The Greek thinker Plutarch once noted that we don’t invite each other to eat and drink but to eat and drink together. Eating with friends has never gone out of fashion.

How and where we break bread together has changed however. Dining out in a restaurant has once again become more of an occasional treat than a weekly ritual. The TV show Come Dine With Me, in which four strangers take turns to host the others in their home, has become a surprise hit. The home dinner party is back – but it has evolved.

“Dinner parties are no longer the formal affairs that we associate with the aspirational middle classes or TV characters like Jerry and Margot from The Good Life,” says Dr Harry Witchel, a social behaviour expert who recently published a report on dining etiquette in the last 50 years.
So it’s out with Hyacinth Bucket’s “candlelit suppers” and in with relaxed and frugal food. There is, however, a fine line between being liberated from serving soufflé in a ball gown and looking like you’ve made no effort at all. A person who has been invited into your home will still expect to feel welcome and entertained.

The welcome
It’s easy to create a warm and homely atmosphere. Put on music before your guests arrive so the scene is immediately set when they walk through the door. A pan of mulled wine heating on the stove serves the dual purpose of scenting your home and transforming less-expensive bottles of wine into a warming pre-dinner cocktail.

Lighting is the other big mood-setter. An overhead light is less cosy than light cast by a number of side lamps. Transfer some from other rooms for the evening, if necessary – the light needs to be soft but not so dim that your guests can’t see what they’re eating!

The table
In keeping with the move away from dressing up formally for dinner, the table does not need to be laid with an arsenal of cutlery. Dessert spoons and forks or steak knives can be produced when needed. Mixing and matching crockery can look retro-chic if served on a plain white tablecloth. Simplicity is key: a few pieces of in-season fruit in a pretty bowl can make a very nice centrepiece surrounded by tea lights in small water glasses. This also has the added advantage of not obscuring your guests’ view across the table.

The drinks
For drinks, serving a different wine to match each course is no longer expected or necessary. Off-licences nearly always have one knowledgeable staff member who will be happy to recommend a reasonably priced catch-all wine. Tap water is perfectly acceptable – just serve in a nice glass jug with a few ice-cubes to chill and a some sprigs of mint or slices of lemon to taste.

The food
For the main event – the food – the message is the same. Keep it simple and stress-free. Spending the evening sweating over five demanding dishes in the kitchen will leave you hot and bothered and leave your guests to their own devices. As celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay says repeatedly about complicated home-cooking: “It misses the whole point of a dinner party: to share a fun time at the table with friends.”

Seek out dishes that can be prepared in advance. A selection of cold starters – some salamis, olives, nice bread – or a mackerel pate, which is cheap and easy to make, will be welcomed warmly. Don’t shy away from comforting one-pot mains like a tasty winter stew or chicken casserole. Not only are these dishes a simple matter of warming through while you put together some vegetable side dishes, but they taste nicer for having rested in their sauce for a few hours.

For dessert, a seasonal fruit crumble or a homemade cake, such as a lemon drizzle, served with good quality vanilla ice-cream will send guests home on a high note.