grüzi!

Dreaming of a White Christmas, not likely in Jo'burg anytime of the year, but make believe just for a day that you are skiing down the snowy slopes of the Matterhorn and sipping on gluhwein in between bites of cheese fondue.

INVITATION

Alpine Announcement
Invite your guests to spend an evening wining and dining in a Swiss Chalet. Print old-fashioned travel posters (allposters.com) as the face of your postcard, and this Post Card template on the reverse - include party details alongside.

INTRODUCTION

Welcoming Words
Carve out a wooden welcome, by painting on a piece of wood (discarded vegetable box) a Swiss destination or the Swiss German word "Wilkommen" (Welcome) or alternatively "Grüzi" (Hello). String this up onto your doorframe. Alternatively, hanging a Swiss flag is a bright sight and can be simply printed from a clipart image, or cut out from red and white cardboard.

DECORATION

Swiss Family Cottage
Decorate in neutral colours with added shots of red and white. Forgo table linen if you have a wooden table. Or lay linen to emulate the Swiss flag, by laying down a red tablecloth and white table runners in the form of a cross. White and red tableware and a few red votive candles complete the rustic scene.

Pots and Pans
Whether you choose fondue or raclette, both require specialist tableware - but have the added bonus that no table centrepiece is required as these are the focal point. It is best to have no more than four to six diners using the same fondue pot and to give each guest a colour-coded fondue fork, eliminating the chance of mix-ups when the forks are in the pot. In the case of Raclette, provide each guest with at least one raclette pan.

MENU

Cheese please!
Fondue, an alpine favourite and appropriate for every course for the meal, serve cheese fondue as a starter, meat fondue and accompaniments as main course and chocolate fondue for dessert. When you're looking for a dinner party idea that is as easy as fondue, but slightly different, try hosting a raclette party. You can serve seasonal salad as a starter, raclette as the main and finish off with a fruit sorbet, fresh fruit or a fruit salad for dessert.

Either way all the host needs to do is supply the equipment and prepped meat, cheese and vegetables. Then everyone can relax with a beverage of choice while they cook their own food - it couldn't be easier!

Tea?
A dry white Swiss wine or rosé goes best with these cheese-based dishes, though a cool light beer will do too. True connoisseurs recommend tea because it stimulates the digestion.

Handy Hints
For fondue, one pot serves approximately 4 -6 people.
Allow about 200g of Raclette cheese and 200 to 250g of potatoes per person.
Both can be prepared with any variety of vegetables, fruits, herbs, condiments, liqueurs and spices. Let your imagination go wild.
If any cheese is left over, wrap it in cling wrap and it will keep for about 8 days.
When preparing the cheese make sure you don't overcook it, otherwise the albumin gets grainy and the fat separates.

FUN AND GAMES

Memento
A Swiss version of the classic memory game with traditional Swiss silhouettes. Fun to play with a whole group of people, and harder as the night progresses.

FAVOURS

Choice Chocolate
Chocolate favours are an obvious option - especially the really good kind: Lindt, Callier and Toblerone. Be sure to buy extra though, some for enjoying during the evening, and the rest for guests to take home and savour over the festive season (Not likely, more like to be eaten on the drive home). And in keeping with the season - look out for the Lindt reindeer - the Christmas equivalent of the Lindt Easter bunny.

Swiss Chocolate Bars
Make your own custom chocolate bars. Purchase Swiss Chocolate bars and print out our custom made chocolate wrappers in bold Swiss colours and eight different chocolate themed quotes.

This is available to be downloaded for free from our website GOOD TIMES/DOWNLOADS. Print, cut out, wrap around the chocolate bar, and stick with double-sided tape.