Choosing the Right Catering Menu for a Special Occasion

When planning a special occasion, one of the first dilemmas is what to feed your guests. You may decide to cater the party yourself, or alternatively forego the stress and hire and catering company to the hard work for you. Either way, the menu decision is often a critical factor on the success of your evening! Guests are often happiest when there’s an abundance of delicious food and drink on offer.

There are types of food which should be avoided for certain occasions. For example, the food and drink choices for a baby shower would be very different to that of a wedding party. Consider the atmosphere you’d like to create with your chosen menu; is it a formal sit-down occasion with wine and gourmet courses, or is it simply background eating finger food whilst other activities are undertaken?

Informal Catering

BBQ

The classic BBQ menu is simple to create and loved by many. BBQs have a relaxing and laid back nature, and the chosen food should reflect this. Buffet style eating where guests can help themselves to meat, rolls and buns, salads and other accompaniments. BBQs are the ultimate in chilled out eating. Traditional BBQ meats are chicken, beef burgers, and sausages. Typical sides are coleslaw, potato salad, and pasta.

Garden Party

Similarly to the classic BBQ, a garden party is extremely informal and usually a buffet style affair. If you don’t want to stand over a grill whilst your guests eat, try preparing a roast beforehand, which can then be served with cold sides like potato and pasta salads.

Formal Catering

Formal Reception

A more formal event like an Anniversary or milestone birthday party may call for more formal dining arrangements. If you expect a large number of guests, it may be simpler to call in outside help in the form of a specialist caterer. If not, creating the dishes beforehand will ensure you are left ‘relatively’ free to enjoy the party. Create meals which can be easily reheated and served and when guests arrive. A formal event may require a buffet style setup, or for more special events a sit down meal. If the latter, don’t forget to create a simple starter, wholesome main, and delicious dessert!

Choosing your perfect menu can be tricky, depending on the guests you’re expecting, and the type of event you’re holding. Remember to cater for special eating requirements, and it’s always a good idea to have a second option in case guests don’t like your main dishes!

Leeds Seventeen are an award winning restaurant based in Yorkshire, England. As well as hosting weddings and events, they serve delicious English food in their contemporary restaurant. They are currently preparing their Christmas menu. For more information, you can visit them, here: Christmas Party Leeds

Expand Your Culinary Repertoire by Cooking Over Fire Pits

Did you know you can turn your backyard's fire pit into a grill? All you need is an inexpensive grill grate to place over the top of the pit and you'll be ready to grill in style. With their large size, fire pits make great grills. Whether you're grilling up kabobs, hot dogs or steaks, cooking over a fire pit is a great way to enjoy your backyard.

Choose the Right Wood for Fire Pits

Standard grills utilize charcoal for cooking, but when it comes to fire pits, using wood is a very popular method for grilling. This will give your cookout some old-fashioned character, not to mention add delicious flavor to the food.

Experiment with different types of wood, as each will give a different flavor to your food. Whether you choose hickory, maple, oak or another type of wood, you can be certain that any food cooked on a fire pit will be delicious and juicy.

Get Grilling With Your Fire Pit

You can use your fire pit just like you would use any other grill. If you want to start simple, stick with grilling hotdogs. Grill the hotdogs over the fire pit the exact same way you would over a traditional grill. Be sure to rotate the hotdogs with tongs as they grill. If you used wood in your fire pit, you'll be pleased with the unique flavor the wood gives hot dogs. You'll never go back to a traditional grill again!

Once you're comfortable grilling over your fire pit, give yourself a cooking challenge. One of the best aspects of grilling over a fire pit is using wood, which gives the food a distinct, smoky flavor. Think of all the restaurants you've been to that grill their meats over apple wood or some other type of wood. This trend is all the rage right now in the grilling industry, and you can achieve the very same taste with the meats you grill over your fire pit.

Impress Your Friends with Fire Pits

Before you know it, your friends will think of you as a culinary genius after they've sampled the foods cooked on your fire pit. Remember to keep your fire pit clean. Just like with a traditional grill, you need to scrub down your grill grate and clean the ashes out of your fire pit after each use. But the extra work is worth it once you see how great it is to have a fire pit in your backyard.

Not only does a fire pit add a warm quality to your backyard, but it also can make your backyard feel like an outdoor oasis. Add some nice patio furniture and hanging baskets of flowers and you'll be ready to wine and dine your family and friends. Just don't be surprised when they want to come back for dinner every night.

Post by guest blogger Stephanie Kalina-Metzger, a writer who enjoys blogging about fire pits.