Have you ever invited friends over for a meal, but struggled to decide what you were going to serve? Well, here to help you in your party planning, is a menu suggestion according to the time of day you’ve invited your friends over!

There’s a reason we drink coffee in the morning, and have wine with dinner. By catering exactly to the cravings that are triggered by the time of day, this menu plan will be your next hack to be the ultimate hostess (or host!) with the mostest.

Meal: Breakfast
What to serve:  
English breakfast AKA British fry up
Pancakes
Healthy options: granola and yogurt, overnight oats

If you and your friends love a savoury breakfast, then a good British fry-up is the way to go. Eggs scrambled or sunny side up, meats such as sausages and bacon, baked beans, and optional sides of fried mushrooms and a grilled tomato. Drink pairing: coffee.

Pancakes are also definitely in the breakfast category, and should be served with syrup, butter and fruit, preferably berries. Interestingly, the American diner breakfast features a combination of eggs and bacon from the English breakfast, but with a side of pancakes and syrup.

And if you and your friends prefer to eat healthy, then have a yogurt bar with juice, fresh fruit and granola mix. If you have a chance to plan ahead, why not impress them with some overnight oats and toppings of choice (we suggest peanut butter!).

Meal: Brunch
What to serve:
Avocado toast
Eggs benedict
Mimosa cocktails

Ever since brunch started getting trendy as a mealtime to gather over, there’s one food item that has skyrocketed in popularity: avocado toast. Whether sliced or mashed, with toppings or on its own, avocado toast just feels expensive, and your guests will love that you made some for them.

Also a popular brunch item is eggs benedict; the ‘eggs’ portion of the meal are borrowed from breakfast, but the meal in its entirety is filling enough that it will keep you full till after lunch hour – which is still the point of brunch. Add some smoked salmon if you want to spoil your guests.

And with brunch being the first meal of the day where it’s socially acceptable to have a little drink, spoil yourselves with a Mimosa, a cocktail made of equal parts champagne and orange juice.

Meal: Lunch
What to serve:
Noodles
Rice and meat
Burgers

It should be the objective of every lunch meal that it’s not too heavy that it weighs you down for the rest of the day, but that it’s substantial enough that it energises you midday to keep going until evening. Lunch should also be simpler than dinner, in that it doesn’t have multiple courses and takes less time to serve.

The two must-haves meal elements at lunch as the first fully savoury meal of the day: carbohydrates, and protein. Noodles and rice are always an easy choice for a lunch meal, or if you prefer bread then go with burgers or savoury sandwiches.

Mealtime: Teatime
What to serve:
Cakes, scones
Finger sandwiches
Local option: curry puffs, samosas

Another in-between mealtime that is not meant to be too heavy, afternoon tea conjures images of cute cups and finger food towers – which should provide a general direction of what to serve.

Think of serving bite-sized squares of cakes, scones served with jam and cream, or finger sandwiches that are lightly filled. And as the name of the mealtime suggests: tea makes the perfect pairing, any way you take it.

Meal: Dinner
What to serve:
Protein of choice: Steak, fish, and so on
Potatoes or pasta
Wine

Dinner is the meal worth getting fancy for. This is the meal when even if entertaining at home, you get dressed up for, and impress your guests with your culinary and hosting skills.

Steak or fish always make for a tasteful main course. And instead of something heavy like rice, pair with a lighter carb like pasta or potatoes.

Go ahead and also put out a cheese platter for aperitif when your friends arrive, and let the wine flow.


Pressed for time and your friends are coming over soon? Did you know that GemSpot can help you plan your entire party from selecting decorations, booking a venue, on top of pre-ordering your perfect catering menu? We can even crank it up a notch and go full out with a celebration package, such as for a milestone birthday or anniversary.

News to be announced soon! Stay tuned.