“My mum and any of the women in my family who are around and available. Ideally, I’d have all of them, but they are all amazing women with busy schedules.”

“As usual, we’ll start at midday, but people can pop in and out as they wish. We don’t have a dress code, but all the women in my family are naturally stylish and inherently know how to dress and always look amazing.”

“Mumm Champagne. It’s how we start every single get-together.”

The pre-dinner mingle:

“I’m the curator of the cheeseboard and I’ll serve everyone some wine, pinot gris or grigio most likely as mum and I are really in a pinot grigio phase. Maybe the Tread Softly Pinot Grigio or Innocent Bystander Pinot Gris. The pinots have pushed aside our beloved sauv blanc, for now anyway.”

“Everyone brings a plate because we like to graze all day. It’s a given. In fact, if my Aunty Lynette came anywhere without her scalloped potatoes, I’d ask her to go back and get them. We’ll have Petit Fours for dessert and my cousin or I will start making Espresso Martinis for everyone. I make them with the coffee from our pod machine, but they always go down well. As it gets later, the men in our family can join us and those that can will stay for a barbecue dinner.”

“I love In The Roundhouse for all my plates, and I have nice glassware and my neutral linens. For flowers, mum loves lilies. She’s a shocker. Loves lilies, hates chrysanthemums. That has been her rule for as long as I have been able to speak: "Do not get me chrysanthemums on Mother's Day." So I will, of course, oblige.”

All-time favourite event that you’ve hosted?

“For sentimental reasons, I’d say the first dinner party that we hosted in our first home. It was last year, in between lockdowns, when you could have two guests over. We had two of our best friends and had the best night. And it was so special because it was the first time we had any friends over and we missed people! I did my classic pasta thing because I had a vego in attendance, and my fiance's basically a carnivore, so I just did three sauces, three pastas, we served wine and my partner made Gin and Tonics, which are his favourite.”

Best event you’ve ever been to?

“Any and every Christmas day with my family. I get to go to so many amazing industry parties and functions that are extravagant and beautiful, but the most fun I ever have is on those long festive days outside with good food and drinks and my family.”

Best restaurant you’ve ever eaten at?

“Our local favourite is a little Italian place in Mont Albert called Cantina Centrale. I don't know if it's the best, but it’s my fiance’s and my favourite. I have the gnocchi every time. Overseas, I loved all the pubs we went to in Ireland. My partner’s family is from Dublin so it was a special trip back in 2015.”

Favourite place for a drink?

“Last weekend I went to Above Board in Collingwood. It's above some weird beer hall, and you go up stairs, then down a back alley, and then up some more stairs and they just serve cocktails, and can only sit, I'm going to say, 20 people, and it was amazing. Very Melbourne.”

“If it’s my first drink, a Margarita. If it’s my last, a Negroni.”

Favourite way to spend a Saturday night?

“Dinner party at home. It's the best of both worlds. You get to relax in a way that you don't get to if you've gone out somewhere, but you still get to socialise.”

Drink you should always have on hand?

“Champagne in the fridge, because you look super prepared if you have unexpected guests. And we always have what we need to whip up a Spicy Margarita at our place – partly because we have a massive tree in our backyard that grows lemons and limes. I’m not going to say that’s why we bought the house, but it was definitely in the pros list.”

Tips for making spicy margs?

“I’m super simple about it. Don’t overthink it, juice the limes beforehand then chop up a jalapeno and muddle it in with the lime juice so it’s spicy before you shake and strain.”

What kind of home cook are you?

“The kind who thinks she's Italian, but isn't. I make pasta for everything. Because that way, if you've got vegos, you can just make pasta with a pesto sauce. If you've got gluten-free visitors, you can just make a separate one with that. I just make a bunch of different pastas, a bunch of different sauces, and put them all on the table and then just, ‘go for it’.”

What kind of entertainer are you?

“I'm such a stereotypical extrovert that I just want to make sure everyone is laughing and having the best time at all times. I tend to serve a cocktail first and then move on to a good wine so I’m not going back and forth to the kitchen all night. I prefer to just place a nice wine in the middle of the table and then I can relax.”

Go-to tablescaping style?

