Comme Soie decoration tips for your next BBQ party

First things first: Is the grill clean? Check! Do you have someone to do the barbecuing? Check. Do you have drinks on ice? Great, then we can begin!

Let's start with the most important thing – the menu. We estimate around 150-200 g of meat and fish per guest. There should be plenty of choice. We put chicken wings, spare ribs and kebabs on the grill, as well as sausages, prawns and whole fish. We like to serve everything on a large platter so that people can help themselves to what they want. Of course, we mustn't forget the vegetarians. We cook vegetables galore on the grill with olive oil and fresh herbs. As an accompaniment, we serve lots of fresh salads, homemade focaccia, dips and plates of colourful appetizers.

Table design for a Swiss National Day BBQ party

When it comes to decorating the table, our first consideration is always the colour concept. For a Swiss National Day party, red and white are the obvious choice.

Decoration tip for centrepieces

Why not make an edible table decoration? It's very simple: Arrange lots of cherry tomatoes and juicy beef tomatoes at the centre of the table. Place some fresh, washed lettuce leaves in aluminium cans alongside. Position wooden boards with dips along the table. This way everyone can create their own salad from the centre of the table.

Decoration tip for serviettes

Using a piece of string, attach a sprig of cherry tomatoes to a white serviette and arrange it nicely on the plate. Who wouldn't want to sit down at the table now?

Decoration tip for drinks

We love to serve our guests drinks in old glass bottles and stick fun labels on them. The labels can also serve as name tags. A strawberry & Thai basil cocktail is incredibly refreshing, for example.

For younger guests, we have syrup juices. These come with a skewered Swiss cross made out of watermelon and placed crosswise over the glass.

Tips for dessert

A red and white dessert such as mascarpone and yoghurt cream is perfect for Swiss National Day (the recipe can be found further down the page). Each guest is given their own preserving jar containing this heavenly creamy dessert and topped with fresh strawberries.

Table decoration for a Mediterranean BBQ evening

We like to give a little Costa Amalfitana flair to a Mediterranean BBQ evening with friends. Yellow and green are a very fresh and cheerful colour combination.

Decoration tip for centrepieces

Fill old preserving jars with sliced lemons and lots of fresh herbs for a guaranteed eye-catching table decoration.

Decoration tip for appetizers & starters

For the appetizer, you can simply tie a sprig of rosemary around a mini baguette using string and place it on a small wooden board or plate. Place a small bowl of olive oil at the side. Guests will immediately feel at home. You can then pass round the antipasti platter so that each guest can choose their own food.

Decoration tip for tablecloth & serviettes

We often decide against a tablecloth as we love rustic wooden tables and want to give them the attention they deserve. Serviettes, on the other hand, can be used to creative effect. Here we've placed them under the board for a change.

Tip for an unforgettable atmosphere

Once the table is set, the side dishes are ready and the guests are on their way, there are two important details remaining – music and candles. They set the atmosphere and get guests in the party mood.

Tip for meat, fish and vegetable platters

Ideally we would serve everything family-style in the centre.

But be careful – to keep the food super fresh and looking like it hasn't just been dumped onto the table, it should be arranged beautifully and garnished with lots of herbs.

We hope you will have an unforgettable summer with lots of opportunities to fire up the BBQ with family and friends, and serve up a culinary feast in the great outdoors!