Entertaining Essentials - Stocking a Butler's Pantry

When it comes to entertaining, it’s made all the easier when you have a good collection of entertaining essentials. These include all the basics, plus fun pieces that allow you to pull together a party with ease. We like opening our home to friends and family for all sorts of hospitality and parties. Since that is a priority for us, we’ve also made it a priority to acquire the necessary party essentials. Establishing a good collection doesn’t happen overnight, but can happen over years when you thoughtfully choose the items that work for your family’s entertaining style and taste.

In days gone past, a butler’s pantry was a small room used for storage of a family’s best tableware, dishes, glassware, etc. Few of us have a designated butler’s pantry in our homes now, but cultivating a sense of one while collecting entertaining pieces is a good mindset to have. My own collection is spread out between the kitchen cupboards and drawers, pantry, laundry room, formal dining room, and the basement. But it’s far easier to pull together a party when you own the entertaining essentials than when you have to borrow the pieces you need.

Where should you start when it comes to building a collection of entertaining essentials?

The very first step is to analyze HOW you entertain now. If you’re brand new to entertaining, HOW would you like to entertain? Do you prefer casual, backyard parties? Do you like small dinners with just a few friends? Do you always host Thanksgiving? Do you always host a Super Bowl party? The answers to these questions will help steer your direction in the pieces you acquire. Thanksgiving and the Super Bowl are two very different types of entertaining and will require different pieces. Talk to your spouse and think through the type of entertaining you really enjoy, or would like to do.

Next, make a list of pieces you will need to entertain as you’d like to do. I kept a running list on my phone for years and ticked them off as they were acquired. If someone asked me for a gift suggestion for Christmas or my birthday, I might suggest something off that list. Start with the pieces that are most essential…those that make everything easier…those that you’re always borrowing.

Acquiring a butler’s pantry of entertaining essentials can be done economically. Besides purchasing your growing collection over years of time, think outside the box when it comes to shopping for entertaining essentials. While some items are best purchased new, like table linens, many items can be purchased from antique and consignment shops, thrift stores, estate sales, garage sales, and more. Antique shops, in particular, are my go-to place for finding beautiful and unique pieces of cutlery, serveware, and dishes.

Below, is my complete list of all the entertaining essentials that will help you throw parties with ease:

Outdoor Entertaining Essentials:

• tables (Both a patio table and folding tables are handy.)

• chairs (Besides a good patio table/chairs set, I buy any wooden chair I can find for $15 or less and store it in the rafters of our shed. They look so much better than plastic chairs when you have a crowd for an outdoor party.)

• string of lights

• paper lanterns

• lanterns (or some sort of deep vase that allows for candlelight that does not blow out in a breeze)

• enamelware

• “outdoor” cutlery (I like Bakelite handled cutlery for outdoors.)

• grill

• smoker

• fire pit

• roasting skewers (for hot dogs and s’mores)

• wool blankets

• large galvanized tub (great for filling with ice to keep non-alcoholic drinks cold, but also great for bobbing for apples)

• small galvanized tub (to hold alcoholic drinks)

• aesthetically pleasing trash can (I like small- to mid-size, old wooden barrels for this.)

• lawn games

Indoor Entertaining Essentials for Small-Scale Parties (fewer than 12 people):

• table linens (A good collection of table linens should include tablecloths and napkins in: white, natural linen, a floral to complement your room color, and maybe one or two specific to a holiday.)

• dinnerware (plates, salad plates, bowls)

• flatware

• appetizer plates

• glassware (Think about what makes most sense for you. Do you serve cocktails? Do your friends drink beer or wine? Owning 12 water glasses and 12 wine glasses, for both white and red, is a great place to aim when starting an entertaining collection.)

• coffee cups/tea cups

• charcuterie board(s)

• small bowls (These are endlessly useful for condiments, jams, pickles, olives, etc.)

• water pitcher or glass water bottle

• ice bucket and scoop or tongs

• corkscrew and bottle opener

• coffee maker

• creamer and sugar bowl

• cake plate with dome

• candlesticks, votive holders, and candles

• vases

• serving pieces (mid-size platter, various size bowls, gravy boat, basket for bread, butter dish)

• cutlery (meat carving set, gravy ladle, serving spoons, cake knife, pie server, cheese knives)

Indoor Entertaining Essentials for Large-Scale Parties (12-100 people):

• all of the above

• coffee dispenser (designated ONLY for coffee)

• hot water dispenser (Don’t make coffee in this, or hot water will forever taste like coffee in the future.)

• tea storage box

• glass water dispenser

• more water dispensers (if you like serving lemonade and iced tea)

• chafing dish

• Sterno and a lighter

• large-scale platters

• large bowls

• wooden hangers (for coats)

Extra Entertaining Essentials:

• chargers

• napkin rings

• teapot

• table runners

• candy dish

• seasonal/holiday serving pieces

• placecards and menu cards

• fondue pot

• raclette servers

Have fun assembling your own butler’s pantry worth of entertaining essentials!