Whatever the function, the food will always be remembered. If it's good, you'll receive lots of compliments and I'm sure you can remember occasions when it wasn't quite up to scratch. As we make all our own food I can guarantee that our food is delicious and will be enjoyed and remembered by your guests.
I'm sure you'll have most things in hand, sometimes however, there are small details that can add to the smooth running and success of your event. So I
thought it may be helpful to you just to go through a few important points in relation to the catering.
Firstly, you'll have a good idea of who you are going to invite. It is important to find out if any of your guests have any special dietary requirement so you
so you can ensure they are catered for. ie; Vegetarian, Gluten Free or Diabetic etc. We can provide homemade options for all dietary requirements. Secondly, you will need to decide on the type of food you would like. Whether hot or cold or a mixture of both. If you have guests coming and going over a number of hours then cold food may be the better option as hot food can lose some of its quality if it is left out for too long. If all your guests are eating at a similar time then either will do.
As regards the menu, we don't believe in restricting you to a menu of our choice. You are welcome to choose your own dishes and puddings if you wish.
It is important what you like but also what your guests might like. We are happy to provide advice as to popular dishes as we have been doing this for forty years now and we have a good idea of what works and what doesn't. We also believe in offering choice. Normally, in a gathering of a number of people there will be a mixture of ages and tastes. Therefore, for numbers of 40 plus we would offer a choice of three hot dishes and three puddings and two or three puddings with a cold buffet. Again, if necessary we could suggest a mixture of dishes that we know will prove popular. With regard to puddings we tend to even the numbers out over three dishes. Therefore, on occasion someone may not get the pudding of choice.
We have been asked on numerous occasions for our advice on a time to eat. As a general rule we would recommend about 45 minutes
to an hour after your guests arrival. (Possibly a bit longer if they are having canapes on arrival) If your function is in the evening, we don't recommend
eating later than 9.30pm as if it gets too late people go past wanting to eat. As a guideline service for 80 to 100 people will take 45mins to 75 mins or so depending on the number of dishes, puddings and whether Tea and Coffee is required.
Space Requirements - Based on 80 or so guests we would probably need a size equating to 3 to 5 trestle tables to display and serve a hot or cold buffet.
For smaller numbers we may be able to serve from the kitchen. If you are having a hog roast, we would need approximately two trestle size tables at the side of
the spit for the accompaniments and salads.
China or poly plates. If you function is relatively informal and people will be standing to eat then either will suffice, although it will be better to
choose dishes that can be eaten with a fork, ie Rice dishes and bakes. Poly plates and disposable cutlery is provided free of charge although a charge is applied for china
for the added work involved and washing up.
Service. All our food is provided with or without service. Service includes the serving of the food buffet style, clearing away and washing up.
If you would just like the food dropping off then that is fine, however, we would recommend that someone oversees portion control.
All our cold buffets are displayed on silver platters which would need returning or collecting by us. (we don't use disposable platters)
Time of arrival. Dependent upon the food chosen we will arrive between 30 minutes and one hour prior to eating. For Hog Roasts, we cook the hogs fully on site
so the time of arrival is about 5 and a half hours prior to eating. If your having a hot buffet or a hog roast we will need access to a standard electrical socket.
I hope a few of these points will be helpful for you and I look forward to the opportunity to cater for you.