Catering Trends 2017

When it comes to catering for business meetings and events, choices these days are endless. Though as a rule, we'd recommend that your choice of catering should reflect the format of your event. The main focus should be to ensure your delegates are comfortable, with enough time to refocus during breakout periods, and enough choice to feel their needs have been well considered.

So, what's hot on the menu when it comes to event catering for the year ahead? We take a look...

Relaxed Dining

Relaxed dining is on the increase, thanks to the increased popularity of grazing plates & street style cooking. A more sociable option than a formal sit-down lunch, graze dining is a great option for events that hope to encourage networking during breaks. It's about great food, on the go, and it makes the atmosphere much more relaxed for time-pressed delegates.

Experiential Dining

Another favourite focussed on making food fun, this relaxed approach to delegate dining allows guests to 'build their own'. Think salad buffets full of fresh seasonal produce, build your own burger stations and big pots of chocolate waiting to be dipped with something delicious.

Healthy Eating

Healthier lifestyles and diet choices needn't suffer due to a working lunch. Event planners are now much more aware of their guests preferences towards fresh, wholesome foods. Because nothing brings on an afternoon slump like a carb-laden lunch!

Bowl Foods

Convenient, easy to eat and packed with flavour to keep your guests satisfied, bowl foods took the events sector by storm last year, thanks to the vast variety of options. From warming winter stews to vibrant seasonal salads, rich risottos and roast vegetable medleys, bowl foods are the equivalent of a plated lunch you can eat standing up. A great option for a networking lunch!

Old Classics, Done Well

No matter what the latest trend, classic, hearty lunches will never be off the menu when it comes to event catering. Homemade pies, juicy steaks or fresh fish and chunky chips... comfort foods bring on that hug many of us look forward to part way through the day. Though event planners have an increasingly keener eye for quality and excellence. Whether you're treating delegates to a three course lunch or a plentiful buffet, the options can be as simple, though the execution must be exceptional.