For some, the joy of entertaining is in the preparation – but most of us seek out an easy dinner party solution so we can get on with enjoying the company of our guests.

Read on for how to put together this easy dinner party that brings together seasonal, local ingredients and an elegant, simple tablesetting for a simple, sophisticated get-together.

When tomato season gives you tomatoes, make gazpacho! Dice tomatoes, celery, scallions, bell pepper, spicy pepper, cucumber and any fresh veggies in season.  I like to dice everything very finely instead of liquidizing so you can better enjoy the colors and textures of the ingredients. Mix with tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and apple cider vinegar so that it has the consistency of a hearty soup. Season with salt, pepper and fresh herbs (cilantro, basil). Chill: it’s really that easy and utterly delicious!

The main course was a curried cod and lentils. Start by coating the cod in a marinade of olive oil, curry powder salt and pepper and put back in the fridge. Lentils contain protein, fiber and complex carbohydrates so they are a balanced addition to any meal. Make a broth to cook them in using chicken stock, white wine, garlic paste, chili sauce and lemon juice. Simmer for approx. 20 minutes until tender, then drain and add a little cumin. Pan fry the cod and plate up topping the cod with natural yoghurt and fresh herbs.

We finished with peach crumble served in ramekins. Peel and slice the peaches so they fill just over half the depth of the ramekin and add a squeeze of lemon juice. For the crumble topping mix 1.5 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 cup of brown sugar half a cup of melted butter and a handful of sliced almonds. Combine these ingredients together with your hands in a bowl and they will form into coarse crumbs. Spoon the toppings into the ramekins to cover the peaches and bake for 50 minutes at 375°.  Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

The flowers were from a local cutting garden - one year I will have my own...a work in progress!  The color scheme was pink, burgundy and white - colors which look great with the dark natural linen napkins and placemats - a range of shades and textures including Cosmos and Ammi.

The table setting is simple.  Don't forget the aim is an easy dinner party! The linens are the new dark natural undyed flax placemats and napkins – a shade darker than our best-selling Natural Linen Placemat. I paired those with handmade white earthenware plates and bowls. What makes the placesettings special is the quality: every handmade bowl has a piece of the maker’s soul in it; the soft, smooth linen is woven by Italian experts from the finest French flax and finished with an elegant 1.5” hem. Perfection in simplicity executed beautifully!

Follow on Instagram for more tablesetting inspiration and browse the online store for many, many other table linen options.