SUMMER’S on its way and that means the joy of eating outdoors and enjoying leisurely alfresco meals. But that doesn’t mean you should let down your stylish standards. Meals served in the open should be presented as well as those indoors, especially as you and your family and friends are more inclined to linger longer at the table. But making it special doesn’t require oodles of cash that will bust a summer budget, nor does it require cupboards bulging with expensive china and glass. There’s a brilliant new selection of well-designed picnic and patio tableware on the high street made in materials like melamine - so it’s both durable (highly child proof!) and cheap. So use your imagination and combine some fun new pieces with your existing china, the older the better. Interiors writer, Caroline Clifton-Mogg asked top designers throughout the world for the secret ingredients they use to create stunning settings. She reveals them in her book, Set With Style, and says: “What I found out is everyone is capable of setting a great table - provided they use just a little imagination. Most of us usually set a table daily and make relaxed choices about what to display. “To make one really special it’s just a question of getting together the right ingredients - that can be china and glassware you already have - and seeing dressing the table as another form of interior design.” Caroline’s essential ingredients include: Always make sure the seating - whether it’s cushions and blankets on the grass, upholstered chairs or seats piled with cushions - is comfortable. Shade a table with an awning or parasol - so that as well as preventing uncomfortable glare there’s also handy shelter from a shower. Light from candles or hurricane lamps is essential for an evening’s dining under the stars so guests can see what’s on their plates. The table should look less formal than an indoor setting, but just as pretty and attractive. Don’t be over-elaborate. But which look should you go for? Country Feast This is a rustic, traditional look and one of the easiest tables to create. Even a plain, unadorned, wooden table can look wonderful if it’s set with a gaily-decorated collection of china. This needn’t be matching. In fact, it works better if it’s an eclectic mix of pieces that have been collected over time. Try to harmonise by sticking to a two-colour theme. If you want to add a sense of occasion, use a classic checked or striped tablecloth, and then contrast with plain white china and vibrantly-coloured wine glasses and napkins. Nature plays a vital role here, so maybe tie each napkin with a strand of ivy and pop a flower-head into a clear glass and put it beside each setting. Don’t forget to make a centrepiece with a vase of garden flowers or a plant. Source pure white table linen and china from The White Company. Natural materials are a must and its wood and ceramic serving tray, £20, is ideal. Cast a soft glow in the evening with candlelight. Woolworths wrought-iron, wall-mounted holder for three candles is £2.99. Urban Fresco Caroline says: “A contemporary table is not bound by a traditional shape or design. It’s usually simple and pared down, relying on carefully-chosen pieces put together with thought.” Steel, glass and metal are the key ingredients for furniture and sculptured trees in tubs will add to the style. Get the look with a plain table, incorporating steel and glass, which is a chic choice. Try Homebase’s Savannah table, at £169.99. Eastern Banquet This elegant and simple style is one of the most popular for this year’s gardens. Caroline says: “Global style’s all around us, and nowhere is it more evident nor more successful than when employed at the table. The treasures and colours of other cultures can all be used and enjoyed.” If you really want to conjure the vivid colours of the Orient, Next’s pink, red and blue picnicware collection is a winner. Set of four bowls £8, a set of four plates, £10. Seashore Style Caroline says: “A summer lunch can be a romantic fantasy if you dress your table with natural elements. Use everything from driftwood to shells, crowned with a centrepiece of carefully-arranged blooms.” Crisp blue or white tablecloths and napkins will instantly give a fresh, coastal feel. Serve food on Sainsbury’s blue and white stripe picnicware for a ‘meal by the sea’ feel, whatever the location. Plastic stripe pitcher, £4.99, wine glass £1.49, and dinner plate, £1.79. | 
