Embrace abundance and natural beauty - let the garden’s flowers shape your decor, favouring imperfect and wild displays.

Gather armfuls of old-fashioned roses: the blowsy, blousy varieties in blush, cream, and deep crimson. Mix them with lavender, sweet peas, foxgloves, and cow parsley. Arrange loosely in mismatched vintage pitchers, enamelware jugs, and antique glass bottles. Cluster them in groups of odd numbers along the table.

The trick is to look as though you simply wandered into the garden and came back with your arms full.

Beautiful linen napkins and tablecloths in ivory, soft sage, or dusty rose create a pretty canvas for your china, glassware, and decorative details. Mix and match vintage floral plates, cutlery, and crystal or mould-blown glasses. These catch the evening light. Coloured glass in amber, green, or any colour that matches your theme will add depth and atmosphere.

Use candlelight with mismatched candlesticks or glass votives and tealights. Add battery-powered fairy lights among trailing greenery. Finish with napkin rings and handwritten place cards for a personal touch.

The food should be generous, beautiful and require as little last-minute fuss as possible. We love platters set out on tables while conversation flows.

Charcuterie, rillettes, generous wedges of ripe cheese, cornichons, olives, and sourdough. Set these out before guests arrive so the table looks abundant from the moment they arrive

A classic niçoise, a peach and prosciutto salad with burrata, and a simple tomato and basil with good French vinaigrette. Serve in mismatched bowls and let guests help themselves.

A whole roasted salmon draped with dill and lemon, or a slow-cooked leg of lamb with rosemary and garlic. Something that can sit and be admired before being served.

A towering tarte aux fraise, an Eton mess in a vintage trifle bowl, or individual pots de crème. Nothing that needs to be eaten immediately - the evening should be unhurried.

The garden sets the scene; your job is simply to add warmth and magic as the light begins to change.

String small Edison bulbs or simple white fairy lights through any overhead canopy, pergola, or trees above the table. As the sun drops, they transform the entire mood. Tuck night-lights and tea lights into lanterns, old jam jars, and antique holders along pathways and walls.

Drape lengths of vintage linen or cotton voile loosely overhead for a canopy effect. It softens the sky and gives the table an intimate, tented feel. Vintage cushions and throw blankets on garden chairs and benches encourage guests to linger long after supper.

Line gravel paths with lanterns or jam jars holding tea lights to guide guests through the garden as darkness falls.

A French garden party feels incomplete without pétanque, a classic game that creates both competition and conversation among guests. Simply set up a piste on flat gravel or lawn, hand out boules, and let guests enjoy a game or two. For the British version, we love croquet.

As evening falls, scatter a few simple things on a side table. Try a card game, chess, scrabble or some larger garden games like giant Jenga or Twister.

The best entertainment at any party is always the company; everything else is the backdrop

Have fun!

Love, Angel x