Decorate
- Pick a color theme: red, white, and black work well.
- Thread a string through the middle of old records and hang it from the ceiling.
- Double up the food as decor: think of Coca-Cola bottles, condiments, donuts, and popcorn bowls.
- Create a dance floor if your tween loves to dance. If you want to give it your all, rent a jukebox.
- Fill the jars with candy around the house.
eat
- Serve sliders, burgers or hot dogs in colored boxes or small baskets lined with paper napkins to suit your theme. You can get these cheaply at most party shops and Chinese outlets.
- Order the delivery of hot chips to take away and keep them warm in the oven when needed. They will love it!
- Put tomato sauce and yellow mustard seasonings on the table for an American dinner or serve in individual glasses.
- Milkshakes, ice cream or pancake bars are a treat for dessert. Make sure you have lots of toppings.
- Get the family involved and do Rocky Road to give to everyone when they go.
To chat
- In the warmer months, you could watch an outdoor movie in the garden. Just search online for one near you and they will come and set it all up.
- Rent a photo booth with props in the winter – they’ll be entertained for hours but can be expensive. You can also use a selfie stick and phone and post them to a WhatsApp group.
- Disney characters are all the rage this year. Party stores sell fun Mickey and Minnie Mouse accessories for your photo booth.
Make Your Own Rocky Road
For 12 people
You need: 200 g digestive biscuits; 135 grams of butter; 200 g milk or dark chocolate; 2 – 3 tablespoons of golden syrup; 100 g mini marshmallows; 100 g each of sweets of your choice, nuts (optional) and raisins (optional); 100 g honeycomb, broken into pieces.
How one:
Grease a 18 cm square baking pan and line it with parchment paper.
Place the digestive cookies in a sealed plastic bag and hit them with a rolling pin or the side of your fist until they are dusty (a few small lumps are fine).
Melt butter, chocolate and syrup over low heat and stir until there are no more lumps.
Remove and set aside. Add the crushed cookies, marshmallows, other candies, honeycombs, and whatever other ingredients you’ve chosen to the chocolate mixture.
Pour the mixture into the can and refrigerate for at least two hours before cutting into pieces.
* Recipe source: bbcfood.co.uk