Throw a Wimbledon Final party at home

It’s one of the big sporting occasions of the year, so why not throw a tennis-themed garden bash with these easy and inexpensive ideas?

You don’t have to be sports-mad to enjoy the magic of Wimbledon. And you and your family and friends don’t need to have centre-court tickets to get in on the excitement.

Follow these simple tips, and your party is sure to be a winner ¬– whoever ends up lifting the trophy!

Time things right

Choose an afternoon when there is an exciting tennis match in the TV schedules, so those of you who want to follow the action more closely can savour the thrills, match by match.

Enticing invitations

Send out racquet-shaped party invites, and why not encourage everyone to dress up a bit, to add a classy garden-party feel to the occasion.

Ace the look

Have fun presenting your themed food – either roll out a little fake grass on the table or simply use a green table cloth with a table tennis net running along the middle.

Murray meringues

Theme your food around the tournament. Maybe label your dishes – Nadal nachos, Federer fries and so on. Or match the dishes to the nationalities of great tennis stars – Scottish salmon, Spanish paella, Swiss fondue, American hot dogs…

Don’t forget to check out our party food shortcuts

And of course you have to serve strawberries and cream – it’s a must! British strawberries are in season and are by far the tastiest you can buy.

Party drinks

Big jugs of lemon barley drink are perfect to complete the mood, and we’ve got lots of ideas for refreshing non-alcoholic cocktails.

The icing on the cake

If you’re making a cake, why not cover it with icing that’s coloured tennis-ball yellow? Draw on the distinctive lines in white ‘writing’ icing.

Game on

Have tennis-themed games in the garden, table tennis or swingball if you have room, or silly challenges like blindfold pin the racquet on Andy Murray or ‘spot the ball’ on a photo-shopped picture from a famous match. Make a silver cup and a plate out of card and tin foil, then finish off your party with a grand trophy ceremony for the male and female winners of your games.

Are you a hostess with the mostest? Share your tips in the comments section below.