Of course, there are challenges to catering whatever the season or venue. What happens when you drop part of a dish, or the souffle does not rise, the cake sinks in the middle or certain ingredients are inadequate? However, over and above these year-round hiccups which caterers learn to navigate around, there are also specific [...]
Caterers in London
Catering Services in London
There are 100s of caterers in London offering every conceivable type of cuisine and catering services according to your requirements, fancy and budgets.
Whether it is a three star Michelin standard of food required for a fine dining experience or a snack for 10 - 1000, the various professional caterers and catering companies in London can serve them up in any style, shape, taste or size.
However with all these choices on your plate finding and choosing the ideal caterer can sometimes be a daunting and time consuming one. There are various reasons for this, and of the main ones are which venues will allow which caterers and if indeed they will allow an outside caterer in the first place. So why not talk to our Venues & Events Specialists and gain some expert advice and get few recommendations within your budget......
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Catering Services
Cost for Caterers in London
Catering is often sold on a per-person basis, meaning that there is a flat price for each additional person. However, things like lighting and fire permits are not scaled with the guest count, so per-person pricing is not always appropriate. It is necessary to keep the cost of the food and supplies below a price margin in order to make a profit on the catering.
- As many others in the food service industry, caterers and their staff work long hours. It is not uncommon for them to work on holidays or 7 days a week during holiday event seasons.
- A comprehensive, formal full-service catering proposal is likely to include the following elements:
Time-line matters: rental arrival time, staff arrival time, bar open time, meal serve time, bar close time, rental pickup, out-of-venue time. Each of these factors affects the catering price. - General menu considerations: Clients may have specific dietary or religious needs to consider. these include Halal, Kosher, Vegetarian, Vegan and food allergy requests. Increasingly, clients are interested in food sustainability and food safety.
- Staff varies from caterer to caterer, but generally speaking, an event will have a Lead/Captain/Event Manager, a Chef, perhaps a Sous Chef or Kitchen Assistant, Wait staff and Bartenders. The labor on a plated dinner is generally much higher than the labor on a buffet, because a plated dinner involves double the china, and usually a minimum of three served courses, plus served coffee. Simply put, there's a lot more to do. To do it properly requires roughly 10 to 50% more staff. On a large event, this can be substantial, especially if overtime or doubletime applies.
The Event Caterers in London
Catering is the business of providing foodservice at a remote site
When most people refer to a "caterer", they are referring to an event caterer who serves food with waiting staff at dining tables or sets up a self-serve buffet. The food may be prepared on site, i.e., made completely at the event, or the caterer may choose to bring prepared food and put the finishing touches on once it arrives.
- The event caterer staff are not responsible for preparing the food but often help set up the dining area. This service is typically provided at banquets, conventions, and weddings. Any event where all who attend are provided with food and drinks or sometimes only hors d'oeuvres is often called a catered event.
- Many events require working with an entire theme or color scheme. A catering company or specialist is expected to know how to prepare food and to make it attractive. As such, certain catering companies have moved toward a full-service business model commonly associated with event planners. They take charge of not only food preparation but also decorations, such as table settings and lighting.
- The trend is towards satisfying all the clients senses with food as a focal point. With the correct atmosphere, professional event caterers with experience can make an event special and memorable.
- Beautifully prepared food alone can appeal to the senses of taste, smell, and sight - perhaps even touch, but the decorations and ambiance can play a significant part in a successfully catered event.
Catering News
The Do’s and Don’ts of hiring a caterer
Is it your first time hiring a caterer? Or have you done so before and the event didn’t quite go according to plan? Whatever your reasons there are a few things you should consider when choosing your caterer. After all, they all specialise in different areas. So whether it is a corporate function, a Party [...]
The search for the University Caterers Organisation (Tuco)-Knorr Chef of the Year 2010 is officially underway with entries now open. To enter the competition, which is open to all Tuco member universities and colleges, contestants must devise a menu including a soup course, a main course (using a 1kg free-range chicken as the main ingredient) [...]
The 8,000 athletes who would be staying at the Commonwealth Games Village will have an array of cuisines to choose from during the 12-day-long sporting extravaganza that will kick off in Delhi from October 3 next year. The catering division of the Commonwealth Games Organizing Committee (OC) is in the midst of finalising the games [...]
The Natural History Museum has announced its prestigious triennial catering contract is open. Successful suppliers will be added to the Kensington landmarks’ accredited list, which runs from 2010. Some 200 events are catered for every year at the museum. Applicants must have over two years experience catering at London venues and convince the museum that [...]
Restaurant Reviews
Restaurant review: Market Café, London E8
Neighbourhood restaurant Market Café serves the residents of Hackney from early morning right through to supper 2 Broadway Market, London E8 (020 7249 9070). Meal for two, including wine and service, £80 Every restaurant in Hackney serves breakfast. It’s the law. They just have to, because without it the vanguard of our creative industries would [...]
Food allergies: worrying reactions
Eating out can be a nerve-racking experience if you have a food allergy, especially when restaurant staff think they know best Chefs don’t want to poison their patrons, you’d presume. But if you have a food allergy or intolerance, you may be familiar with the game of Spot The Killer Ingredient I play when eating [...]
Restaurant review: New Sum Ye, Birmingham
For gastro-porn Cantonese meats with absolutely no frills, head for Birmingham’s tiny Chinatown Arcadian Centre, 70 Hurst Street, Birmingham (0121 622 1525). Meal for two, including service, £25. Anybody who is at all serious about their lunch will be haunted by the same terror: that however good the food they are eating right now, there [...]
Incanto has the potential to be a really good restaurant. But first the kitchen staff has to learn to calm down 41 High Street, Harrow-on-the-Hill, Middlesex (020 8426 6767). Meal for two, including wine and service, £120 There are great dish ideas. There are bad dish ideas. And then there are some that fall under [...]
The signals sent by signature dishes
Talked-about specialities are often the reason customers visit certain restaurants. Do you feel compelled to try signature dishes? Signature dish. There’s something old-school and stolidly Escoffier about that phrase, suggesting carpeted dining rooms and soaring toques, curly moustaches and copperplate menus. It carries a uniquely cheffy vanity. They are vital to almost every restaurant, and [...]
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