How To Avoid The Agonies Of The Communal Dinner Bill

The old birthday pub communual dinner dilemma. Fifteen odd people. Most people will drink but a few won't. Some will have the house ale. Some will have the £43 Chablis Bulbous Meredith. Some will have starters. Some won't. Some will have the 20 oz steak with alchemy sauce and others will have the leek risotto. Some will have pudding. Some will share pudding. Some will have no pudding.

So when it comes to the bill there's a lot to sort out and there's always the worry that the bill will just be shared equally, which means if you have only had the leek risotto and lime soda you will either grin and bear it or hope somebody else will highlight the injustice, rather than you having to.

It may be controversial to do so but to avoid any of these worries, and to ease the hassles of sorting the bill out, the 'birthdayee' should have little business card size information to slip into their guest's hands on arrival at the venue – bullet point rules for the evening so everyone knows where they stand. Maybe lighten the mood of the card by including a picture of a baby muntjac.