Nothing says summer like eating alfresco on a bright sunny day in your garden. Make use of the patio and bring some life to your decking; get eating alfresco.
It does not take much to get set up for eating outdoors, all you really need is somewhere to sit and enjoy your food. The more you put into it though, the more you will get from the experience. Here are five simple tips to help you get started.
Give Yourself Some Shelter
The biggest problem alfresco diners experience, apart from insects, is shelter from the elements. It does not take much of a breeze to upset the atmosphere of an outdoor lunch. Sudden downpours can also wreak havoc, coming out of nowhere on a sunny day to spoil proceedings.
There are quite a few options to choose from if you want to give your alfresco dining space some cover from the weather but choose carefully. Big patio umbrellas give you shelter from some of the wind and a downpour, but they also cast a large shadow and can bring an unwelcome chill to the dining table.
Glass verandas provide an attractive solution with some hidden bonuses. The beautifully designed verandas at Nationwide Home Innovations give you shelter from wind and rain, but they still let the sunshine through. They also add some value to your home, paying for themselves when the time comes to move home.
Upgrade Your Garden Furniture
Having the right outdoor seating and dining table will define your alfresco space and help to make outdoor dining a regular part of your life and not just a one-off occasion.
Many people will try and make do with a mix of deck chairs, sun loungers, and small side tables to make their alfresco eating dreams become a reality. The truth is if you are not comfortable when you are doing something, you are not going to keep doing it. Getting good garden furniture is the key to making alfresco dining stick.
You do not have to spend hundreds of pounds to get your hands on stylish and good-quality chairs and a table for your dining space. It is surprising what people sell on Facebook and in the local paper. Garden furniture pops up constantly on social marketplaces. People move and no longer have the space or buy a brand-new set and want to make a little money back.
Take The Cooking With You
Eating alfresco might not be enough for you. Have you considered cooking alfresco? The best way to complement an outdoor eating space is with an outdoor cooking space. This can be anything from something as simple as a barbeque for some light grilling to a pizza oven with a matching spit-roast fire pit. You can take things as far as you want.
Full outdoor kitchens are becoming a thing too, with gas and water main connections coming from the home. If you have the weather and the space, as well as the time and money, then why not?
If you do not fancy installing a whole second kitchen in your garden, and you are not interested in messing with charcoal, there is still hope. You can bring a little of the culinary arts to the outdoors with an edible herb and salad garden.
Nothing says summer like a fresh salad, and what could be fresher than picking your leaves next to the table. You will need a green thumb or two in the family to keep the edible garden growing, so make sure you are prepared for the upkeep that comes with one.
Plan For Late Evenings Chilling In The Garden
Summer dinner parties in an alfresco dining space are amazing. There is something special about the light of the sky as the early evening fades into the night.
When you are eating a great meal with good friends, and with the help of a few glasses of wine here and there, the conversations go on until the small hours of the night. You will need some light sources to help keep everyone comfortable and handy warm blankets for people who feel a chill.
There are plenty of garden lighting options to choose from. Solar-powered LED outdoor lighting is a cheap and fuss-free solution to the problem. The daylight charges up their batteries, and when night falls, they come one automatically and give out a good amount of light for several hours.
If you want something more than that, you may have to use electrical power from your house, which can add a lot of extra cost to the project. This can give you much more consistent lighting, and more control over lighting schemes though. You will also make more use of your outdoor dining space with night lighting, so it is worth considering making the investment
With only one or two of these tips, you can get dining alfresco this summer and make the most of the sunny afternoons and cool evenings. People love their gardens but never make enough use of them. Eating alfresco helps to put an end to that.
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