When you’re thinking about taking food to parties, Brigid recommends being self contained. “You can’t tell if there’ll be space in the fridge or room in the oven, so it’s best to keep your own food chilled or take pre-cooked things, unless it’s a BBQ,” Brigid says.

”And have everything prepared for serving, without further preparation or heating.”

Brigid suggests:

• Take everything, from toothpicks to cocktail serviettes, along with your own serving platters and tongs (labelled, for easy identification) and even a small kitchen tidy bag for easy clean up at the end.
• Go colourful – you can get quite inexpensive, brightly-coloured plastic plates and platters that are perfect to take to parties. So much more fun – and no worries about breakages.
• Don’t forget about food safety. Keep chilled food less than 5°C and always heat hot food to above 60°C – particularly rice. And transport food to parties with frozen cool bricks or plenty of ice. You can use the ice to fill a large plastic bowl later – it makes a good base for a platter or to keep individual containers of food cold.

• Make lots of mini things. Everyone (especially kids) will try something new if it is small and hot weather means people are more inclined to nibble than want a large meal.

Take Dips

• Dips are always well received at parties. Brigid suggests Tzatziki or Yoghourt Chickpea & Spinach Dip (see our recipes) – healthy options everyone will enjoy. Take yours in re-sealable containers, along with an array of food for dipping. Her tips are:
• For something different, add diced tomatoes to Tzatziki for added colour.
• Vegetable sticks for dippers keep fresh and crisp if done ahead of time and stored in snap lock bags or airtight containers. Go for colour and texture – particularly to appeal to kids. Zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli, snowpeas, capsicum (all the colours), celery and carrot.
• When pre-cutting capsicums or cucumber sticks, pack onto paper towels to absorb excess liquid. 
• You can make pita bread toasts days ahead and store in airtight tubs. Try wholemeal pita bread sprinkled with parmesan, cracked pepper, poppy or sesame seeds cut in triangles and cooked in a moderate oven (180°C), for a different flavour. 
• Stuffed tomatoes are awfully time-consuming – go for cherry tomatoes on toothpicks with a dipping sauce. One cup Jalna Low Fat Greek Style Natural Yoghourt with ½ cup Kikkoman Thick Teriyaki Sauce makes a tasty, easy alternative. 

Tasty Morsels

 Want something just a little more substantial? Try:

• Mini Corn Cakes (see our recipe) can be made ahead of time, then serve with a dollop of Jalna Natural Yoghourt or Vitalize on top.
• Make mini meatballs or little fish bits on toothpicks – blend Jalna Greek Style Natural or Low Fat Yoghourt with fresh herbs or sweet chilli sauce as a dip or drizzle on top.
• Buckwheat Blinis with Smoked Salmon & Lime Zest Yoghourt (see our recipe).
• Smoked salmon or trout roll ups. Blend some Jalna Natural or BioDynamic Organic Yoghourt, a little wasabi or horseradish, fresh herbs and lemon or lime zest, spread on the salmon slices and roll up. Serve on cucumber rounds.
• For a BBQ, mix up a marinade that doubles as a salad dressing. Just blend 2 x 200g tubs Jalna Blueberry Yoghourt made with Organic ingredients, 1/3 cup lime juice, zest of 1 lime, 1 tablespoon Japanese soy sauce and 2 teaspoons grated ginger. Use half to marinade chicken pieces before you leave; take the rest to add to the salad before serving. Couldn’t be easier.
• And for dessert? Take an array of single serve Jalna Yoghourts and a platter of diced fresh seasonal fruits (on toothpicks or skewers if you prefer) – watermelon, rockmelon, mangoes, berries – so delicious in summer. (The bowl of ice mentioned earlier is perfect for keeping the yoghourt tubs cold.)
• Check out Jalna's recipe section on the web for lots more recipe ideas.

Follow these tips and you’ll enjoy the party, instead of being stuck in the kitchen!