More of this Feature • Part 2: Review of Recipe for a Country Inn • Part 3: Review of Secrets of Entertaining

Join the Discussion "What little touches do you do for your guests?" AB-ENTRTAIN

Related Resources • Entertaining Tips Collection

From Other Guides • Bed and Breakfasts

Among my favorite travel memories are the times I stayed at a country inn or bed and breakfast. The experiences were the perfect combination of the coziness of staying in someone's home with the luxury of being a pampered hotel guest. 

So, how do inns manage to elevate the art of home entertaining to such a luxurious level? Recently, I had the opportunity to review two books that provide insight that can help any of us make our own homes feel like a country inn.

In Recipe for a Country Inn, Donna Leahy, owner of the Inn at Twin Linden, shares many of the recipes that have helped to make her inn a world class destination. As I tested some of these recipes, several things became very clear to me.

• None of the recipes are overly complex. An innkeeper and chef such as Leahy has too many responsibilities to spend all of her time cooking.
• She takes full advantage of seasonal, local ingredients to serve food at its peak flavor.
• She doesn't fear creative combinations of familiar ingredients such as her recipe for Apple Cinnamon Stuffed French Toast or Marinated Green Beans with Crispy Leeks.
• Many of the recipes, or steps within the recipes can be prepared in advance.

Innkeepers don't keep just the cooking simple. By focusing on the "little treasures", as Gail Greco calls them in Secrets of Entertaining, innkeepers maximize the impact of life's simple pleasures. Here are just a few of the hundreds of tips Greco collected from innkeepers across the United States.

• Sifting powdered sugar over fruit cups or around the edges of serving plates can make any fruit course special. - Duggan Place B&B
• To attract butterflies, plant flowers such as zinnias and marigolds. There are also numerous varieties of butterfly bushes and flowers, which were grown during the Victorian era, that are planted specifically to attract butterflies. - The Bechtel Mansion Inn
• Sit in front of the fire with a pot of tea and a good gossiping girlfriend. - Adams Edgeworth Inn
• I use felt as a colored liner under lace tablecloths. It's inexpensive and so interchangeable for holiday entertaining. I keep a selection of colors, such as green for Saint Patrick's Day and pink for Valentine's. - Robins Nest
• Willow branches make great curtain rods for tabs or any stationary pocket curtains. We have them in several of our rooms. - The Painted Porch
• When preparing a salad for a buffet table, instead of placing the washed and dried greens into a  bowl, place them in a gathering basket, reminding your guests that these greens have just come out of the garden. - Highland Lake Inn
• A quick and easy way to set a place for breakfast with a cloth napkin is to tuck the napkin through the handle of a coffee mug and fluff it out. - Ilverthorpe Cottage.

By focusing on the little touches, while keeping things simple enough to manage yourself, you too can create the experience of a country inn for your guests. 

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