Choose a theme

Think about what you and your friends interests… which movies do they enjoy, horror, comedy, action? which sports do they like, football, rugby, boxing? once you’ve made a list of all of your guests interests (and yours of course) try to find a common interest of everyone. And include this interest into your murder mystery.

Create a story

Are you ready to get creative? it’s time to write the best murder mystery story of all time. It can be a great family bonding activity to write together. You need to you decide which mysteries to involve to entertain your guests as they search for clues. First and foremost, you should decide on the different characters in your story, that your guests (in teams or singulary) will play. You’ll need to script out their lines and how you want the characters to be portrayed. Then of course, decide who did the murder and create the story around it. It can really be as simple or detailed as you like. Just make sure
Note: of course this is a lenghty process and if you don’t have the time or simply don’t want too, don’t worry! There are thousands of scripted murder mysteries online to choose from.

Set out instructions

Make sure you write a list of instructions so everyone knows how to play. The rules for murder mystery are pretty simple – stay in character, listen to the story, piece together clues and work out who the murderer is. It’s important that everyone stays in character and follows the script. As the host, make sure you set a good example! And don’t forget to have fun. I know a murder has just happened, but it’s not meant to be too serious.

Arrange all necessary props

Apart from actually playing the murder mystery, finding props for it is the fun part. Make sure each character has a staple piece of clothing or accessories to make everyone feel in character. A good money saver is getting guests to bring their own! And you can even find things, such as fake blood and weapons, to make the crime scenes even more realistic. Be creative.

Alcoholic beverages

Last but not least, make sure you’re stocked up on alcoholic beverages. Don’t leave your guests parched.

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Casino games

Let’s start with the most important step, choosing the right casino games. If you’re not familiar with different casino games you can learn more at this guide of online casinos. You need to make sure all guests are satisfied so ensure that you have a wide range of games on offer so they can choose one right for them. You’ll have to take the amount of guests into consideration beforehand and how much space you’re working with. The more people, the more games you should have on offer. Here are the top casino table games that you include in your casino night.

⦁ Roulette – this is a great game for first-time gamblers because it comes down to 100% luck. Therefore, not much knowledge or skill is required. It’s a fantastic game to have lots of fun for those not looking to take casino night too seriously. It’s also a great way to socialise because you can gather into two teams (as many people as you wish) and each bet on a different colour. This means you’ll celebrate wins together and commiserate losses. It’s all a part of the excitement and unpredictability of the game! Naturally, if there are any guests that playing casino games regularly they’ll probably stay far away from the roulette table.

⦁ Blackjack – by far the most popular casino table game. This is a great game because the rules are relatively easy to understand. You can play with 2-7 players including the dealer. We’d suggest beginner players playing together and the more experienced players together separately. This makes it fairer! Remember, you’re all friends and just trying to have some fun.

⦁ Poker – get your guests practising their poker faces whilst they play against each other for the best hand. Poker will be more suited to experienced players as the rules can be a little more difficult to understand and get a grasp of. Nonetheless, you should print off a useful rule by rule guide beforehand so guests that are keen to play can clue themselves up.

Buffet food

When people really get into the gaming zone, they won’t want to take much time out to eat. Therefore, we suggest preparing buffet, finger type foods. Such as, mini burgers, skewers, mini tarts, baby roasted stuffed peppers, cheese and crackers, potato wedges, pizza slices – you get the jist. This also allows guests to eat at their leisure inbetween games instead of having to take time out for a sit down meal.

Choose your guests wisely

The main thing is that everyones having fun and enjoying themselves throughout the evening. If you have a super competitive friend that gets a strop on when they loose at something, maybe it’s best they stay at home. Invite easygoing, vibrant, humourable guests that will lighten up the evening.

Let the casino night commence!

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Pizza

I mean, do I really need to say any more? You simply can not go wrong with choosing pizza as a dinner option (for adults and kids). What’s your favourite pizza? vegetarian? hawaiian? BBQ chicken? quattro formaggi? the classic margherita? meat feast? the options really are endlesss. The best thing about choosing pizza as a dinner option for your guests is that you can make many different ones with a varitety of different toppings. So you are almost guaranteed to meet the taste perfreances of every single guest. And that’s the goal, right? The most popular toppings include peppers, mushrooms, black olives, onion. bacon, sausages, pepperoni, ham, pinapple (controversial I know) and cheeeeeeeese (lots of it). This is to name a popular few but you really can add anything. Is anyone else getting hungry?

