffee. Now, seven courses may be too much, but you could take inspiration from their style of hosting for your dinner party.

Serving an aperitif is an enjoyable way to set the scene for the evening and welcome your guests. Opt for something dry, best served with nuts and olives. Popular choices are Aperol Spritz and Martinis, but we quite like a Gimlet, consisting of gin, lime and simple syrup, shaken to perfection.

As you are eating outdoors, you may want to choose a starter (or appetizer) which is cold and therefore can be prepared ahead, saving you time to converse with your guests. Antipasti boards, originating from Italy, are a great sharing option and allow people to choose as much or as little as they like. Serve good quality meats such as prosciutto, bresaola and salami, ensuring they are thinly sliced, to make both eating and assembling easier. Add sundried tomatoes, artichokes, roasted red peppers, and finish with thin slices of fresh bread.

The main course does not need to be complex and stressful, choose something you know and love, or take a Greek influence of simple grilled fish or meat served with salad, which is truly delicious. As the sun sets, outside temperatures drop, so warming your crockery in a Siemens warming drawer will help to keep your serving dishes at the perfect temperature.

Coffee is a wonderful end to a meal, and with a Siemens EQ coffee machine you can use coffeePlaylist to create the perfect coffee for each of your guests at the touch of a button – or if you want something a little stronger, impress by shaking up creamy and delicious espresso martinis.

Choosing the best quality ingredients for your meal can really make a difference, try to use seasonal and local ingredients – this will also help you to be more sustainable. Shopping at a local farmers market, will not only enable you do this, but also recreates the feeling of sunny summer escapes. Knowing where your ingredients were grown or produced can make for great dinner conversation too.

Fresh herbs make a lovely addition to homemade cooking, but they can also help to repel unwanted bugs and insects when grown in your garden. Mint, rosemary, basil and lavender are all popular choices to keep the bugs at bay. Alternatively, citronella candles can also be used as a repellent whilst adding ambient lighting to your dining area.