FOOD

CHOOSING YOUR CATERING STYLE

Choosing a type of catering for your event can be overwhelming: lots of industry lingo, different price points and so many tasty sounding dishes. We’ve put together some headlines below to help you navigate choosing what’s right for you and your guests.

Also known as:
hors d’ouvre, light bites, finger food, amuse bouche, cocktail-style dinner, drinks reception snacks
Can be served by waiters circling the venue, or laid out buffet-style on a table for guests to self-serve.
Many events such as weddings serve canapés alongside drinks as a welcome reception before guests sit down for a meal, but corporate events or parties may keep the canapés flowing throughout the evening as the main food feature.
We have a range of classic canapés if you’re looking for inspiration - some of our most popular include mini fish and chip cones, Yorkshire pudding bites, bruschetta or arancini - or we can get working on something original and bitesize to meet your brief.

Also known as:
formal, three course, wedding breakfast, sit-down dinner
More formal in style, guests are seated while waiters serve individually plated starters, mains and often a pudding.
Many will choose to share the menu with their guests in advance. Some will offer 2 - 4 options for each course, and collect each guest’s selection along with their RSVP. Others may choose to have only one option, with an alternative dish provided for those with dietary requirements. Dishes for dietary options can either be what’s known as ‘silent’, meaning they are not advertised to guests beforehand but will be catered for on the day, or they can be sent out as an advance choice.
We create all sorts of formal menus, but some traditional choices include soup or salad starters, roast meats with trimmings as a main, and a crumble or sticky toffee dessert.

Also known as:
sharing dishes, platters, large format, casual, tapas, sharing plates
Waiters deliver generous platters of food to each table, with guests then portioning on to their own plates.
A little more laid-back in style, this type of service allows guests to dive in and take more of what they love and less of what they don’t fancy, like you might at a family dinner table.
Big platters, generously stacked high with wonderful food, can have a great impact arriving at a table.
It can mean you need think a little more carefully about the other tableware and decoration, to ensure there’s enough space.
Some may choose a combination, for example serving starters family-style but mains individually plate; or they may have mains partially plated (for example the meat or fish) but with sides such as potatoes and vegetables served family-style.

Also known as:
self-service, smorgasbord, canteen style, grazing
Buffets see guests head up to a pre-laid table to collect their own food, before heading to their seat.
They can be self-service, or staffed (meaning a waiter will serve guests out a portion).
This can be a great arrangement when not all guests will be eating at the same time, or wish to graze throughout an event.
There are some some considerations around how to keep food hot or cold, but buffets provide a great amount of variety and can look spectacular when laid out generously and creatively.

Also known as:
market stands, stalls, food carts, food truck, food stands
In this style of catering, guests often head up to a stand to watch their food be prepped & cooked in front of them. This can provide some great theatre and occasion, as well as super-tasty smells and sounds.
It also allows guests to make a bespoke order there and then - hold off the hot sauce, or add extra onions.
Typical cuisines that work well for this are pizzas in Gozney ovens, BBQs, hog roast, pulled pork baps or loaded chilli fries.
These can be great options for evening food following a more formal plated meal earlier in the day.

For those with a sweet tooth, we can offer all kinds of treats.
Some events send round mini pudding canapes, others love a retro pick ‘n’ mix sweet cart or an ice cream bar.
Cheeseboards can be a great option for a savoury choice, and in recent years ‘cheese towers’ have become excellent - whole wheels of a variety of cheeses stacked high like a tiered cake.
Whether it’s a wedding cake, a bride & groom pudding roulette (ask us!), a mini pudding trio or some corporate branded brownies, we can get creative with you to work out a tasty way to put the cherry on the cake of your event.