Pasta

Pasta, a dish that everyone is guilty of cooking 3-4 times a week. And there are very good reasons for this – it’s cheap, convenient and tasty. And saying it’s versatile almost seems like an understatement. There are countless different types of pasta forms. Such as penne, conchilglie, lasagne, garganellia, fusilli, orecchiette, fettuccine, spaghetti, cannelloni, vermicelli, linguine, rigatoni. Should i go on? it’s hard to get bored of this classic dish when there’s so many varieties. When you really think about the different variations of pasta, you realise the extent of how much it has blessed our lives. What would we do without this staple dish? it’s so quick and easy to make and almost impossible not to love. You can add whatever toppings you want to make sure it pleases your taste buds. And the best part? it’s unbelievably fast to cook. Typically uncooked pasta will take 8-12 minutes to cook. But it all depends on which pasta dish you opt for, if you cook tortellini (already made) it can in as quick as 4 minutes. So you never have the excuse of time when it comes to pasta.

Arancini

Arancini’s really are to die for. They are balls of mouthwatering heaven! Especially when they are cooked perfectly until they are crisp and brown. Usually, arancini’s are stuffed with rice, mozzarella, tomato sauce and different vegetables (classically peas). And then covered in crunchy breadcrumbs for the perfect finish. The best thing about choosing to cook your own arancini’s is that you can choose any toppings you want to stuff them with. So get creative and try out different recipes!

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Chicken Makhani

The classic Chicken Makhani aka butter chicken is undoubtedly one of the most popular and ordered Indian dish. And this is for good reason! The tender chicken is cooked in a spiced tomato sauce and can be grilled, pan-fried or roasted. Whichever cooking method you take, it’s always delicious. Traditionally this dish includes chicken, tomato, garlic, cardamom, butter, various spices and Khoa. And if you like the sound of this but you’re vegetarian, fear not, they can easily make it veggie for you. Just take out the chicken and add tofu pieces with corn starch. Yum!

Samosas

Samosas are essentially deep-friend potato with a savoury filling (meat or vegetables) in a fried or baked pastry. And people go crazy for them! They are the perfect addition to your main Indian dish or they can be enjoyed as a starter too. Typically, samosas are filled with onions, peas, lentils, spiced potato and are suitable for vegans. But if you’re a meat lover, you can usually order them with chicken, beef or lamb too. P.s a chutney or sweet mint sauce goes perfectly with them!

Matar Paneer

Mater Paneer is undoubtedly the most popular vegetarian dish! This dish comes from the regions of northern India and is cooked in a delicious tomato sauce. The ingredients usually include peas, paneer cheese (essentially cottage cheese but unsalted) and garam masala (spiced). This dish also goes well with cream or yoghurt on the side. And of course, a nan bread to dip into the tasty sauce.

Naan

The perfect side dish to pair with any Indian dish! This bread is the perfect combination of flavours and complements all of the intense flavours of Indian food. The best thing about naan bread is that you can usually choose from a range of flavours to suit your preferences. And if you’re cooking for a large group you can make a few naan options to keep everyone’s tastebuds happy. Usually, the naan choices are garlic and butter, Kulcha Naan, Peshwari Naan and Keema Naan.

Rogan Josh

And last but not least, we couldn’t leave the Rogan Josh out. This dish stands out from its fiery red colour and of course, its deliciousness! The Rogan Josh dish also from northern India and consists of braised lamb chunks cooked in gravy. This gravy is usually made from garlic, ginger, yoghurt, onions and various aromatic spices. Also, dried Kashmiri chillies are usually added so the spice-lovers love it. If you love lamb, this is a must-try.

