When catering for your own party, you might feel overwhelmed by the number of responsibilities that come with the job. There are a lot of things to consider, such as choosing menus, arranging for food delivery, as well as preparation, timing arrangements and much more.
Planning a party can be complicated as it is, without having to worry about catering on top of it.
We often get asked how do you cater for a lot of people or what are good ways to cater for large groups of people? Preparedness, before the party starts, is the key to successful outcomes. It isn’t difficult! The number of guests and the type of occasion will also have a bearing on menu ideas.
However, if you are planning on catering for a large group at your next home gathering, here are some catering tips you should consider that might help your party catering run more smoothly.
Catering Tips for Your Next Event
Consider Serving Cold Food
One of the biggest challenges involved in catering is preparing the food and then ensuring that it is served hot. Many foods are frankly quite unpleasant when served cold. However, there is a wide range of foods that are quite delicious served cold ‒ you just have to know which foods to choose.
For a large group, it is recommended that you serve cold foods that require no heating as this can save you a lot of trouble and headaches on the day. Hot foods are complicated to prepare, store and serve, while cold foods can be prepared days in advance and kept in the fridge or even the freezer until the event, saving you time, money and a lot of stress.
Helpful Party Catering Tips
Make Space
When preparing for the party, you need to ensure that you have enough space for all the food ‒ not only in terms of display and serving space, but also in terms of storage space.
Making space for the storage of the food leading up to the event would involve tasks like clearing out several shelves of your fridge or freezer so that you can store platters in the fridge.
You want to make sure that the food is kept fresh for as long as possible. Preferably, you will only take the food out just before serving it so that it remains fresh and crisp. Where possible, you can even freeze some of the food ahead of time if you prepare far enough in advance.
However, not all foods can be frozen and thawed successfully, so this strategy must be followed with caution. Some foods could be ruined or made very tough by freezing and thawing. Bear in mind that flavours such as garlic and cloves become stronger when the food is frozen, while flavours such as onions, salt and herbs tend to grow weaker when frozen.
Make It Pretty
The food that you serve must look good, as the visual appeal of the food is often just as important as the flavour. To make your food look more appetising, use different edible garnishings.
These not only add an aesthetic appeal to the food but can also enhance its flavour when in keeping with the style of the dish. Various creative garnishings can be used, from daffodil flowers to regular lettuce or lentils.
Whatever the case, make sure that it is fresh and not wilted when you serve it.
Ask For Help
A good caterer can take care of all this for you in no time. However, it does require that you ask for help. Calling professional caterers in Sydney to help host your party can go a long way and save you a lot of trouble while helping you make a good impression on your guests.
Professional caterers don’t always need to cost an arm and a leg and can work within a realistic budget. Speak to us at Tall Poppies today to find out about party catering to help you with your next event.
