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NYE soirée ideas

Alex Podd

Photo by ‘Inspired By This’

New Years Eve, the time for friends, family, cocktails and plenty of dancing. Whether you prefer to spend the night out partying, going out for a nice fancy dinner with your nearest and dearest, or relaxing in doors with a glass of bubbly. We’ve curated a list of drinks, food and decor ideas, for whatever you have planned. Call your friends and invite them over for a dinner, drinks and dance party. Read on for a few, quick, easy & pretty decor ideas!

For inspiration:

Ultimate dinner party decorations? Candles (lots of them), fresh flowers, greenery, a table runner, menus, stunning cocktails, candle holders, and plenty of wine.

Whatever your preference, there is something to suit everybody. A simple, elegant and floral setting, a maroon and deep turquoise colour palette, menus or hand made place names?

TO ENJOY:

Festive prosecco sangria

IngredientS

  • 100ml Tesco Finest Apricot Brandy

  • 30g (1 1/4oz) caster sugar

  • large handful ice

  • 1 x 80g pack pomegranate seeds, or the seeds from 1 pomegranate

  • 1 pear, cored and thinly sliced

  • 100g (4oz) seedless red grapes, halved

  • 75cl bottle Tesco Finest Bisol prosecco

    method

Tip the apricot brandy and the caster sugar into a large glass jug. Mix well to dissolve the sugar.

  1. Add the ice and fruit then pour over the Prosecco. Stir with a spoon and pour into glasses to serve immediately.

Tip: Slice the pears just before serving to stop them turning brown. 

kombucha mojitos


INGREDIENTS

  • 1 lime cut into wedges

  • 8-12 leaves fresh mint

  • 1-3 tablespoons simple syrup or organic cane sugar

  • 2 ounces rum

  • 1 kombucha for topping

  • crushed iced

HIBISCUS SIMPLE SYRUP

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. To the bottom of your glass, add 4 lime wedges, the mint and the simple syrup (see below) (or sugar), using a muddler or even the end of a rolling pin or other kitchen tool. Muddle the lime, mint + syrup together (squish everything together) to release the juices.

  2. Fill about half the glass with ice and then add the rum, stirring until the sugar is fully dissolved. Top the glass with a little more ice and then pour Kombucha over and gently stir to combine. Garnish with fresh mint and DRINK! 🙂

HIBISCUS SIMPLE SYRUP

  1. In a small sauce pan, combine the sugar and water. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer until the sugar dissolves, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the hibiscus. Allow the mixture to steep for 5-10 minutes and then strain the syrup through a fine mesh strainer. Cool and use as desired. Syrup with keep for at least 1 week in the fridge.

nutella martinis

ingredientS (for 2)

  • 400ml whole milk (or nut milk if you prefer)

  • 2 heaped scoops of Nutella

  • 1 heaped spoonful of cocoa powder

  • 3 shots of vodka

  • 2 shots of Frangelico or Amaretto (optional)

  • Ice

  • Extra Nutella & chopped hazelnuts (for serving)

METHOD

  1. Gently heat the milk in a pan, along with your Nutella and cocoa powder. Keep stirring until it’s smooth and good ‘n’ hot!

  2. Leave on one side to cool completely (speed up the process by putting it outside if you’re somewhere chilly). While it’s chilling you can prep your glasses. Spread some chocolate spread onto a side plate, and cover another plate in chopped hazelnuts.

  3. Dip the rim of your glass into the chocolate and twist it 360 degrees. Once the rim’s all coated, do the same in the pile of nuts. Repeat as needed. When your chocolate milk is nice & cold, pour into a cocktail shaker and add your booze.

  4. Shake it, baby! And pour into martini glasses.

to devour

Ingredients

  • 50g fine dried vermicelli noodles 

  • 300g carrots 

  • 6 spring onions 

  • 5 cm piece of ginger 

  • 1 big bunch of fresh coriander , (60g) 

  • ¼ teaspoon Chinese five-spice 

  • ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper 

  • 200g self-raising flour 

  • vegetable oil , for frying 

  • sweet chilli sauce

Method

  1. Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions, then drain and roughly chop.

  2. Trim and coarsely grate the carrot, then trim and finely slice the spring onions, and add to a bowl.

  3. Peel and finely chop the ginger, and finely chop the coriander (stalks and all), then add to the bowl with the drained noodles. Mix together gently.

  4. Add a good pinch of sea salt, the five-spice, white pepper and flour, and gently fold together, adding 150ml of water, continuing to gently fold and mix together – don’t overmix, or the balls will become dense.

  5. Half-fill a large sturdy pan with oil and gently bring up to 190ºC (or use a deep fryer). 

  6. Working in batches, carefully drop small balls (around 1 level tablespoon each) of the mixture into the hot oil – don’t worry about them being perfectly shaped.

  7. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until golden and crisp, then drain on kitchen paper, separating with wooden chopsticks if they start to stick together. Keep warm in a low oven while you cook the remaining batches, if needed.

  8. Serve with sweet chilli sauce for dipping. Delicious served alongside Prawn dumplings as part of a dim sum selection

Ingredients

  • Ready-rolled puff pastry 1 sheet

  • Egg 1, beaten

  • Goat’s cheese 100g log

  • Figs 4 small, quartered

Method

  • Step 1 - Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Cut small bite-sized (4cm) circles out of the pastry and put on a non-stick baking sheet. Brush with the egg then add a blob of goat’s cheese and push on a piece of fig. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until puffed and golden.