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Cocktail-making

Who doesn’t love cocktails? There is so much variety that there really is a cocktail for every taste preference on the planet. You can choose from a wide range of popular cocktails (or not so popular). Whether it’s a old fashioned, negroni, whiskey sour, dry martini, magarita, manhattan, long island iced tea or a pina colada – the list goes on. First, you will need to decide which cocktails you want your guests to make. Make sure there is a variety so everyones happy. Then you will need to gather all of the ingrediants for each cocktail (get lots, it’s better to overestimate than underestimate how much people will drink). It’s useful to practice making them yourself first so you can show your guests how to do it like the perfect cocktail-making host you aspire to be. You should create a step by step guide regardless for those already a little tipsy that aren’t paying close attention.

Karaoke

If you love music and listening to your drunk friends attempting to sing, then a karaoke themed entertainment night is a great choice! Karaoke is a great way to achieve a light-hearted night full of fun and laughter as different people or groups take to the stage to perform. No’one takes it too seriously regardless of whether you can sing or not (the worse the better). It’s also a fantastic way to let off some stream by belting out your favourite song lyrics. If you want to spice things up, you can even give it an X-factor or American Idol theme.

Fancy dress

Let’s face it, everyone loves to dress up now and then and step into character. If you think you don’t, loosen up and stop lying to yourself! Hosting a fancy dress themed party is a great way to have a laugh and get creative. If you’ve decided to host a specific cuisine themed night, for example, Mexican, then you could get your guests to dress up with sombreros and a moustache (stereotypical, we know) and so on. There really are endless customes ideas so you can get really creative. Whether it’s a character from their favourite book or movie, horror-themed, fast food-themed, game themed, cartoon-themed, one thing for certain – everyone will have a great time. Many guests will attempt some DIY beforehand so they’re having fun before even arriving at your dinner party. And of course, there will be those who last minute

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Tacos, fajitas and burritos

Let’s start with the obvious! We’ve bundled these dishes into the same category because they are all tortillas cooked in different ways and more or less can contain the same ingrediants. You cannot dislike tacos, fajitas or burritos because you can fill them with whichever ingrediants you love (even the fussy eaters can be pleased). They are cheap to make, nutricious and very very delicious. Whether you like them mild, spicy, big or small, they are a great option for a mexican-themed dinner party. So scoop up any type of meat, chopped up tomatos, onion and lettuce, and tasty traditional mexican sauces and choose either tacos, fajitas or burritos to place them in. Or why not all of them?

Nachooooooooooos

Have you ever met a person who doesn’t like nachos? Not only are they incredibly mouth-watching but also very versatile so every guests tastebuds can be satisfied. You can top them with whatever ingredients you love. Some good ingredients to top them with include cheese (of course), black beans, grilled corn, olives, any type of meat (chicken, beef, steak), red onions, shredded lettuce and so many more. You can pretty much add anything onto nachos that you fancy. And don’t forget the staple mexican sauces, guacamole, spicy cheese sauce, sour cream and salsa. YUM! It might even be a good idea to create a few portions of nachos with different toppings so everyone can select their favourite. And the best part? nachos are super easy to make.

Enchilada

Time to get saucy? then put some enchiladas on your mexican menu. They are essentially corn tortillas rolled up with different ingrediants, covered in an incredible mexican sauce and topped with cheese (best served melted). Just like tacos, fajitas and burritos, they are best served with a variety of different meats, seafood, vegetables, cheese and mexican sauces. Many love to add potatos to them too to make them extra filling! Fun fact: Mexicans actually traditionally ate these for breakfast.

Tamales

And now we’re talking about seriously traditional and historical Mexican food. They originated as early as 8000 to 5000BC and were originally created for Mayan and Inca tribe as a source of great energy for heading into battle. Tamales are not as commonly found in westernised Mexican restaurants. So why not really impress your guests and bring them to the table. They are corn dough usually stuffed with traditional Mexican ingredients (as previously mentioned). If you have a sweet tooth it’s also very traditional to stuff them with sweet fillings too, such as fruits and chocolate sauce. So, if you want a Mexican desert then tamales are a great choice.

