A murder mystery dinner party is like holding a mini play in your home whilst hosting dinner. All the guests are given their character profile in the invitation and dress up according to their character personality traits.
I got my party pack ( invites, instructions, character booklet, inspector CD etc) from Red Herring games, they have lots of different themes with different numbers of guests. We have six people and I chose a Russian themed party as I had brought back food and decorative items from St Petersburg and Moscow this summer.
I sent out the invitations at least a month before, they explain your character and give some background information and character traits and outfit ideas.
It’s also nice to decorate the house to fit the theme, mine was set in 1939 and my very traditional dining room worked well. I added lots of candles, put up the Christmas decorations a day early ( it was 30th November) added my Russian dolls, vodka and tiny vintage glasses on a little table. Music also helps create the right atmosphere, all the 1930s music was a bit upbeat for a dinner party so I opted for music from Killing Eve.
You are provided with a CD with the part of the detective on which you play at set points through the evening. Everyone is given an instruction booklet with a script, which you read between food courses. There are also questions to ask during the evening which help you work out who the murderer could be.
A couple of tips, make sure you have a CD player ( we had to get an old one out of the loft) and take reading glasses if you need them as reading small print by candlelight is hard work!
As the host you have to concentrate on the murder as well as the food so an easy menu with everything prepared in advance is essential. With this in mind these are the courses I served.
Starter
- Blinis with cream cheese, salmon and caviar ( brought back from Russia)
- Raspberry champagne cocktails
Main course
- Beef Stroganoff, I used http://Natashaskitchen.com slow cook version, so I could cook ahead.
- Spiced Red Cabbage, recipe on my Instagram story, again this was cooked ahead frozen and reheated for the dinner.
- Baby Roast potatoes
- French Beans
Dessert was raspberry Zephyr, a cross between marshmallow and meringue ( I also bought this in Russia). I mixed fresh raspberries with whipped cream and raspberry coulis and served with the zephyr.
We had discovered who the murderer was by the end of dessert.
We then had cheese, dried fruit, Christmas cake and stollen ( it was December the first by this point so totally ok!)
This is the second Murder Mystery party I’ve been to and the first I’ve hosted. We really enjoy them, they would be good for a New Years Eve party or just to liven up January ( which is when we did the last one) .