A Potluck Croquet Party

By Debbie Benedict

Who says potluck has to be a casual affair?  Polish your silver trays, iron your summer white linen dress, and dig out the croquet set – it’s time to have an English Country Lawn Party, Potluck Style!

This is a charming party to have either at home or your local park.  Any place with a flat expanse of grass will do, but the more historic looking the site, the greater the built-in ambiance.

If you can find a photo or painting of a vintage croquet scene, that’s a great starting point for your invitation.  Use a relatively formal tone in your wording to invoke the essence of a gracious, more elegant era.  Make sure you include “Suggested attire – summer whites” or something similar.

Placing one or two antique cars at the party entrance immediately transports guests back to a gentler time.  It’s also nice to include some kind of flowers, either matching pots or maybe even a trellis or flower be-decked arbor to make your guest’s arrival even more pleasing.  If there are to be a large number of guests, having wait-staff dressed in vintage looking servant attire presenting a welcoming beverage, champagne perhaps, or lemonade, lends an authentic touch.  You might also want someone accepting your guest’s potluck contribution as they arrive, so they do not have to wander about holding onto their dish looking for a place to set it down.

A string quartet playing in the background is the perfect musical accompaniment for this civilized gathering, or just play classical music CDs.

Having a covered area for the food is a must.  You are just asking for a salmonella disaster if you plan on leaving food out in the hot sun.  Erecting a small tent or pavilion is the perfect solution if you do not have a covered area nearby.

You will want to coordinate what each guest will bring ahead of time. If you don’t, you may end up with ten trays of deviled eggs and nothing else – the horrors!  Possibilities would include traditional English biscuits, decadent strawberries, dainty tea sandwiches, luscious cakes, etc.  Gather up silver or crystal punch bowls, and have extra elegant serving trays and bowls on hand in case your guests don’t own appropriate accoutrements.  Rent extra china and silver flatware, if needed.  You certainly don’t want to be serving your guests off disposable plates!

Armloads of summer flowers should be bursting forth from the buffet table and bar.  Vases of full-blown English roses are especially appealing, but any grouping of summer flowers will be lovely.

Make sure there’s lots of seating surrounding the croquet court.  Various seating arrangements under shade are also needed.  How divine would it be to place some moveable indoor furniture atop an Oriental rug beneath a glorious shade tree and hang a chandelier overhead from a sturdy branch?

Asking someone from your local croquet club to be on hand to explain the rules to your group will be helpful.  You can go to www.croquetamerica.com to find a club in your area and to review the rules yourself.   Go to www.croquet.com for game tips and history.  If you would like to make it really special, have ribbons, certificates, or trophies for the winners and plan on making it a yearly tradition.

A potluck gathering is perfect for those hosts and hostesses who would much rather plan the fun than make the food.  After all, what could be better on a summer day than a glass of champagne, gentle breezes softly blowing gauzy feminine dresses, and the aristocratic sounds of croquet mallets tapping balls through the wickets?  A perfect day, indeed!