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wildspringSetup 1 hour, lunch 2 hoursServes 6

A Spring Garden Lunch for Six

The first warm Saturday of April. A long table on the lawn or the balcony. Linen napkins still smelling of sun. The menu is light because the air is light.

Steps

  1. 01Two days before — order the chicken. Iron the runner.
  2. 02Day before — make the soup, refrigerate. Bake shortcake biscuits.
  3. 03Morning of — pick or buy the tulips. Set the table by 10 a.m. so you stop thinking about it.
  4. 04Hour before — roast the chicken. Open the wine. Light one candle in the kitchen so the cook stays calm.
  5. 05Hostess gift if invited: a small jar of homemade jam or three stems of the same tulips, wrapped in newspaper and twine.

Notes

  • Menu: pea-and-mint soup served cold, roast chicken with lemon, asparagus with brown butter, strawberry shortcake.
  • Drinks: a chilled rosé and a pitcher of cold mint water for those who don't drink.
  • Table: white linen runner, no centerpiece — three small jars of single tulips down the middle instead.