The thing Brits love most about the arrival of sunshine is being able to host summer garden parties, whether for friends and family, to treat members of staff, or to promote their business to potential clients.
If there’s one thing we do well it’s afternoon teas, barbecues, and bowls of strawberries and cream on the lawn, come rain or shine.
For the businesses that want to make their summer soiree as sustainable as possible, it is a good idea to invest in some environmentally-friendly tableware. Here are some tips on how you can host the best party in the sunshine without adding to your carbon footprint.
Smoothie cups
Treat your guests by offering them more than just Pimms, ice cold beers or, for sober attendees, glasses of pop.
As many as one-fifth of adults now avoid alcohol, with this figure having increased from 16 per cent to 21 per cent between 2011 and 2021, showing the number of people choosing sobriety is rising all the time.
Therefore, it is important to make your soft drink choices as interesting as your booze collection.
A great way to do this is to serve delicious fruit smoothies, from a healthy green smoothie with maca powder, dates, bananas, spinach and almond butter, to a sunshine smoothie consisting of carrot juice, pineapple, bananas, ginger and cashew nuts.
If you want a smoothie that is more like a dessert, have a jug of peanut butter smoothie with bananas, oat milk, oats, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, ice and, unsurprisingly, peanut butter.
All you need to do is whizz the ingredients together and place the satisfyingly smooth mixture in a tumbler that has been manufactured from recycled rPET & PLA plastic.
Your smoothie cups will definitely be a hit with both children and adults alike, whether they are teetotalers or not.
Refreshing cocktails
Of course, not all your guests are likely to be alcohol-free, so it is a good idea to make a big bowl of punch for them to enjoy a refreshing cocktail during the sunny afternoon.
There are many punch recipes to choose from, including white wine sangria with summer fruits, strawberry Champagne punch, and Jim Beam bunch, which is made with cherry-flavoured whisky.
You might want to present your cocktails in fancy glasses, but if you really want to help the environment, paper cups work just fine. Jazz them up with colourful straws, helping each guest remember which glass is whose.
Finger foods
Instead of using plastic forks and knives or having to use lots of excess water washing up metal cutlery, why don’t you serve small bites at your garden party instead?
This means guests don’t need to use cutlery to eat with and can just pick up all their food with their fingers instead.
Everyone loves finger food, and the summer presents so many delicious options, including bruschetta, antipasto kebs with olives, mozzarella and salami, pinwheel sandwiches, melon and prosciutto skewers, and tomato tarts.
Dips are also great at parties, enjoyed with either crudities, crusty bread or slices of pitta.
Wooden cutlery
Of course, if you have your heart set on serving something a little more substantial that requires using a fork and knife or a spoon, then you always have the option of getting biodegradable ones.
This would allow hosts to cook some delicious tacos, caponata, couscous salad, cheese boards, avocado salsa, or vegetarian lasagne without worrying about creating lots of non-recyclable waste at the same time.
Reusable wrapping
Nobody likes their guests to go hungry at one of their parties, which is why a good event always has too much food rather than the other way round.
This means there are lots of leftovers that need to either be given away or put in the fridge for tomorrow.
White or brown greaseproof paper bags are a great way to give guests some food to take home without having to use a non-recyclable plastic tub.
They will also ensure any fat is not transferred from the food to their outfits, so you don’t have to worry about a dry cleaning bill afterwards!
For a more professional look, why not get some patterned greaseproof paper, such as ones with burgers on for a barbecue or newspaper print if you are serving fish and chips?
Using these, paper napkins or paper plates also means you can do away with ceramic or disposable plates. Therefore, you don’t have to waste lots of energy using the dishwasher or send more things to the landfill. If you would like to find out more about how Elpack Packaging Solutions can assist your business, or discuss your bespoke packaging needs, get in touch with our expert team today! Call us on 01425 524021 or drop us an email at info@elpack.co.uk
