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I’ve got to say that I’m not one for entering blogger competitions. But when Clickstay e-mailed me earlier in the week telling me all about their latest one, I just knew I had to take part. Why? Because they wanted to know who I’d invite to my fantasy dinner party, what I’d serve, and where I’d host it. And believe you me, that’s a topic I could talk about all night! So, without further ado, let me tell you guys all about it.

The Location:
After browsing Clickstay’s website for what felt like hours (they have so many amazing places to stay), I finally found the villa where I would want to host my fantasy Italian dinner party. Oh yes, I would choose to host it at the beautiful Villa Bianca 1, which is just 4km away from the wonderful town of Sorrento in Italy.

The villa is super spacious and has five bedrooms, six bathrooms, a private pool, and a terrace which I think would be the perfect place to sit my fantasy Italian dinner party guests as they would be able to take in the breathtaking views of the surrounding area while they ate. I would, of course, add some pretty fairy lights to the terrace to make it look nice and inviting once dusk began to fall.

Upon arrival, my fantasy dinner party guests would each receive a glass of champagne (or a nice cold beer if they preferred), and I’d definitely have some music playing in the background. Nothing too heavy though – maybe some Russell Watson or G4. I can pretend they’re Italian, right?

The Guest List:
Over the last couple of years, I’ve found myself watching more TV shows than I’ve ever watched before. And that’s all thanks to Netflix, who have so many great series’ on their site that I can just watch when I have the time. I mostly watch American TV shows and always end up having one or two favourite characters from each one. With this in mind, I decided that my fantasy dinner party guests would have to be the guys and girls who play some of my favourite characters from these shows. Let me know if you recognise any of them!

First up I’d have the gorgeous Colin O’Donoghue, who plays Killian Jones/Captain Hook in ABC’s fairytale drama, Once Upon a Time. This was one of the very first shows I watched when I subscribed to Netflix, and I still watch it now. Although if I’m honest I think they’ll be wrapping it up soon. Colin has a lot of Irish charm and wit, and I think it would be impossible to try and talk to him without being stopped in my tracks by those beautiful blue eyes, but I’d give it a try. If I could ask Colin anything it would have to be what does his wife think about the way he gazes lovingly at Jennifer Morrison, his co-star on the show, and why the heck did he never tweet me back when I asked him if he could make an appearance at my sons pirate themed birthday party last year!!

Next up is the equally gorgeous Ian Somerhalder, who played bad boy Damon Salvatore in The Vampire Diaries, and Boone Carlyle in Lost (which I haven’t seen yet). Ian and his wife Nikki announced that they’re expecting their first child together yesterday, so I’d love to ask him how excited he is about that, whether or not they’ve discussed baby names, and of course, offer any mummy advice should he need it. Talking babies is one of my favourite things to do so I’d be in my element!

As much as I love Damon in the Vampire Diaries, he’s not actually my favourite character. Oh, no! My favourite just has to be Caroline Forbes, played by the beautiful Candice King. So I would of course have to invite her to my fantasy dinner party! Candice’s character in the show is the one that I think grows the most, and I love how she goes from being quite needy to a strong, powerful woman. At the dinner party I would ask Candice how she finds being a working mum, and what it’s like being married to a rock star. (Joe King from The Fray).

While I was writing up my fantasy dinner party ideas I kept asking myself ‘What would Blair Waldorf do?’ And then it hit me – she’d invite Leighton Meester, of course! (For those of you have never seen Gossip Girl, Leighton played the part of Blair, who was my all-time favourite character from the show. Make sure you go and check it out on Netflix. You won’t regret it). I would ask Leighton if she’s anything like Blair in real life, and if the rumours of a new season of Gossip Girl are true. I certainly hope they are!

I recently binge-watched the Whole 7 seasons of Pretty Little Liars, and my favourite character on there has to be Hannah Marin, who is played by the beautiful Ashley Benson. I love that she’s a bit of a rebel, and hates listening to other people. And although she seemed to despise her mum in the early episodes of the show, it soon became clear that she meant everything to her. Two questions I would love to ask Ashley is how she keeps her blonde hair looking so damn good (I’m a blonde and know how hard it can be), and who the hell is A.D?! I know we’ll be finding out soon but I just can’t wait that long!

Next up I’d invited Dylan O’Brien, who plays Stiles Stilinski in Teen Wolf. Stiles in the super-geeky best friend of Scott, the shows main character, and it’s hard not to fall in love with him as the first season progresses. I would ask Dylan if he would rather be a werewolf than a human in the show, and if he could be in any other TV series, what would it be.

And last but certainly not least I would invite the lovely Tyler Blackburn, who plays Caleb Rivers in Pretty Little Liars. I absolutely love Tyler’s character in the show. He plays Hannah’s boyfriend and he really comes across as being the best boyfriend ever. I’d like to ask Tyler if he’s a computer geek, like his PLL character, and whether he preferred being in Pretty Little Liars or its spin-off show, Ravenswood.

The Food:
OK, I’m the first to admit that I’m not the most adventurous of people when it comes to trying new foods. So my Italian feast would have to be pretty basic. Especially if I’m cooking it myself. I mean, I don’t want to give my fantasy dinner party guests food poisoning now, do I?! I think I would cook up a 3 course meal, and everything would be nice and traditional.

So, for our starter we would have bruschetta, which is grilled bread rubbed with garlic and topped with olive oil, salt, and a salsa made from tomatoes. I think bruschetta is absolutely delicious, and it doesn’t take long to prepare and cook, so I wouldn’t be leaving my fantasy dinner party guests on their own for too long!

For our main course we would have spaghetti and meatballs. Purely because it’s usually the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Italian food. And it’s simple and delicious too. Any guests who are vegetarian would be able to have spaghetti and sauce without the meatballs, so I wouldn’t need to worry about cooking a second choice of meal.

And for dessert we would have tiramisu. I know it’s blowing my own trumpet a bit but I make a mean tiramisu! It’s my secret ingredient that makes it so awesome. Whenever I make it at home my kids demolish it within minutes. After dessert we would have coffee and after eight mints and prepare for the after dinner entertainment …

After Dinner Entertainment
After dinner I would have my guests relax by pool, while the wonderful Conor Maynard serenaded them with his beautiful voice. I think I’d have a glitterball and some disco lights set up around the pool too, so people could dance if they wanted to as the night went on, and we would party through till dawn!

Voting is now open!
If you enjoyed my post and would like to vote for me to win Clickstay’s blogger competition then make sure you visit the voting page, scroll down until you find ‘With love from Lou’ and then hit the vote button! I’m eternally grateful for any votes, so thank you in advance.

And there you have it, the 7 guests I’d invite to my fantasy dinner party.
Who would you invite to yours? Let me know in the comments below!

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*Please note that this is my entry into Clickstay’s Food Blogger Competition
I have not been compensated for writing the post.