Summer Catering Tips

Regardless of the miserable English weather, summer is indeed upon us and as fun and tasty as a summer BBQ might be, typically they aren’t too practical when it comes to organising a corporate lunch or dinner, so instead follow our tried and tested steps to creating the perfect summer spread!

Colourful dishes – create a more summery and vivid spread with vibrant salads, bright desserts, and colourful platters.

Light bites – if the sun does decide to show up soon the last thing you want to serve your guests is heavy/stodgy food. Instead opt for nice, light dishes like salads, chicken skewers, smoked salmon & cream cheese crackers, mini sandwiches, and bite-sized food (check out the canapé section of your chosen caterer’s menu!)

Sharing style food – we are seeing a bigger trend in relaxed buffet style spreads for corporate events and meetings (rather than individual meals or seated 3-course dinners).

This more casual approach is much more fun and allows attendees to select a few different items from different cuisines and maybe try things that they normally wouldn’t – as they say: “variety is the spice of life!”

Charcuterie-style mezze boards, cheese platters or vegan boards are always a hit.

Our beetroot falafel platter with tzatziki is also always very popular during summer months and perfect for attendees to share!

Sweet treats – don’t forget to feed your guest’s sweet tooth with refreshing fruit salad pots, cake bites, macarons, mini cheesecakes…

Low-carb – during summer months, many people are wanting to watch their calories to slim down for their holiday so including low-carb options within your summer spread is a must. Incorporate salads, fruit & veg into your offering to ensure you have something for everyone.

At R&V we have a full buffet intended for those wanting to be more health conscious – our health-kick buffet includes your choice of 3 sharing salads, tasty chicken skewers with a mint yoghurt dip, a cucumber, carrots & hummus platter, finished off with a mouth-watering fruit salad.

Drinks – keep your attendees hydrated with lots refreshing drinks on offer. There will always be attendees wanting a hot coffee but be sure to include more thirst-quenching drinks too like fresh juice, iced tea, and of course good old H2O!

If you are providing alcohol for your meeting or event, other than the classic beer and wine, some great summer cocktails that your guests will enjoy are mojitos, sangria, mimosas and even frozen cocktails. Including a mocktail too is always a nice touch – use Nosecco instead of prosecco in your mimosas!

If you need any more tips or tricks or would like R&V to cater for your summer meeting or event please get in touch here!