So it’s been going well – you’ve been on three or four dates together, they’ve made you laugh more times than is healthy in public, and your meet-ups are starting to feel like a essential part of your week. Romance is hitting you like a freight train with its brakes cut.

But there’s one crucial test awaiting your new partner: meeting your significant others, and keeping it casual enough so that they don’t want to bury their face in your mum’s lasagne at the dinner table. Here’s how to ease your date into the family without it ending in disaster . . .

Caffeine is a winner

A casual boozy night after work might seem like a good way to liquidate your date’s nerves. Alcohol, though, carries the danger of someone saying too much too soon, and a personal filter must remain intact if they’re after a decent impression.

Coffee, preferably at lunch or in the afternoon, is a tried-and-tested alternative that will embalm pleasantries in the satisfying chink of china and teaspoons. It’s will also present your date as a sophisticated gent or lady who doesn’t need litres of wine to be charming.

The great outdoors

One of the most daunting prospects for someone is meeting your child for the first time. They don’t want to tread on their toes or seem too eager to be a part of their life, so whether a toddler or teenager is vying for your date’s attention, you can’t go wrong with some outdoor fun.

You’ll have to play on your kid’s home turf, which means picking an activity they like and won’t feel threatened by. This doesn’t mean dragging your partner along to a local league game or horse-riding lesson. A simple trip to the park will do, or a walk somewhere beautiful. Save bonding on the go-kart track for trip number two.

Cook at your place

Look, it’s a big ask to parachute your date into the family home before they’ve even learned your parents’ first names. They’ll have to sit there and say nice things constantly about furniture they don’t really care about, and lie with a grin if dad’s put too much salt in the gravy. To remove the sense of an impending interrogation from the night, you have to be the one on host duty. As head of the table, you can direct conversation how you like, spreading the comments more fairly from clan to beau.

Sibling satisfaction

Brothers and sisters may just be the hardest people to please in the world. They’ll hear about your dating adventures with delicious interest, but when you’ve actually found someone who fits the bill, expect that to turn to raging suspicion.

Prove that your date has the mettle to meet them by inviting them out with your sibling in a sizeable group. Full marks will be scored if your partner relates as well to complete strangers as well as the siblings they’ve heard about, proving the pair of you are a social force to be reckoned with.

Family ties bind us, but we get to pick and choose our lovers, and there’s no reason why one shouldn’t seem as natural as the other. Join FreeAndSingle today to find that perfect addition to your inner circle!