How to host your own Come Dine with Me party at home

Who out of your friends would win Come Dine with Me? There’s only one way to find out! (Picture: Channel 4)

Have you ever sat down to watch Come Dine with Me and thought to yourself, ‘I could host a better dinner party than that?’

Well, now it’s time to put your money where your mouth is.

The Channel 4 cooking competition has been entertaining audiences since 2005 with its mix of culinary blunders, awkward social interactions, and meme-worthy moments.

The show sees a group of strangers compete for a £1,000 cash prize by each hosting a three-course dinner party for the other contestants at their own home, complete with scathing commentary from Dave Lamb.

While you may not be keen on inviting strangers over to rummage in your drawers, you can spice up your dinner party plans by putting together your own Come Dine with Me contest with friends.

Here are some helpful tips on how to pull off your very own Come Dine with Me experience…

Decide on a prize

Will your Come Dine with Me party come with a side of ranting? (Picture: Channel 4)

What’s a healthy bit of competition among friends without a prize at the end of it?

Don’t worry, it doesn’t need to be £1,000 in cash, but having something to play for will spark that competitive spirit among your friends.

The prize can be as big or as small as your group desires, from a novelty trophy to a bottle of champagne or restaurant vouchers – a little bit of incentive can go a long way to creating an exciting competition.

Plan your menu and send your invites

Do you have a signature dish? (Picture: Getty)

Once you’ve got some friends on board who are willing to host their own dinner parties, it’s time to plan your menu.

There is a lot to consider when planning your three courses – are you going for a theme across your evening? Are there dietary requirements to account for? And the most important question of all: how can you best show off?

In the name of fair competition, you should also all agree to a food budget for your three courses.

Once you have an idea of what dishes you would like to make, get ahead of the competition by practising your recipes – anything to get the edge over your mates!

Or, you can take a leaf out of a previous contestants’ book and order a sneaky takeaway to serve to your guests, claiming it to be your own handiwork.

Once you have your menu prepared, send out your menus to guests ahead of the occasion – just like in the show – be it via email or a good old-fashioned letter.

In the invite you should specify whether there’s a dress code, or if there is anything you would like your guests to bring to the party.

Decide on a theme and don’t forget to entertain

Having a theme on your night is bound to make it a memorable occasion (Picture: Channel 4)

Be it a tropical beach with barbecue treats, a medieval banquet or a black-tie casino night, settling on a theme for your evening can both inspire the menu and the entertainment.

A Come Dine With Me experience just wouldn’t be complete without a bit of light entertainment – and it’s a sure-fire way to make your night a memorable one.

There’s a number of different activities that you can do at home to make your night stand out.

If you’re all up for a boozy one, you could set up a DIY cocktail station to get the party started.

You can always trust in the classics to provide a good time – from charades to good old fashioned karaoke – easy to do but always fun, particularly after a few DIY cocktails.

Or, if you want to add even more suspense to the proceedings, why not make your evening a murder mystery party, where each guest is given their own distinct character to play?

From dancers to fire blowers, musicians and clowns, the show itself has had a wide variety of entertainers over the years (both great and terrible), so get creative, have some fun and set the bar high.

Scoring

Arguably the most important part of the whole event: the scoring.

Granted, you don’t have a Channel 4 camera crew to shoot your friend’s reactions on the night, but there are plenty of ways you can make the scoring exciting.

You can create your own scoring cards and note pads for each contestant to leave their thoughts and final verdicts.

Exactly like the show, each contestant should mark each course from one to 10, and at the end of each night, those scores should be handed in.

If you can trust yourself not to peek at the scores, put the scoresheets in a safe place and away from prying eyes. On the final night, count up all the scores to find out who has won.

Try not to be a sore loser – we’re looking at you Peter – should you not win your own competition come the end of the week.

May the best dinner host win – happy cooking and play nice!

New episodes of Come Dine with Me air on Channel 4, every weeknight at 5pm.

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