One of the best things about booking a big holiday house is being able to eat together. One of the trickiest things about booking a big holiday house? Feeding everyone.

When 15, 20 or even 30 people are staying together, a little forward planning can make the difference between relaxed meals around a big table and six people simultaneously asking, “What are we doing about dinner?”

Here’s how to make group catering easy when you're staying in a BHHL large holiday house:

Decide How Organised You Need to Be

For a family celebration or weekend with old friends, keeping things fairly relaxed often works perfectly.

You might arrange one big supermarket delivery for breakfasts and essentials, book a pub for Saturday lunch and cook something simple together in the evening.

For an activity, craft, painting or walking group, however, it's worth being more organised.

If everyone needs to leave the house at 9.30am for a workshop, walk or day out, you don't want to start discussing breakfast arrangements at 9.15.

Plan meals around your itinerary before you arrive.

Give Different People Different Meals

Nobody wants one unfortunate person catering for 20 people all weekend.

Instead, divide responsibility.

One small team handles Friday night, another Saturday breakfast and somebody else takes charge of Saturday dinner. It spreads the work – and often becomes part of the fun.

Alternatively, choose easy communal dishes. Lasagne, chilli, curry, pasta bakes and casseroles can all be prepared in quantity without requiring restaurant-level culinary skills.

Use Supermarket Deliveries

A supermarket delivery arriving shortly after your group does can save an enormous amount of hassle.

Create the shopping list beforehand, remembering tea, coffee, milk, breakfast supplies, snacks and drinks as well as the main meals.

Most importantly, check dietary requirements before anyone starts shopping.

Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and allergy requirements are much easier to accommodate when you know about them in advance.

You Don't Have to Cook

Self-catering doesn't mean you actually have to cater for yourselves every night.

Book a local pub or restaurant, arrange a takeaway, order prepared food or consider bringing in a private chef for a special evening.

For an organised retreat, you could even include catering in the cost of the weekend, leaving everyone free to concentrate on the activity they've actually come away to enjoy.

Keep One Evening Special

Finally, make one meal an occasion.

Set the table, open the wine, put the phones away and get everyone sitting down together.

Because while the house, countryside and activities might be the reason you booked the weekend, those long meals around one table often become some of the best memories.

And thankfully, nobody has to drive home afterwards.

Book you break here:

Big House Holiday Lets:
www.bhhl.co.uk
enquiries@bhhl.co.uk
01600 732 050