With the festive season around the corner, now is the time to start organising your Christmas corporate event. This is the time of year to let your hair down and enjoy the festivities that Christmas brings. But what kind of food should you serve? Look no further as we give you some great ideas to help you decide. Some people love the traditional Christmas food, but not everyone wants the same old food churned out year after year. We have a few ideas on catering for that all-important Christmas menu, with some winning winter menu combinations with a nod to Christmas. Why not impress your guests with a unique and interesting menu that they will remember?

Drinks

As your guests start to arrive, mulled wine is a great warming drink that will create a festive atmosphere. Cocktails are another classic drink that are a staple drink at events – perhaps a spicy apple fizz, a winter pimms or a cranberry punch? Not everyone wants to wake up with a hangover, so some non-alcoholic alternatives will be much appreciated.

Canapes

Winter food is all about comfort. Winter vegetables are a staple item; some canapes that have gone down well are potato and parsnip latkes with roast beef and horseradish cream. Or perhaps a walnut shortbread with goats’ cheese, roasted butternut squash and a sprinkle of pinenuts? And for vegetarians, a wild mushroom tartlet with parmesan flakes is a sure winner.

Bowls

Bowls are a great way for your guests to socialise whilst trying a range of different food that has been carefully selected to deliver a memorable experience. Some of our favourites at At Home catering are:

• Root vegetable risotto topped with roasted chestnuts
• Navarin of lamb with winter vegetables and celeriac mash
• Pan seared fillet of seabass, saute artichokes, samphire, lemon and chive beurre rouge

Dessert options:

• Winter fruit pavlova
• Marron glace creams with angel hair
• Mincemeat palmiers with vanilla cream and sherry

As you can see, serving some classic wintery foods, without sprinkling everything with cinnamon or serving everything with cranberry sauce, will make your event unforgettable and unique. Why not take it one step further and serve food from around the globe. The main event could be food from different countries; try curries, tagines or paella. This would certainly make a change from a traditional turkey.

How to serve it

The style of catering is an important choice when organising an event. Whether it be a sit-down dinner or buffet style, we can tailor it to meet your needs and ensure that there is something for everyone. We can cater for every dietary requirement whether that be vegan, vegetarian or gluten-free. Rather than serving food to the table, a convenient way to serve the food would be to have a large buffet table spanning the size of the room, where guests can help themselves to the food. You could also have stations with different styles of food; this will create a more social dining experience and offer your guests more variety. This is good if you have many guests, as it allows for less congestion. To enhance your guests experience, one of our chefs can carve the meat in front of the guests. They can then go back for more and this creates a relaxed and informal atmosphere. If you are planning your Christmas corporate event and to learn more about our services or have some ideas of your own, then get in touch with us today to create your perfect corporate event. Call us on 01932 862 026 or email us at parties@athomecatering.co.uk to find out more!