I recently found out that some companies outsource their lunch meals to companies. They do not work on the premises, but prepare the meal off site and come into business to serve lunch to the employees. It is an idea that has been brewing for a long time, especially in the modern recession hit era. Companies have let their catering departments go; the cost of buying in, stocking and preparing food, in addition to paying the wages of the dedicated catering team, have meant that companies have decided to look for other solutions.

One such solution is that companies are hiring in outside firms to bring food into work for them. They prepare the food off site before sending it over to be reheated and served on company premises. This happens in my work place, too, even though we have a catering department, a canteen and staff to prepare it. Despite it being a cost saving measure it has meant companies are spending more bringing the food in.

It turns that everything goes through fashions and trends. Clothes, hairstyles, music and, which I didn’t know about, big events. I was talking to my friends, who are a little older than I am, about marriage. Two are recently engaged and have set a date and were discussing what kind of things they might have at the party. “What about a Hog Roast?” I suggested. I was simply met with blank stares and vacant faces. “That’s so last year” they said.
I had no idea. I simply thought that food was timeless; that a hog roast was the kind of thing that an event would need as its catering solution. It turns out, however, that the catering, like the wedding itself, needs to be unique. People get wind of these trends and feel the need to get in and capitlise while they can before, like I suggested, the trend becomes old hat overnight.

Everyone’s least favourite day of the year is fast approaching. “But I love Valentine’s Day,” I hear you cry, “I can show my partner how much they mean to me!” First of all that is something you should be doing every day anyway instead of getting ripped off once a year if ever buy anything red. One of the biggest areas of disappointment on Valentine’s Day is routinely trying to plan and book a restaurant for some “romantic” meal.

What you could always do is try and cater a meal yourself; it saves you a lot of money and stress from your partner asking you about getting married and moving in together. Instead you have the joy of preparing the meal yourself. Pick what you know your partner likes and give that extra loving touch; a little surprise, maybe a treat, or maybe just a takeaway and a film on the television.

There are some events in life that require that extra amount of planning and effort. Birthdays and particularly wedding days are often cited as the most expensive events across someone’s life. For those planning a wedding day in particular one of the most expensive, and most particular requirements, is that of the post wedding reception. Renting of space, sorting out guests and numbers, booking live music and, perhaps most importantly, acquiring catering for the whole event. Thankfully there are a lot of options for you and your big day.

Many people will opt to cater themselves, especially if their wedding reception numbers are much smaller, or perhaps using a family friend to assist them in the preparation. Many people, though, opt to go for a professional service – despite it often being enormously expensive. Many caterers will use their own equipment, especially if the venue you have rented doesn’t have kitchens. Some caterers won’t have their own equipment at all, relying on you to rent it from specific catering equipment companies.

Wedding catering is a big task, and wedding dinners do not often go unforgotten. This means there’s a great deal of pressure on the catering company to make sure the food is prepared and made quickly, and then dished out quickly too, so no guest is left to wait for their meal.

It’s important that every table eats at the same time, and several delays can lead to bigger issues, such as delayed speeches, entertainment and dances. Depending on the type of food served and the number of guests, large catering teams may be needed.

Buffet style dinners are a lot easier to manage, and it tends to be a case of just making sure there is food always at the ready. Hog roast buffets are very popular, while traditionally served meals can take more time to prepare.

As a caterer, you also have to make sure you can provide for vegetarians, vegans and coeliacs among others. There’s no doubt that catering is a big job, but the hardest part is handling the pressure.