“Neutrals and layers with a big emphasis on textures. I don't like to buy for a theme because I never use it again. Instead, I like to invest in my table decor and treat it the same way that I treat my wardrobe. Everything has to be classic and timeless and right for all occasions. And I love a candle. I always have candles burning, so much so that my uncle, who is a fireman, is always worrying about me with them, but I’m very safe.”

What makes a great event?

“100% the company. When I leave an interaction with a friend, I want to feel full of energy, not drained. So I try to only spend time with the people who make me feel that way. With dinner guests, make sure you're inviting people who are going to have that positive effect on you, so you can walk away from your event feeling up and lifted.”

“Relax and enjoy. We can get so caught up on how the table looks (I know this is a bit rich coming from me) and what we're cooking, but people are coming to your house because they want to hang out with you. They're not coming to see how many candles you've lit, or what flowers you've picked. So just relax and enjoy it.”

NOW EXPERIENCING:

Next-Gen Host: Gemma Watts holds a Mother’s Day long lunch

Next-Gen Host: Gemma Watts holds a Mother’s Day long lunch

Read time 5 Mins

Posted 02 Aug 2023

By
Alexandra Whiting

The Mumm is chilled, the Petit Fours tiered, the beloved women in her life en route (and they’re all bringing a plate).

Gemma Watts’ family sound like a great time. “It’s a big family and they all love an event,” she says. Despite being on the guest list at many fancy events, Watts notes family occasions as the times she has the most fun, and her memories of them are filled with aunts and uncles, home-cooked dishes, endless lunches and late-night Espresso Martinis.

They are also a family that love dinner and a show. “Are we musical theatre people? Very much so.” Watts is looking forward to seeing Moulin Rouge and recently took her Dad to see the Cursed Child (for the third time). “We’ve had several theatre dates and we’ll sometimes just go into the city, have dinner and drinks and then to a show.” This has become the usual Mother’s Day tradition, along with incredibly thoughtful gifting. “I always recommend perfume as a gift, but it requires a bit of pre-planning because fragrance is such a personal thing. You need to work out the notes that she likes, so, my tip is to find out what your mum's favourite perfumes are, go online and see what notes are in them, and then choose a new fragrance based on those notes. So that way you're playing in a safe space.” Watts has taken it to another level by creating a spreadsheet of her mum’s perfume preferences. Good thing she’s an only child as she would be hard to compete with.

In 2020, when Mother’s Day fell in the thick of the first lockdown, Watts was living with her parents. To make the day special, her and her dad recreated the Grand Hyatt’s High Tea they had attended the year before. “I click-and-collected a three-tier cake stand, then I jumped on InDesign and made up a mock menu. It was amazing.”

This year, with lockdowns lifted and a new home to entertain in, Watts is planning a Mother’s Day long lunch for all the women in her family. The Petit Fours are on the cake stand, everyone is bringing a plate and the white wine is chilled.

Home essentials

Q.Go-to drink order?: “If it’s my first drink, a Margarita. If it’s my last, a Negroni.”

Q.Favourite way to spend a Saturday night?: “Dinner party at home. It's the best of both worlds. You get to relax in a way that you don't get to if you've gone out somewhere, but you still get to socialise.”

Q.Drink you should always have on hand?: “Champagne in the fridge, because you look super prepared if you have unexpected guests. And we always have what we need to whip up a Spicy Margarita at our place – partly because we have a massive tree in our backyard that grows lemons and limes. I’m not going to say that’s why we bought the house, but it was definitely in the pros list.”

Q.Tips for making spicy margs?: “I’m super simple about it. Don’t overthink it, juice the limes beforehand then chop up a jalapeno and muddle it in with the lime juice so it’s spicy before you shake and strain.”

Q.What kind of home cook are you?: “The kind who thinks she's Italian, but isn't. I make pasta for everything. Because that way, if you've got vegos, you can just make pasta with a pesto sauce. If you've got gluten-free visitors, you can just make a separate one with that. I just make a bunch of different pastas, a bunch of different sauces, and put them all on the table and then just, ‘go for it’.”

