BRITS POS – BRITS - As the end of the year draws near and the festive season approaches, students and chef lecturers at Capsicum Culinary Studio and the IIE School of Hospitality & Service Management (IIE HSM) showed their skills arranging a lunch or dinner table setting that was not only fun but also environmentally friendly.
The focus was taken away from the traditional, to think out of the box, while still keeping current trends in mind.
All-natural table runners as the focal point of the table are something that is still very much on trend. Combing greenery, flowers and even fruits or vegetables add a very natural feel to the atmosphere of the table and is also very sustainable. Keeping this in mind, the table setting décor also forms part of the menu and creates a fun and playful interaction for the guests - both adults and children. The idea of a festive picnic was taken, with the focus being on sustainability, minimal waste and using what you have around you to create a beautiful table for a Christmas lunch or dinner.
What you will need is:
• A roll of brown gift-wrapping paper to use as a runner
• Colourful twine or any string or ribbon you have in your house
• Disposable and biodegradable napkins
• Greenery and flowers from your garden or local nursery
• Seasonal fruit such as nectarines, cherries, plums and apricots
• Assorted nuts (after ensuring none of your guests has a nut allergy!)
• Cheeses and charcuterie (cold meats)
• A silver or gold marker
• Recycled glassware
Start by placing the brown paper down the middle of the table from end to end. Add foliage and flowers and spread the fruit around and in-between – keeping in mind that you want a variety of fruit to be distributed over the whole table. Add nuts, crackers, small jars of preserves and different types of cheeses and charcuterie. Tuck a string of LED lights in and around and under the foliage to add an extra sparkle to the table. Finally, use a length of twine or ribbon to tie together a set of cutlery and add a stalk of rosemary which, besides looking good, also helps to keep away any bugs. To add a personal touch - and instead of making name cards - take your marker and write the names of your guest on the brown gift-wrapping paper to indicate where they will be sitting. To make the table even more playful you can also write the names of the food items on the paper to indicate what each item is.
It’s estimated that around 40 million crackers are thrown away every Christmas. The cheap and flimsy plastic contents often played with for mere minutes, are unrecyclable and end up in landfill. And they cost a bomb, so why not make your own environmentally friendly ones instead? You just need toilet rolls, paper (you can use newspaper, comic books or wrapping paper), thin card, and string or ribbon. Include a handwritten joke or a nice “Did You Know” fact about each guest as well as a tasty gift (Quality Street chocs and toffees are always good) and add some cracker snaps for a true cracker experience too. And there you go, a beautiful and fun festive table that will not only impress your guests, be cost-effective and something the whole family can contribute to putting together, but also be good for the planet too!
