Research shows that the dinner party is in terminal decline, and that we are ever-more reluctant to feed our friends indoors, however willing we may be to do so outdoors when the sun is shining. The very term ‘dinner party’ conjures up visions of 1970s naffness, snobbery and cooking as a means of showing off. Whether it’s a formal dinner or a casual brunch, people come to your house to see you, not for your cooking. But far more importantly when I have friends over for dinner is that there is conversation and laughter – that is the whole point. If you don’t want to call it a dinner party, that’s fine.