Q.What kind of entertainer are you?: “I'm such a stereotypical extrovert that I just want to make sure everyone is laughing and having the best time at all times. I tend to serve a cocktail first and then move on to a good wine so I’m not going back and forth to the kitchen all night. I prefer to just place a nice wine in the middle of the table and then I can relax.”

Q.Go-to tablescaping style?: “Neutrals and layers with a big emphasis on textures. I don't like to buy for a theme because I never use it again. Instead, I like to invest in my table decor and treat it the same way that I treat my wardrobe. Everything has to be classic and timeless and right for all occasions. And I love a candle. I always have candles burning, so much so that my uncle, who is a fireman, is always worrying about me with them, but I’m very safe.”

Q.What makes a great event?: “100% the company. When I leave an interaction with a friend, I want to feel full of energy, not drained. So I try to only spend time with the people who make me feel that way. With dinner guests, make sure you're inviting people who are going to have that positive effect on you, so you can walk away from your event feeling up and lifted.”

Q.Hosting tip?: “Relax and enjoy. We can get so caught up on how the table looks (I know this is a bit rich coming from me) and what we're cooking, but people are coming to your house because they want to hang out with you. They're not coming to see how many candles you've lit, or what flowers you've picked. So just relax and enjoy it.”

Notable mentions

Q.All-time favourite event that you’ve hosted?: “For sentimental reasons, I’d say the first dinner party that we hosted in our first home. It was last year, in between lockdowns, when you could have two guests over. We had two of our best friends and had the best night. And it was so special because it was the first time we had any friends over and we missed people! I did my classic pasta thing because I had a vego in attendance, and my fiance's basically a carnivore, so I just did three sauces, three pastas, we served wine and my partner made Gin and Tonics, which are his favourite.”

Q.Best event you’ve ever been to?: “Any and every Christmas day with my family. I get to go to so many amazing industry parties and functions that are extravagant and beautiful, but the most fun I ever have is on those long festive days outside with good food and drinks and my family.”

Q.Best restaurant you’ve ever eaten at?: “Our local favourite is a little Italian place in Mont Albert called Cantina Centrale. I don't know if it's the best, but it’s my fiance’s and my favourite. I have the gnocchi every time. Overseas, I loved all the pubs we went to in Ireland. My partner’s family is from Dublin so it was a special trip back in 2015.”

Q.Favourite place for a drink?: “Last weekend I went to Above Board in Collingwood. It's above some weird beer hall, and you go up stairs, then down a back alley, and then up some more stairs and they just serve cocktails, and can only sit, I'm going to say, 20 people, and it was amazing. Very Melbourne.”

Let’s plan... a Mother’s Day long lunch

Q.Who’s coming:: “My mum and any of the women in my family who are around and available. Ideally, I’d have all of them, but they are all amazing women with busy schedules.”

Q.The guest brief:: “As usual, we’ll start at midday, but people can pop in and out as they wish. We don’t have a dress code, but all the women in my family are naturally stylish and inherently know how to dress and always look amazing.”

Q.Drink on arrival:: “Mumm Champagne. It’s how we start every single get-together.”

Q.The pre-dinner mingle:: “I’m the curator of the cheeseboard and I’ll serve everyone some wine, pinot gris or grigio most likely as mum and I are really in a pinot grigio phase. Maybe the Tread Softly Pinot Grigio or Innocent Bystander Pinot Gris. The pinots have pushed aside our beloved sauv blanc, for now anyway.”

Q.The main event:: “Everyone brings a plate because we like to graze all day. It’s a given. In fact, if my Aunty Lynette came anywhere without her scalloped potatoes, I’d ask her to go back and get them. We’ll have Petit Fours for dessert and my cousin or I will start making Espresso Martinis for everyone. I make them with the coffee from our pod machine, but they always go down well. As it gets later, the men in our family can join us and those that can will stay for a barbecue dinner.”

Q.The decor:: “I love In The Roundhouse for all my plates, and I have nice glassware and my neutral linens. For flowers, mum loves lilies. She’s a shocker. Loves lilies, hates chrysanthemums. That has been her rule for as long as I have been able to speak: "Do not get me chrysanthemums on Mother's Day." So I will, of course, oblige.”