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tommyflan

What's your worst dinner party experience?

Tom Flanagan
9 years ago
Once you've got your home in tip-top shape, one of the first things you do is have people over for dinner. But whilst your house may be put together, dinner isn't always, more often resulting in fair few embarrassing moments.

So don't be shy - what's your worst dinner party moment? Did you break something, burn something or have a guest who was just unbearable? Let us know - the best comment will be forever immortalised into Houzz meal-time stories!
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Featured Answer
  • alant1000
    9 years ago
    We had a tea and scones type dinner party at a girlfriends house once and I was keen to be seen as kind and helpful. I offered to make the tea for the family in a really nice posh setting.
    I asked people how many sugars they wanted, took the order and brought their tea over. But the only problem was I put SALT instead of sugar into the tea, it looked the same :( I had to endure about 5 people at once spitting their tea out, all whilst apologising and my girlfriend looking like she was going to punch me.

    Comments (29)

    • Luisa Rollenhagen
      9 years ago
      My parents and I were invited to a business partner's home for dinner, and I was forced to sit apart at the kid's table...by myself....and I was 14 years old.........

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    • Tom Flanagan
      Original Author
      9 years ago
      last modified: 9 years ago
      Good ones guys - I have to say @alant1000, the salt moment has happened to the best of us so you're not alone! I've had some incredibly embarrassing moments, one of which included throwing wine all over an Israeli general's shoes. My worst moment though would have to be at dinner once where I was going on about my love for all things Scandinavia to this man, saying something along the lines of "Oh I love Norway, and Sweden. But Denmark not really" in jest. He then turned to me and said "Well I'm the Danish Ambassador". And he was. Safe to say I grabbed the first glass of champagne I could find and have loved Denmark ever since (and I really do love it - then and now!).
    • Luisa Rollenhagen
      9 years ago
      These are all hilarious, keep them coming!
    • Susana Harrison
      9 years ago
      Last year we invited our new neighbours for an early Christmas dinner and asked them to keep this invite between us to avoid absenting the other neighbours not invited.

      Turkey in the oven over 2 hours and having a fab time when we realised the oven wasn't working and nothing was cooking.

      All embarrassed, we end up knocking in the door of the not invited neighbours, explained that we were having a party with the other neighbours and asked them if we could finish cooking our turkey and the trimmings in their oven.

      We were reminded last week how upset they were that they were not invited then. But we are still good friends

      This only show us that can't keep secrets from nosy neighbours ;-)
      Tom Flanagan thanked Susana Harrison
    • alant1000
      9 years ago
      G H - how charming of them!!

      I remember another time a few years ago I got invited to a cosy couples-type dinner party when I was single, which was fine as we were among close friends. But the hosts daughter who was about 6 got all weird and seemed to latch on to me with her bunny rabbit, constantly putting it on my lap and even at the dinner table (when trying to eat) asking me to hold and stroke it. No one rescued me!!
      So all my friends were with their wives and partners, and I was there with a rabbit that I couldn't get rid of, literally so awkward :(
    • Tony McIntyre
      9 years ago
      I remember once at christmas I left my turkey and whiskey on the work top while I picked up my friends from the train station. When I came back I found that my dog had jumped onto the table - smashed all my glasses, jumped onto the work top and had christmas dinner without us!
      Tom Flanagan thanked Tony McIntyre
    • Tom Flanagan
      Original Author
      9 years ago
      You're killing me guys! Can anyone top the ones so far?
    • Linda Renzulli
      9 years ago
      When I moved to Idaho, I discovered most of my friends out here had never tasted Maine lobster. Being from New England,
      I decided to throw a huge dinner party and have the lobsters, clams and chowder shipped overnight from a famous New England seafood restaurant. They guaranteed/promised/assured me the food would arrive by noon. By midnight, I had no food and 10 very drunk dinner guests. Epic dinner party fail.
    • Carley Bradford
      9 years ago
      One Christmas my mum relented and made duck (we all loved duck but apparently they're hard to prepare - especially if you can't cook - sorry mum). So after hours of enduring tipsy grandparents and Christmas classics alongside no room to sit in the living room ... Mum announced to sit at the table. This was a well prepared and indeed well done spread by my mum, as she made her way into the dining room, announcing herself with this prized and therefore glorious duck, we all waited patiently.... Of course it never goes quite as we expect and my rough collie ran in through the back door, knocked the back of my mums legs and the duck slid clean on the floor where Seth (the dog) ate it. We all
      Laughed, my mum cried (after all she really never cooked and was exhausted) ... And we are veg, yorks, pots and gravy Tehehe. Gotta have a fav tale x
    • ann Christmas
      9 years ago
      I am an excellent cook and invited some old and dear friends of my husband to luncheon. I did not know them well really and went all out with real massive clam shells filled with fresh and beautifully arranged seafoods French fresh bread and unsalted butter and generous salt and pepper arranged the whole thing (in the 70's this was) with white china and silver etc. We served good wines and finished with a French Vacherin (large round thin meringue slices sandwiched with a light creme patisserie and fruits between each layer with the top finished with strawberries and and melted thin chocolate....great food all round for those days !

