How to throw a garden party: Tips from Hindy Weber Tantoco and Melanie Go of Holy Carabao Farms and The Farm Shed

Why do you enjoy hosting outdoors? What do you like about a garden party?

There is a need for children and adults alike to spend more time outdoors, and a garden party is a good excuse to get people outside. Aside from that, being out in nature puts one in a relaxed state and that sets the stage for connection which is essential to a successful gathering.

A garden party is an opportunity to be creative. You can curate different types of experiences—from a simple picnic, to an enchanted forest theme party, to Christmas in the Woods, and even a rustic wedding.

What are your best tips for those wanting to host their own garden party, from food to decor?

• Cook outdoors! A barbecue unites people with its outdoor cooking and dining experience. The interactive nature of grilling adds a fun and engaging element, making it a memorable gathering for all.
• Have a well-appointed refreshment bar, for day-to-night cocktails.
• Get inspired by nature. Incorporate twigs, vines,
  fruit, leaves, stumps, rocks into your tablescape for a rustic touch. No garden party is complete without fire. Consider a fire pit or torches.
• For evening parties outdoors, lighting is key. Avoid harsh white lights. Use warm, ambient lighting as well as lamps and candles for accents.
• Entertain guests with outdoor games or a curated playlist if live music isn’t possible.
• Make sure there is always something for the kids to do. Art, music, animal encounters or outdoor games will engage them for hours.
• Keep bugs at bay with natural repellents like citronella candles or safe insect-repelling incense.

What are your favourite dishes to serve at a garden party?

A garden party calls for refreshing, easy-to-eat dishes and food cooked in an open flame. We love having cold soup like gazpacho, colourful salads, canapés, grilled meats and vegetables. Don’t forget a grazing table!

What are your favourite drinks to serve at a garden party?

We believe water should be elevated as the true wonder drink that it is! We like to infuse our water with herbs and slices of fruit. But most importantly, we bathe it in sunlight, add ocean minerals, and re-energise it with vortexes and crystals. It may sound funny to some, but we feel a major difference! It helps hydrate the body on a cellular level, and it’s so refreshing. We can also use sparkling water for an extra kick. The party and celebration lasts longer, people’s moods are brighter, when there’s clean and energised water being served. We also love sparkling juices like grapefruit ade, passionfruit ade, fresh ginger ale, pure lemonade. Of course, adding some gin or vodka to our concoctions takes the party to a new level.

Tips to keep gatherings sustainable?

We ensure that “back of the house” is well-trained and equipped to manage, segregate waste. We alsouse biodegradable or edible tablescapes. For printed materials, we avoid using Sintra board or styrofoam, and prefer to use linen fabric or recycled paper—sometimes we even write on leaves.

How can you infuse nature into the decor?

We are lucky that nature is unavoidable at our farm events. Nature is not an afterthought. It is our starting point. So all our events at The Farm Shed always consider the environment, the soil, the trees, the animals. We very rarely import flowers, and prefer to use the wild grown flowers, vines or leaves found in the area. We also try to keep noise level down or prefer live acoustic music, to make the whole experience feel more authentic.

Do you have any considerations when choosing what to serve or keeping sustainability in mind?

We love providing authentic farm experiences that are still elevated and elegant. Our menu tends towards hearty, healthy family meals with Filipino ingredients, and some European flavours. We always source locally from Laguna or other local farms. We also like adding unique or forgotten Philippine flavours whenever we can. Example, we will use ancient grains, wild mushrooms, black pig or wild boar, native chicken, wild caught fish, seasonal fruits and herbs like sineguelas, caimito, macopa, talinum, sigarilyas, patani and pansit-pansitan.

INFUSED WATER:

1 gallon mineralised water, re-energized with mayu vortex pitcher or analemma crystal

Add:

Option 1: watermelon cubes, kiwi cubes, lime slices
Option 2: Cucumber slices, melon cubes, mint sprigs
Option 3: Ginger slices, lemon slices, orange slices

Mango kesong-puti caprese 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• 2 ripe mangoes
• 4 packs kesong puti
• 1/4 cup fresh whole basil leaves
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic glaze (or balsamic vinegar) Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Slice the mangoes and kesong puti into 1/4-inch
thick slices.
2. Arrange the mango and mozzarella slices on a serving platter, alternating them and overlapping slightly.
3. Tuck fresh basil leaves between the mango and
mozzarella slices.
4. Add sliced cherry tomatoes on the side.
5. Drizzle the olive oil over the salad.
6. Drizzle the balsamic glaze (or balsamic vinegar) over
the salad.
7. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
8. Serve chilled.

Skirt steak with lemongrass-cilantro chimichurri

Ingredients:

• 2 pcs skirt steak
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemongrass, chopped 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat grill to medium-high heat.
2. Season skirt steak with salt and pepper.
3. Grill steak for 3-4 minutes per side, or until
desired doneness.
4. While the steak is grilling, prepare chimichurri sauce by combining parsley, lemongrass, cilantro, garlic, red wine vinegar, olive oil and red pepper flakes in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Let the steak rest for a few minutes before slicing against the grain.
6. Serve sliced steak with chimichurri sauce on the side.