One-hour party plan | Felicity Cloake

Don’t panic if you’ve left it late to plan your gathering – follow these tips for whipping up an instant party atmosphere

At this time of year, when there’s enough going on to make the most vivacious person occasionally look forward to the financial and social drought of January, it’s all too easy to forget things. I cannot be the only person who’s ever been shocked back into consciousness at my desk by a message from a friend asking, “What time do you want us later?” Fear not; whether you’re absent minded, or just prone to last-minute invitations, I have your back.

Firstly, and I cannot stress this enough, whether you’ve been planning for a year or 15 minutes, the best parties are the simplest. All anyone is hoping for is a good chat, something to drink, and enough to eat that they don’t feel like gnawing an arm off on the bus home. Unless you’re Jay Gatsby, no one expects a full bar, Michelin-starred catering or a live band.

That said, a theme is helpful for disguising the fact you’ve just thrown this thing together on the way home from work … And by theme, I mean something like, for instance, Christmas. Getting slightly more specific (Scandinavian Christmas, say, with glögg, spiced punch, smoked fish and rye crackers, Nordic beats playlist; or Mexican Christmas, with ponche navideño, cold beers or margaritas, and heaps of tortilla chips, salsa and guacamole, and Luis Miguel on the stereo) will focus your options on the inevitable supermarket sweep.

At the shops, choose a drink or two (one alcoholic if you drink, one not in case others don’t want to) and a couple of nibbles that fit the theme, and buy as much of them as you can afford, rather than worrying about giving people too much choice. Nothing looks as generous and as festive as abundance – I would always prefer to be welcomed by a sink full of cold bottles of competitively priced crémant or cava than a single glass of swanky champagne. (Chuck in a few bags of ice, too; there is never enough ice.)

If you must show off and offer a cocktail, then pre-mix a large batch in a jug so you’re not left faffing around with it when you should be having fun. Once underway, ask a significant other or friend to keep an eye on it and top up as necessary until it runs out. Do the same with the non-alcoholic punch; people love to be given a job at a party so they can enjoy a share of the goodwill.

On the punch front, whichever recipe you go for (they abound online), avoid anything too sweet – any kids present should have their own drinks – and if you have one, plonk a bottle of bitters nearby (don’t add any to the bowl as they’re not suitable for people who avoid alcohol altogether). Make an effort with presentation so the non-alcoholic option doesn’t feel like an afterthought; it doesn’t take a minute to slice a few rounds of citrus into the bowl.

Personally, I’d skip the readymade platters of “party foods” that pop up in supermarkets at this time of year; they feel fussy, and often involve turning the oven on (if you must do this, know that everyone secretly prefers garlic bread and/or cocktail sausages anyway). I truly believe you can’t beat a couple of really big bowls of decent crisps (salted will offend no one), and, assuming no allergies, one of those big and excellent value packets of nuts often sold in the South Asian section of supermarkets, with perhaps some pitted olives for colour (you don’t want to still be finding stones in your pot plants next Easter).

If, like my mum, you don’t consider crisps proper food, a single big slab of good cheese on a board with crackers and some artfully draped grapes always looks painterly. A plate with some cured or cooked meats or fish laid out on it (just one sort, unless you’re wealthy), or a handsome ready-made pie, of the type that pops up on deli counters at this time of year, is even more substantial, and you really can’t go wrong with rustic chunks of focaccia, because they don’t need buttering.

In short, choose foods that don’t require preparation, plates or cutlery, but don’t forget the napkins, and two obvious bins: one for rubbish, one for bottles and other recycling. Tie a large ribbon to the corkscrew if you don’t want to be asked where it is every 10 minutes and put it, a bottle opener, and as many glasses as you can muster by the drinks – a jug of water is rarely a bad idea, either.

All of this can be picked up in a supermarket, and laid out in the twinkle of an eye – prioritise chilling the drinks before doing anything else. Switch on the lamps (or fairy lights if you have them handy), stick on an appropriately long album or playlist, so you’re not worrying about the soundtrack (after a couple of drinks, any men present will be fighting to put their own music on anyway), and go and make yourself look presentable … it’s party time!