      Music, I played the 'Summer' track of Four Seasons in the background over and over for over for nearly four hours without realising and nobody said a thing !
      Like another poster above, we don't happen to see them so much now but they did recall it years later when I mentioned it !!!!!!!
    • twistlike
      9 years ago
      we had a Christmas when we popped over the drive to our neighbours, had a few tipples to celebrate the day with them-noticed the kids were quiet, went over to ours to find they had munch through a big box of chocolates. no one could face the big meal afterwards.

      also had a time when I invited lots of in laws as it was mother in laws birthday-thought 2 big chicken casseroles and one vegetarian would surfice; needless to say it wasn't enough.

      also had a time when some inlaws round one sunday and I put so much veg etc on plates it was a few minutes before we realised I hadn't put the meat on the plate!!
      I don't do parties these days..hahaha
    • myperfectadvice
      9 years ago
      It was Xmas morning and i had almost clean forgot about inviting my husbands 'perfect' parents over. I felt to ashamed to give them a call so i got my husband to. They seemed fine about it all and turned up with all the other visitor/guests, bringing one of my favourite pudding ' mince pies' (i am actually eating one right now... ;)....._)
      we were all sitting up at our dining room table. there was approx. 25 of us. the turkey had just been put on the table and we heard an almighty BOOM...! smoke filled the room as our 'perfect' parents hurried to the door. i turned around, worried what might be there! ONLY TO FIND THAT OUR STOVE TOP HAD BLOWN UP...! %-( i had left the deep fryer on the stove and forgot to turn the stove top off........
      our guests left quickly without much of a 'thank you'.....
      we then later received many emails, phone calls and letters thanking us v.. much for the food, drink and ENTERTAINMENT...! :) hahaha

      consequently we had to get a new stove top, and our 'perfect' parents have invited us to their house this x mas....MUCH TO MY PLEASURE!!! :)
      hahahahaha LOL!
    • bagpuss2
      9 years ago
      My elderly aunt these days lives the life of a hermit, visited only by one nephew who has banned the rest of us from calling or seeing her. Personally I put this down to karma. In the 1960s and early 1970s she was very much a good time girl (she knew Mandy Rice Davies) running a small hotel in the Trossachs and made a point of spiking the drinks of any guest she thought was boring. We were forced to spend New Year there every single year while my granny was alive and on arrival after Mum had her glass of brandy she would always spend the evening violently ill and confined to (a rather damp) bedroom for the following three days. I got to know every corner of that wretched village backwards because I got dog walking duty, and comments were passed if you ate too much (greedy pig) or too little (what's wrong with it then?. There were blazing rows - another aunt lived nearby but they hadn't spoken for a decade. I was once left in charge of the hotel, aged 14, babysitting Granny, the ancient housekeeper, a younger cousin, eight dogs and a bar- and given the back door lock was broken and a few of the locals knew about it- not easy.
    • Linda Renzulli
      9 years ago
      Oh, and then there was the time when I threw a very fancy engagement party for a dear young couple just starting out in life. Amid much grumbling, I insisted everyone get all dressed up. I used my best crystal, china, silver, etc. I had it catered, with a bartender, waiters passing hors d'oeuvres. I wanted something memorable instead of our usual kegger. It was memorable all right...I forgot to invite the engaged couple! We called them and they rushed over...in jeans, t-shirts and looking pretty scruffy as they had moved that day. This was 15 years ago and we still laugh about it to this day.
    • myperfectadvice
      9 years ago
      sounds like it was a very memorable time... ;)

