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An impeccably set table, a meal that looks like living art, and a dessert cocktail to remember.
Montgomery’s love for beautiful interiors and entertaining started at a young age. She grew up in a publican family, her parents owning hotels and restaurants, notably, the 1860’s Italianate government office building that they converted into a beautiful hotel. As a child, she was often tasked with helping out before big events at the venues. “I used to set tables for weddings and functions. I loved doing it. I've always had an obsession with tableware that enabled the food to be the hero. Big platters and bowls,” she says.
In fact, Montgomery’s most enduring inspiration remains hotels. Specifically, Mediterranean hotels, like Le Sirenuse in Positano, Italy. We could think of no better person to show us how to host a Mediterranean winter feast, so Lucy invited us to her parent’s home (which she designed) and showed us how to do baked snapper, and Chambord dessert cocktails, right. And yes, we found out all her tablescaping tips.
Home essentials
- Q.What kind of entertaining do you most like to do? Where and who with?
“One thing that we do regularly is late lunch/early dinner on a Sunday. It’s usually at my parent’s home and it’s quite a ritual in my family. I’m one of four, and we all have children, so it’s a time for us all to come together. My dad goes to the fish market for fresh oysters and then I work with my mum in the kitchen to put together a real feast for the masses. It’s quite the setup because there are so many of us, we all sit at the table, all the kids in highchairs or boosters and the rest of us on chairs grabbed from all over the house. It’s quite fun. A bit intense, but fun. We do grazing and share plates and always end up having a few wines after and eating whatever’s left over. We put an assortment of drinks out and everyone can serve themselves. We always have rosé, red and white wine, and non-alcoholic options.”
- Q.Go-to drink order?
“Definitely a glass of chardonnay. When I go to a nice restaurant, I always go for a less expensive wine because I figure they aren’t going to have anything bad on the list. If I have a cocktail it’s a Dirty Gin Martini or a Negroni.”
- Q.Go-to cookbook?
“When I moved to my first sharehouse, my mum gave me a copy of Stephanie Alexander’s The Cook’s Companion and it had all the basics. That’s how I first started learning to cook. I’d look up how to make bolognese and how to roast a chicken – everything. I still have it and still look things up.”
- Q.What do you always have on hand to drink at home?
“Generally, I like Australian and New Zealand wines. If I’m at home I’ll pour a Cloudy Bay Chardonnay. I’m a massive chardonnay fan. I also like Muscadet Sur Lie wine, which is French, but along the same lines as chardonnay. If it’s warmer, I might have a rosé. Chateau Vannières Bandol Rosé is a current favourite.”
- Q.What do you always have on hand for surprise guests?
“A chilled bottle of Champagne and a jar of olives. I also always have fresh bread from the bakers and anchovies. Easy to pull something together from those."
- Q.What makes a great event?
“Behind every effortless evening is a lot of preparation. I've always ensured that everything is ready to go before guests arrive. Making sure there's adequate glassware, adequate silverware… You can never be over-prepared. And I think guests really appreciate when you've gone above and beyond, and it frees you up to spend time with them as well, which helps everyone relax."
- Q.What’s your favourite way to spend a kid-free weekend?
“I haven’t done it yet, but I’d love to have a weekend soon at Osborn House in the Southern Highlands. I made some lamps for them and when I went there to see them installed I got to have a good look around and it’s really beautiful. Beautiful restaurant, beautiful bar, beautiful scenery. You really don't have to leave the venue, which is great. It’s also a kid-free venue so you can really relax.”
- Q.What’s your tablescaping style?
“My table always boasts my new collections. Striped table linens, the coloured Murano glassware we made in a collaboration with Campbell Rey, and then I keep it understated in terms of florals. I like to just use foliage from the garden or herbs – nothing too staged. And if we’re getting together after the sun goes down, I put out the candelabra. These pieces really allow for the food to be the hero and make for a casual elegance.”
- Q.Failsafe table styling trick?
“Ambient light is a must. We have a candelabra as part of our collection and it was really created as the perfect dining table centrepiece to have warm, soft lighting, which creates an inviting atmosphere. It also makes everyone look beautiful.”
- Q.First step in being better at styling for guests?
“A great tablecloth. You can’t go wrong with a beautiful white linen. Then, mix in different pieces for an eclectic, collected style.”
- Q.Best hosting tip?
“Match your wines to the region of your food, so if you’re making pasta, serve Italian wine, like a sangiovese.”
Notable mentions
- Q.All-time favourite event that you’ve hosted?
“When we purchased our home in North Bondi, we were so excited because we’d never owned a home before, so we hosted an alfresco dinner in our backyard. Our closest family and friends came and it was casual with a barbeque and salads and lots of various wines on offer, but of course, Champagne. I think it was Perrier-Jouët or Bollinger. It was a beautiful night with the smell of Jasmine and smoke from the barbeque. It was very memorable.”
- Q.Q. Best restaurant you’ve ever eaten at?
“I've recently been to Margaret with five of my close friends. I loved it there. We all have kids and hadn’t been out wining and dining for a while, so it was really special. It was a lot of fun and we hit a few of the Double Bay pubs after. Really let our hair down.
“Internationally, there is a bistro in Aspen, where we go most years, that is just so much fun. It’s called Cloud Nine and it’s a Swiss-style alpine hut where they serve fondue and raclette, but everyone sprays Champagne there and dances up on the tables. The last time we were there we’d just gotten engaged. It’s a good time.”
Let’s plan... a Mediterranean winter dinner party
- Q.Who’s coming:
“8-10 close friends.”
- Q.The guest brief:
“Book the babysitter, we’re starting at 5pm (to make the most of the babysitter) and dress up, not that I need to say that. We always dress up because these get-togethers happen so rarely.”
- Q.Drink on arrival:
“Champagne and the option of a Negroni or Campari and soda. I’ll have them set up on a tray ready to serve as people arrive. I’ll also have a little bar situation setup so people can help themselves and there’s no pressure on me to be making everyone drinks. I’ll make sure I have red wine, white wine, rosé and beer too, probably Sierra Nevada Pale Ale as it’s a crowd favourite.”
- Q.The pre-dinner mingle:
“I will have antipasto prepared and out on beautiful platters and boards ready for people to graze on before dinner. I roast my own tomatoes, so I’ll have those, olives and anchovies and nice bread. Oysters and prawns. Everyone can mingle and snack.”
- Q.The main event:
“For dinner, we’ll sit at the table. For a big group I do place cards, but with this group there’s no need. As the theme suggests, we’ll have lots of seafood, but as it’s winter, we’ll do baked snapper and a clam linguine. I’ll put the wine on the table, Rivetto Barolo Serralunga d'Alba for the red drinkers and Simonnet-Febvre Petit Chablis for the white drinkers (I love Chablis). Afterwards we’ll have French Martinis. They make a great adult’s dessert.”
- Q.The decor:
“I’ll use my collection, but lean into that navy blue that I’m so inspired by. It reminds me more of Mediterranean hotels. Very on theme.”
image credits: Sophie Brockwell
