A Fun Spring Garden Party: What to Serve and How to Decorate

bon appétit magazine

by Julia Bainbridge, Bon Appétit

Parties tend to be pegged to something: birthdays, Mother's Day, Cinco de Mayo. And that's all well and good. But what about a simple ode to the season? Sitting outside and eating good food with people you like for the sake of sitting outside and eating good food with people you like? Yes, it sounds amazing. So throw a spring garden party this weekend. Why the heck not? We've planned it all out for you: what to serve, what to serve it on, and even a fun activity.

What to Serve:

Nibbles to start:
Savory Spring Vegetable and Goat Cheese Tart

Smoked Salmon with Lemon Creme Fraiche

Main event:
Skillet-Fried Chicken

Sugar Snap Salad

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Chive Pesto

Roasted carrots with more chive pesto







Sweet finish:
Apricot-Anise Tarts
















More from Bon Appétit: 10 Healthy French-Fry Alternatives


What to Serve it on:

Clockwise, from top left:

Furbish in Raleigh, NC, is a wonderland of colorful fabrics and trinkets, including this melamine tray, which the Furbish team produces itself. Furbish Bright Bouquet Tray, $75; shopfurbish.com

Crafted in Normandy, this flatware is elegant but everyday. Williams-Sonoma Milady 5-Piece Flatware Place Setting, $69; williams-sonoma.com



Diner plates goes garden-party green. Fish's Eddy Green Band Oval Platter, $16; fishseddy.com

We love the not-quite-bamboo look of these serving utensils. Williams-Sonoma Turned Wood Servers, $39; williams-sonoma.com

A limited collection of Connecticut-based Privet House's goods has come to Target, including these stoneware plates. Privet House at Target White Embossed Dinner Plate, $28 for 4; target.com

Another of Furbish's floral trays, this time on a Jolly Rancher-coral background. Furbish Draper Floral Tray, $60; shopfurbish.com

Designed in Canada and produced in India, Pehr napkins are machine washable and made of a natural cottons and linens. Pehr Designs Orange Chainlink Napkin; pehrdesigns.com for where to buy

A cheery pitcher coated with citrus-colored granules. Ripe Kumquat Pitcher, $268p; anthropologie.com

Fancy (goblet) meets unbreakable (acrylic). Martha Stewart Collection Acrylic Goblets, $16 for 4, macys.com

A haute take on a bucket of fried chicken. Gathering Wire Basket, $26; hausinterior.com

You can use these little bowls as salt and pepper cellars or place gardenias in them and scatter them around the table. Fish's Eddy Zeno Bowl Green, $3; fishseddy.com


See also: 20 Great Grilling Ideas for this Weekend


Clockwise, from top left:

Buy a pillow for lawn lounging. Fifty percent of the proceeds go to charity peace building initiatives in developing communities. Oimei Co. Karen Cheer Pillow, $40; oimeico.com

Place a number of these vases down the center of your dining table as a kind of runner-cum-centerpiece. ABC Home Small Mercury Glass Vase, $20 each; abchome.com


Use one of these tea towels as a nest for the fried chicken in its wire basket (above), and one to clean up any inevitable spills of rose. Birdkage "Bleecker" Tea Towel, $22 for a set of 2; birdkagestyle.com

For those who don't like to sit on the grass. Cococozy Cane Throw in Sage Green, $333; cococozy.com


And for Fun:

Don't worry: bocce is not a complicated game. But it's the ultimate lawn activity for those who get bored of sipping and nibbling all day. (Not us.) Skagerak Akiko Bocce Ball Set, $307, shophorne.com












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10 Snacks You Thought Were Healthy But Really Aren't
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25 One-Bite Appetizers
Junk Food Makeover: Healthier Chicken Nuggets