      MY FIRST X MAS.....WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN....!
      It was my husband and i's first x mas after we were married (BTW we both have many brothers and sisters that are married with kids - quite experienced uncles and aunties...)
      we were all invited to go around to my dad and mums house for a big meal. (both my family and his that is) all my sisters are good cooks or good at organizing and decorating...but not me...so i was left to help mum do the invitations. it was 2 weeks before x mas and my husband and i were around at my parents. he was just having a great old yarn with dad while mum and me went to work.....again, as i said i am not very good at decorating....and being my first x mas with my hubby - you all know what it is like.... ;) ;) (we had to go for little walks in between invitations ;) )
      we finished the cards and went home.... :) all was good....
      THEN CAME X MAS DAY.....we all trompled thru the wet and muddy puddles up to dad and mums house. all in our best clothes! :) there were kids everywhere..... :(
      we finally all got inside, sorted out - in fact, most of us had to partly un-dress!!!!!!!
      again. me not very good at doing x mas decorations or cooking ....well ..,..was left to ....YES THATS RIGHT....LOOK AFTER ALL THE KIDS! to tell you the truth i am not very good at being a baby sitter either. but with a little bit of bribery and help of my hubby i finally got the kids to mums play room.....WHAT A BALL.! :( after they had all settled down i thought.....phew ....lets party.
      i went out to the kitchen, started fiddling with little bits and peices....pretending i was busy....then it was meal time. we all sat up and (none of us had realised how quiet the house had gone....i think the others thought i was still looking after them, reading them a book or something.....) so no one budged.....they all started munging into their food. with small YUM, grut, ssmmmm, beaut...in between bites....and slurps..!
      I was the first to finished....was excused and left the table....i went to the bathroom, checked on the kids....WELL i was going to but...
      the play room was a mess, the cupboards were emptied, the curtains were down, the windows and doors were open and there wasnt a single kid insight - except for little Joey , he was only 6 months old at that point...! NOT GOOD....
      i frantically ran outside, around the house....no where....
      just as i walked back inside there was a knock at the door...the next door neighbour..! he exclaimed who the kids said they were bored and Mamma didnt have a TV..(true...!) so they thought they would all sit in his back yard and watch his from there....

      VERY FRANTIC BUT MEMORABLE TIME.....!
      never again am i going to be left to the babysitting job....maybe a proffessional next time.
      HAHAHAHAHA LOL
    • cinderellaslipper
      9 years ago
      last modified: 9 years ago
      This evening definitely did not go according to plan....

      I had cooked for 8 of us, a few couples I know very well, and we were gathered around the table in candlelight, when my female friend let out a scream, and pointed to our Dachshund who she said had a mouse in it's jaws...?

      I investigated, and discovered that our cat had just given birth to a tiny kitten which my clever dachshund was alerting us to...no harm to it at all...

      After that little episode, we all had a great laugh,and topped up our drinks and the children who were with us, enjoyed an unexpected biology lesson.
    • Tom Flanagan
      Original Author
      9 years ago
      You guys have certainly got some stories - I'm really enjoying them! Please keep the coming!
    • Jo DP
      9 years ago
      last modified: 9 years ago
      We enjoyed brandy sauce on our turkey this Christmas. my husband was obviously saving the bread sauce for the Christmas Pudding. Heston Blumenthal eat your heart out.
    • smuze
      9 years ago
      A colleague had invited us round for dinner one Saturday evening. Turned up to be served tiny portion of spag bol .... gradually dawned on us that she had forgotten we were coming and had had to stretch their dinner to provide portions for us. We stopped off at a chippie on our way home.
    • Trisha Goodwin
      8 years ago

