On May 6th, the UK will come together to celebrate the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III and, to commemorate this momentous occasion, a series of celebrations have been organised across the country.
If you fancy hosting your own event, why not gather your friends, family and neighbours together for a Coronation celebration of your own? Here are our top tips for ensuring your celebration is a right royal success.
What to serve
The easiest way to ensure there's plenty of food to go round - and stop you having to spend all day in the kitchen - is to ask your guests to bring a dish.
The most popular items for garden parties consist of traditional finger foods like quiches, sausage rolls, cucumber sandwiches and egg and cress rolls but let's face it, if it's tasty, somebody will eat it, so really anything goes.
If you're planning something more formal, potato salads, giant pork pies and classic Victoria sponges are the way to go.
When it comes to drinks, nothing says 'royal celebration' like a jug of Pimms, packed full of fruit and fresh mint leaves. This recipe from BBC Good Food is a great place to start.
Wine and champagne are also fool-proof options, while soft drinks should be provided for non-drinkers and anyone under 18. And with the UK's famously unpredictable weather, you'll definitely want to have a range of hot drinks ready to serve!
Seating
As the host, you'll need to provide seating and tables, so dust off any that have been sitting in your garage or shed and give them a good clean a few days before the event.
If you need more than you have, you can either ask your guests to bring their own or do a quick Google search for companies that hire out garden furniture in your area and arrange to borrow some for a day or two.
Decorations
Nothing gets people in the mood for a party like colourful decorations and accessories, so get creative by hanging bunting between trees and around tables, and attaching red, white and blue bows, balloons and ribbons to chairs. Union Jack flags are essential too!
You can also bring tables to life by decorating them with vases, jars or milk bottles filled with flowers picked from your and your guests' gardens.
It's also important to get the party started by having a sound system ready to play music; if possible, set up a TV so your guests can watch the Coronation taking place in real time too.
How Cafe2U can help
Whether you're hosting a Coronation garden party for dozens of people or a small do exclusively for your nearest and dearest, why not book one of our mobile cafés to come and handle the coffee-making duties for you?
Our baristas are trained to provide excellent customer service and to deliver the finest quality coffees. You can find your nearest Cafe2U van here.