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Charades

The classic old school charades. If you don’t know this game, you’ve probably been living under a rock. But for those who don’t – it involves everyone getting into teams and a teamate getting up and acting out a word/phrase with no verbal communication used. Everyone needs to guess what word/phrase this person is acting out. Needless to say, the team that guessess it right will win a point. It’s a super fun game because it allows people to act silly and fool around as they try to act. It can give guests hours of lighthearted fun and laughter. You can either buy different versions of charades with famous people, movies, books etc or you can write out your own.

Heads up

This game is easily downloadable on any mobile device, or you can again write the cards out yourself. In this game all players must decide on a category, whether it’s movies, sports, music, history, famous actors, etc. Once choosen, one player should hold the phone or card up to their forehead. The rest of the players must describe the word shown to the player holding it. For example, if it’s something like ‘Donald Trump’ you must start describing aspects of him (that he’s a jerk!). The player holding it up must start to make guessess until they get it correct. When they get it correct, they must tilt the phone (or pick up the next card). Until the time runs out! Each player should take a turn. And yep you guessed it, the team who guessed the mostly correctly within the time limit win.

Cards Against Humanity

Make sure you’re not surrounded by any minors before bringing the Cards Agaisnt Humanity cards out. They contain highly innappriorate words and phrases so it should be adults playing only. There are a total of 550 cards in a game so you can play with lots of players. Each player will recieve 5 cards to start the game with. Players will go around in circles choosing a statement card and reading it out, for example ‘I got 99 problems but …. isn’t one’. The other players will choose what they deem the best answer from their deck of cards and place it face down on the table. The player reading will read the statement and all answers aloud. Usually, the card that gets the most laughs (or gasps) wins. But the final decision is down to the statement reader. Whoever put the winning answer in will get this card back to place into a pile. At the end of the game these piles will be counted and whoever has the most wins. It’s offensive, rude and quite often potically incorrect, but that’s all part of the fun.

Quiz or Trivial Pursuit

The brainiacs love this one. It gives people a chance to show off their knowledge on a whole range of topics. If you don’t have Trivial Pursuit the game, you can host your own quiz! For the people who don’t have great general knowledge, you need to be tactical and choose the categories you know best. Usually, the categories are Geography, History, Literature, Science, Sports, Nature, Music, Entertainment, Art and Leisure. And there is a total of 2,400 questions! So you won’t run out for a long time. Trivial Pursuit is a board game with 6 coloured tokens. Each team or player will roll the dice and move the number of spaces indicated on the board. Someone will pick a card out of your category and there will be 6 colour code questions. They will ask you the question next to the colour that you landed on. If you get it right, you keep moving. The first team to reach the end wins! You can decide.

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Pick a date

Remember there are always going to be people who can’t make it. Try to choose a date that suits the majority of people but don’t make the mistake of waiting for a date that everyone is free on. This can almost be an impossible task if you have a big group of friends. So set a date far enough away that people can plan and clear their schedules.

Make a guest list

When choosing your guests make sure that you invite people that blend together well. You want everyone to get along, feel comfortable and most importantly enjoy themselves. And that includes you! You don’t want to be on edge thinking your friend argumentative friend David is going to bring up politics and start debating with everyone at the dinner table. Make a list of people so you can start to prep the invitations.

Pick a theme

Choosing a theme is the best way to get your guests excited about your party and will also help you to start making arrangements. You can revolve your food, decorations, entertainment etc all around the theme that you’ve chosen. For example, if you decide to go with Fajitas Friday, you can turn your best mexican music on, whip out the margaritas, and cook the delicious traditional mexican ingrediants wrapped in tortillas.

Send the invites out

Now it’s time to let your guests know that you’re hosting a dinner party. Now it’s the twenty-first century you could just create a whatsapp group and fling everyone a message. But if you want to go more old fashioned you can design your own invitations (tying in with your theme of course) and sent them to your guests address. Personally, we think this is a great added touch.

Plan your menu

When planning your menu it’s important to keep the number of guests you’ve invited in your mind. Don’t set yourself unrealistic cooking standards and stress yourself out! It’s important to have different menu options so all guests tastebuds are satisfied. Be sure to have veggie and vegan options. And also check if anyone has any allergies beforehand. Oh, and don’t forget desert obviously.

