While Thanksgiving is a predominantly an overseas tradition, every year when it comes around, I can’t help but feel a little FOMO for all that good food and holiday cheer. It’s like, why do we have to wait for Christmas to have all that in Australia? Not fair.

So that’s how I started hosting ‘Friendsgiving’.

What’s a Friendsgiving you ask? Well, it’s basically just getting your friends together around the pointy end of the year, typically around Thanksgiving.

Basically, Millennials love nothing more than putting a catchy name onto an existing concept and I’m all for it! It’s the perfect excuse to host friends and loved ones around the holiday season.

After the year that was (here’s looking at you, COVID curveball) we definitely didn’t expect to be locked down again so this year’s celebration felt all the more needed.

But I'm also sure we're feeling all the more exhausted. So, I’m going to share some of my tips for making Friendsgiving this year less stress and less mess, but equally as fabulous as the others.

1. Outsource the food

I’m the first to admit that I love a platter. Whether it’s a grazing board or just a simple charcuterie plate, I never skimp on an opportunity to feed my friends.

This year, though, I decided to try something different while still sticking to my roots. I outsourced my food BUT plated it up like I usually do at a grazing table.

I always thought catering was for older, fancier people but then I got offered to try Soul Origin ’s new catering menu. It’s food that looks seriously impressive (think mini falafels, halloumi sliders and fresh pastries) but still at an affordable price point. If you’ve ever eaten from one of their stores, you’ll know their food is super fresh and delicious too.

Their catering platform offers brunches, lunches, salads, desserts and party packages so you’re spoilt for choice.

It seemed like an easy decision for me, especially because it leaves more time to catch up with friends and takes the stress out of prep.

This year, I decided to host a brunch becauseeveryoneloves brunch.

I had some vegetarian friends coming as well, so I also made sure to order things that catered for everyone.

I remember in previous years I was always rushing to get ready and do my makeup which left minimal time to prep my grazing table. When my friends arrived, I was always so frazzled and I definitely wasn’t the hostess with the mostest.

Which was why it was so great that Soul Origin also delivers. It saved so much time for me and my partner who were trying to organise literally everything else, like the very important Spotify playlist/Google Home syncing that always fails us as soon as we invite people over.

I ordered some Breakfast Wraps including spinach, mushroom and egg; chorizo and egg; and bacon and egg. I also got some Breakfast Sliders with a mix of bacon, egg and relish; and halloumi, tomato, rocket and hummus. Then for brunch dessert, I got some yoghurt and granola pots, seasonal fruit cups and a selection of pastries. Talk about decadence!

Here are some tips on how I set up the ultimate brunch grazing board.

This is nice if you have vegetarian friends so they know what they can and can’t eat! You also might want to add some linen cloth or napkins under some of your boards to add some more warmth to your grazing platter.

And that’s how you create a rustic yet luxe grazing board with minimal effort. I think using Soul Origin cut down my prep time from 2 hours to around 20 minutes. Which is definitely worth it in my books!

2. Drinks

I stopped drinking two years ago and one of my favourite things to do is introduce my friends to new and exciting non-alcoholic drinks to try. And what better occasion to do this than at my own Friendsgiving? It means no one feels left out and you can focus on socialising.

For Friendsgiving, I set up an Esky full of Soul Origin’s bottles of juices including their Cold Pressed Orange Juice, Tutti Kale and Minty Melon. Is there a better pairing than OJ and bacon and egg wraps in the morning?

I also had a selection of non-alcoholic cocktails for my friends to have as well.

These are the two I made:

Non-Alcoholic Mimosa

Ingredients:

Method:

1. Add equal parts OJ and sparkling to a champagne flute.

2. Garnish with orange slices and strawberry.

Non-Alcoholic Punch

Ingredients:

Method:

1. Combine the juice, sparkling wine and soda water in a punch bowl and stir.

2. Using a melon baller, scoop out melon flesh and place into punch.

3. Add in lime wedges, strawberries and picked mint leaves.

3. Entertainment

So what do you actually do at a Friendsgiving? Here are a few fun tips:

4. Decor

While we can’t go all out with wintery and cosy decor like they can in the US for Friendsgiving, that doesn't mean we have to give up on decor all together.

Here’s some of my ideas:

Soul Origin's new catering menu is bringing that good mood soul food straight to you! To make your next event entirely stress free, leave all the food prep to Soul Origin .

Feature Image: Supplied/Mamamia.