      Alas there are several- one early on in married life, my first meal for mother in law and sister in law and husband, I put 2 oz of salt in fruit flan for dessert, instead of 2 oz of sugar! Everyone was very polite and said nothing until I did, then they all agreed it was awful and we had cheese and biscuits and chocolates instead. When cooking for other relatives of my husbands, a bit of metal evidently fell off the hand whisk into the dessert and, (fortunately) I got the biggest piece in a mouth fall, breaking a tooth off completely! We once appeared at a new neighbors for a meal a week early, dressed to the nines with a bottle of wine, a week early (they looked utterly confused but invited us in and we had a takeaway instead amid much laughter). Likewise, we went to a work colleague of my husbands, and his wife with the usual bottle of wine etc. Unfortunately they turned out to be deeply religious, totally against alcohol of any sort and spent the entire evening trying to convert us from our heathen life and preaching hell fire at us.

    • Juliet Docherty
      8 years ago

      At a dinner party held by my sister, I commented to rather inebriated woman across the table that I liked her top. She proceeded to peel it off and flung it across the table, whilst skimming the noses of several surprised male guests and said 'Av it.....'. Nice.

    • gilliifer
      8 years ago

      We were invited to a perfectly nice dinner with some friends of my partner, who had unexpectedly also invited another couple with the apparent intention of persuading us (or him) to return to membership of their church. It was all rather awkward and not helped by my knocking over a glass of red wine. We don't see them any more.

    • Sherbert Barnes
      8 years ago
      Had a dinner party once where I had invited two couples that didn't know each other but all the men had something in common so I thought it would be a 'nice mix.'.... And that was where I thought WRONG!!!!! The men got on famously but the women were more competitive towards each other than opposing sides in a rugby World Cup final!! One was a very successful business woman and the other was a specialist in 'talking graphically about her recent hysterectomy'!!!!! Finally, the line from the business woman, " I don't watch Holby or Casualty and certainly don't need to listen to a script from either whilst eating my rare beef'", meant that suddenly, there were only four of us for desserts!!!!!! Temperature in the room warmed up after that, and we four got totally sloshed!!!! But still cringe about it a little even now!!! Lol!!!!
    • tiredoldwoman
      8 years ago

      Last year my daughter arranged the celebrations naming me as New Day's Dinner chef. Her children stayed over with me ,I gave them all a job to do eg. beating cream, peeling potatoes, setting the table, they excitedly made place settings then took a photo of what they'd done . It was great ! Then my daughter appeared in a mood,minus her husband .They'd had their weekly ding dong , she stomped in , glowered at everything , shouted at the kids to eat their dinner , she didn't want anything . The kids faces fell , they picked silently at their beautiful dinner as their mother sat, still with her coat on . Then they were marched out , looking back at me .

      Oh dear , it's that time of year again . Had that happened to anyone else ?


    • smuze
      8 years ago
      That is awful, your poor grandchildren! I've been reminded of a time we tried to stay friends with both halves of a divorcing couple. Things were OK with her & new partner, but the husband, who TBH was more the aggrieved partner, eventually took up with an ex girlfriend, and she was definitely NOT happy with us being in his social circle at all. And especially that I was still pals with her predecessor. We were invited to dinner and she'd comprised an entire menu of foods I don't like. In fact, the one single item I could face was a jacket potato, and that was undercooked. The bloke was dreadfully embarrassed; he'd obviously told her all the things I "don't do" (rabbit, beetroot, banana flavouring ... I'm fine with the real thing) and she'd planned the entire meal around it, or so it seemed. Not surprisingly, our friendship dwindled to an exchange of Xmas cards, but now, almost 40 years later, I still wonder what was going thru her head.
    • tiredoldwoman
      8 years ago

      Funny how things change ! Last night I had Christmas Eve Dinner with the above daughter - it was lovely ! I was nervous about going and had told her so , but it was really , really beautiful ! She wants me to come again today for more !

      Sometimes things work out ok !

    • Sylvia Timoney
      7 years ago
      Colurhappy that's my favorite
    • bagpuss2
      7 years ago

      Elderly aunt is now in a care home - trying to work out how to bring a Marks and Spencer ready meal dinner to her ( care home cooks don't stay very long) at Christmas.

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