Hosting Christmas For The First Time? Antoni Porowski Gives Us His Tips To Make It Go Smoothly

Hosting Christmas can be a stressful affair. But what if we were to tell you that we had an expert on hosting shindigs and gatherings on hand to give us his tips and tricks on hosting Christmas for the first time?

Sounds great, right? Well, it gets better, because that expert just so happens to be Queer Eye's resident food and drinks aficionado, Antoni Porowski.

I know, right?!

Whether it's what drinks to serve, or how to stop yourself getting overwhelmed when uninvited guests turn up, here are Antoni's tips for hosting Christmas in a way that will impress your friends and family without you having a Christmas morning meltdown.

Since the holidays are such a charged and emotional time - especially this year - as we head into the holidays, try and find the joy amid the chaos and craziness. For me, I find comfort in knowing I'll be in the kitchen; playing music and putting care into making something special for the people I love.

Keeping it simple doesn’t mean it can’t be stylish. Typically, when home cooks entertain at Christmas, they want to try a complicated recipe or do something over the top. The key here is to make something classic, yet elevated. That way, you'll spend less time and effort in the kitchen, and more time celebrating.

Christmas will very likely look different this year to what we were hoping, so using simple yet show-stopping recipes are a good way to go as they can be served in a variety of ways during any occasion. I recently came up with a recipe for Birra-Braised Pork Shoulder, which can be enjoyed as part of a canapé or served family-style as your protein. And my newly-developed Lemon Artichoke Dip can be used as a spread for sandwiches when a family member turns up unexpectedly, and you need something to serve them.

Pairing your drinks to your food is a relatively simple way to impress your friends at family at Christmas. Changing what drinks you serve with each course gives an extra-luxurious feel to the meal. But it's not just about pairing red wine and white wine with certain foods - you can pair beers and cocktails with your food too. Serve ice-cold beer with snacks at happy hour with friends, and espresso martinis with your pudding as an alternative to regular coffee at the end of a meal.

Christmas is the perfect time to have fun with food and experiment with festive flavours. Why not add a new twist to a traditional Christmas recipe? Orange chocolate yule log will be sure to go down well.

When you're hosting, it's always nice to have the ingredients for one really great cocktail to hand. Even better if it's a cocktail you've devised yourself! My favourite cocktail at the moment is my Peroni Regalo, which combines ice-cold beer with bourbon, orange and Christmas spices. Happy holidays!

Antoni teamed up with Peroni to develop never-before-seen aperitivo recipes, each infused with a splash of the Mediterranean-style lager, perfect for festive, winter gatherings.

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