OK, so what can be so hard and complicated about ordering some food for your event?
Food is pretty central to most events and I’m sure we have all experienced awful catering, be it a wedding, business meeting or private party!
Getting it right starts with some prior planning and we’ve put together a handy check list to help you here…
• Time of day? When are you expecting your guests to eat and why is this so important? Well if your event is say 2pm, your guests would most probably have recently eaten. You might want to think about something lighter along the lines of a high tea for example. This simple thought will avoid the dreaded over catering & what do you do with the remaining food? Not to mention the awkward conversation explaining the waste to the person paying as well!
• Portioning, always a good question to ask your caterer, and linked to the point above. For example, are your guests moving on to a larger meal shortly afterwards? Canapés for example are often served prior to a larger meal as Hors d’oeuvre or appetisers before a main course. The simple rule of thumb applies here; 3 to 4 Canapés per person if preceding a larger meal shortly afterwards. If in doubt, be sure to ask your caterer what he/she recommends.
• The British obsession of course is the weather! Weather will naturally affect your menu choice. On a cold February day for example, a nice hot buffet will go down very well indeed.
• Special diets! If you have no way of finding out beforehand, expect at least 10% of your guests to follow some sort of diet. There are likely to be more vegetarians than vegans and possibly include a few gluten free options if you really want to cover this off. Realistically however assume there will be a few vegetarians and ask that the caterer to provide food that is therefore broadly appealing to meat eaters as well here to reduce the possibility of waste. Also make sure the food is labelled and on separate plates or platters!
• Venue is important as are the facilities it offers; for example how many guests will be standing or sitting, can the chef cook in the kitchen? All are governing factors in your eventual menu choice. Hot food for example can be still served at a venue which does not have a suitable kitchen, but the type of food needs to be of a one pot style, rather than portions so that the food can be safely transported to the venue from the chef’s kitchen in thermal boxes.
• Cultural & age awareness. Catering for a culturally diverse group just needs a bit of thought and planning. Clever menus and attention to labelling will help you avoid making any of your guests feel uncomfortable. Use a similar thought process on a cross generation event. Food that appeals to anyone over the age of 30 will most likely not appeal to most under that age, it’s just the way our taste buds mature! Broader menus will help solve this issue.
Tim Johnson is the owner & Executive Head Chef of The Red & Green Buffet Company.