Birthdays, engagements and weddings are just a few of the major life events that call for a party. While most of us love the idea of a celebratory gathering, getting it right does take some planning. If you have an event on the horizon, take a look at these key tips to make catering for your party a breeze.
Make good food choices
It is important to pick both the right type of food and the best way to serve it for the type of party you are throwing. Canapés are an obvious choice for cocktail parties, or any other party where eating is almost incidental. For a more substantial feast, it is hard to go wrong with a buffet. They work equally well with finger food and hot dishes, such as curry, and are pretty easy to throw together at home if you are making the food yourself.
When planning the menu, it is worth including items that appeal to both meat eaters and vegetarians. You should also bear in mind that you may have guests with allergies and intolerance to particular things; for example, being aware of which dishes contain nuts or gluten may be wise.
Choose the right type of venue
The priority is to have enough space, as cramming lots of people into a small area makes socialising, dancing or even moving about difficult. If your party will be held outside, you need a plan for dealing with rain or overly-hot or cool weather. In this case, it is worth providing a shelter, such as a marquee, to which guests can retreat. These are generally easy to find; for example, companies such as 2intents offer marquee hire in Kent.
Get help
If you lack the skills, time or enthusiasm to prepare food, it is easy enough to organise caterers to step in, but you don’t need to stop there. Why not have people to provide the crockery, or to serve the food? You can also hire a full bar service, or a specialist cocktail maker. These services make your life easier and, importantly, free you up to be the attentive host and enjoy the party.
Catering a party can seem daunting at times; however, as long as you provide great food and a pleasant space, everything else will fall into place quite naturally.
