The approaching holiday season means a new round of parties that need planning. When it comes to planning an attention-grabbing menu, party planners have no shortage of choice. If you’re in charge of the menu for this year’s holiday party, consider one of the seven catering trends below.
1. Seasonal Cocktails and Apps
It’s a holiday party, so make the season the menu’s main feature. Offer cocktails with a seasonal twist and eggnog options for the traditionalists. Appetizers can incorporate flavours of the season such as bacon-wrapped dates with maple glaze. This extra touch brings the whole party together, sets the mood of the season, and puts everyone in the holiday spirit.
2. Specialty Dessert Stations
With so many trendy and delicious dessert options out there, it’s easy to present your guests with a variety of sweet treats to choose from. It could be a roaming dessert cart filled with torts, squares, and slices of cake, or it could be a fully separate table loaded with goodies. Offer mini desserts served in shot glasses for guests to experience a bit of everything.
Take the snack route and dish out gourmet cookies and doughnuts in classic and fun flavours. As pastries are constantly changing in the culinary landscape, showcasing a little variety at dessert is sure to satisfy anyone’s sweet tooth.
3. Leaner Entrees
People are increasingly concerned about what the food they’re eating and extra mindful of what they put in their bodies. Instead of offering the traditional heavy entrées, opt for lighter choices that are just as flavourful.
Lean chicken and fish options provide plenty of taste, and they can be prepared in new and innovative ways, creating a wow factor for classic proteins. Talk to your caterer about how to spice up chicken or grill fish in a way that’s delicious and healthy.
4. Local Fare
Sourcing local ingredients for the menu provides exceptional taste and fresh quality, and it supports the local community. When compared to frozen, fresh food brought in from nearby is an unbeatable option with full guarantee that your guests are served high-quality food.
In addition to health, more people like to know where their food comes from. Consumers crave fresh and sustainable meats, produce, and cheeses, so ask the caterers about where they source their food and whether they can keep everything as close to the farm or market as possible.
5. An Oyster Bar
Nothing adds a little class to a holiday party like an oyster bar. Oyster shucking isn’t just fun—it brings people together. Oysters are one of those long-standing traditionally classy items served at parties. If your guests have never had them before, now’s their chance to try.
6. Traditional Glassware
Whether you’re serving traditional drinks or spiced-up cocktails, think about how these drinks are often presented. A major part of any dinner or cocktail hour is the presentation of food and drinks, so serve drinks in the glassware they’re meant to be in. Bubbly champagne deserves to be served in a flute, while Old Fashioneds are served in crystal cut glasses, and Moscow Mules come in gleaming copper mugs. This extra touch adds some flair for a look that’s classy and timeless.
7. Heirloom Vegetables
Heirloom foods are making more frequent appearances on today’s menus. It may sound like a fancy term, but it actually just boils down to the way plants are grown. Heirloom describes a type of vegetable seed saved and grown for a number of years, then passed down by the gardener that preserved it. The seed is grown through a process of open pollination.
Potatoes, beets, and tomatoes are just a few examples of heirloom vegetables that can be easily incorporated in any meal. Heirloom provides exceptional taste and flavour, bringing the garden to table trend to the menu in a new way.
