At almost any party that you will go to or organize, one of the most important factors in governing how people will remember the event is in terms of the food that is served. Get the menu at a party right, and your guests will finish the night thinking about what a great time they had, but get the menu wrong and the only dish that you will be serving up is disappointment. If the food is not up to scratch, or not suited to the event, then people will not enjoy it, and this as a host is the last thing that you want. When you are planning the menu for an event such as a wedding or any other type of party, one of the most important things to think about is whether your guests will enjoy the meal.

In many cases, and particularly for smaller functions the party venue may well be able to offer catering on an a la carte basis, so that guests will be able to order dinner from a menu, however on the whole you will need to plan a menu in advance that guests will simply have to enjoy – although it is possible to narrow the menu down to a couple of choices and include this selection with the invitation.

There are a number of elements that need to be taken into account when planning a menu for a party. While budget is important, the first thing that you should be thinking about is the style of the event. There is no point in choosing haute cuisine for a relaxed function, and by the same token, a finger buffet is entirely unsuitable for a formal event. Once you have finalized the kind of menu that you are going to serve up at your function, the next stage is to decide exactly what meals you are going to serve.

Traditionally you should offer a choice of either red or white meat – usually beef or chicken, although in many cases seasonal or local meats will replace one or both of these dishes. For a gourmet dinner, you may wish to serve up a slightly more leftfield meat such as kangaroo or ostrich, although such dishes are not for the mainstream event such as a wedding with a large guest list.

Many people choose to have an international theme for their party menu, choosing Indian or Chinese food as the main dishes on the menu. This is an increasingly popular choice, although if you do choose this kind of fare, you should always notify guests in advance, as not everyone enjoys spicy foods, and they may want to order an alternative.

The caterers may well discuss certain issues with you related to the service of the meals, informing you that certain dishes are unsuitable for larger functions due to the complexity of their cooking, and the fact that they could not be served efficiently. Rather than arguing over this, it is wise to concede the point to your caterers, as service is important at a party, and if all the guests are not served their meals at the same time, this can harm the way the meal runs and cause problems with other scheduled events later in the evening.

Tags: Caterers, Catering, events menu, party food