Choose your alcoholic beverages

Cocktails are always a good options for dinner parties because everyone loves them. But it’s also always a great idea to have plenty of beer and wine on offer too. Make sure you ask your guests what they’d like to drink so you’re prepared. And make sure you provide unalcoholic options too.

Prepare

It’s time to gather all the decorations and make sure your house looks the part! Clean up, tidy then decorate. And make sure you have everything you need for a night full of fun and entertainment.

An extra top tip: relax and enjoy yourself. Planning a dinner party is supposed to be fun, not stressful.

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Ok, maybe not the best ingredient if you’re planning on close conversations or date night with your partner. But I think we can all agree that it’s an ingredient that complients so many different recipes. Garlic has many different healthy benefits, such as reducing cholesterol and blood pressue due to its anxtiodants that it contains. And eating it raw is even better for you!

Blueberries

Do you remember your parents feeding you more blueberries that usual near exam week? if so, it was for good reason. Blueberries are packed with antioxidants that boost your brain power by enhancing healthy interaction between brain cells. Whilst also boosting your immuse system to protect you from life-threatening diseases. Such as, diabetes, obesisity and any other heart related dieases.

Broccoli

Broccolli is a great superfood to add to your meals and there are so many benefits. It gives you protein, fibre, calcium, selenium, magnesium, as well as Vitamins A, C, E, K and B. You can see why it’s a superfood, right? If you want to maintain your beautiful skin and eyesight then add some Brocolli into your weekly meals.

Oats

Oats are incredibily nutruious and rich in antiodidants and fibre. They offer countless health benefits! If you’re looking for a food that will keep you full to help weight loss, then oats are a great choice. They also help improve blood sugar, protect from cholesterol damage, and prevent the risk of heart disease. So why not make oats and fresh fruits part of your morning routine? It”s tasty and nutrious so you won’t regret it.

Eggs

How d’ya like your eggs in the morning? with a kiss? scramble, fried, boiled? Believe it or not, eggs are amongst the most nutritious foods known to man. They are a great source of protein, vitamins, fats (good ones) and various different nutrients. To be specific, they contain iron, potassium, zinc, manganese, Vitamin E, A, B2, B12, B5 and Selenium – and that’s just to name a few. So, adding eggs to your weekly diet is a great healthy idea, just don’t add too much salt or fat. Frying is the unhealtiest way to cook them, so if you’re on a strict diet, boil or poach them.

Spinach

Those dark leafy greens are always a good idea. Spinach contains many important nutrients that our body needs, such as magnesium, calcium, phosphorus and Vitamin K. They provide iron, protein and minerals too. If you want your skin and hair looking fabulous (who doesn’t?) then chuck some spinach into your diet. Whether it’s with your breakfast, in a salad or blended into a smoothie, you will feel the benefits.

Salmon

Where can we start with salmon? it has SO many health benefits that are too good to ignore. It’s an fantastic source of protein and provides all 9 essential amino acids – histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine. As well as different vitamins and minerals. So if you fancy something fishy, salmon is a great choice.

Almonds

If you’re looking for a healthy and delicious snack, grab a bag of almonds. They are rich in nutrients which help protect the heart and reduce the risk of many heart related diseases. They contain vitamin E, copper, managense, phytosterols. So, blend some with your smoothies, sprinkle them over your pancakes or add them to your salads. Whatever way you want to eat them, just get them into your diet somehow.

Kale

Another dark leafy green that is so beneficial to your health. It contains a wide range of nutrients such as fibre, antioxidants, calcium, vitamin C and K, iron and many more. In fact, it’s one of the most nutrient-dense foods that we can add to our diet. A good enough reason to eat it, eh? It’s very common for people to despise the taste of kale, if this is the case for you, then we recommend blending it into a smoothie or juice with overpowering flavours (such as ginger).

Sweet Potatos

Sweet potatos deserve a spot of the superfood list. They contain iron, calcium, vitamins (B, C and D), magnesium, potassium, phosphorus and many more nutrients. Switch up your usual fries at restuarants for sweet potatos ones, just as tasty and a whole lot more benefical for your health! They are not only great for weight loss but also maintaining a healthy and balanced diet.

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