House 2 House Catering

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  • Catering at Christmas – how to be Successful

    Christmas is big business in the world of catering. It’s a time known for good food and good drink, when people are willing to spend money to get quality catering for their events. If you are able to provide the right catering options, Christmas can be very profitable for you. Here are some tips:

    • Have a wide selection. People can start to get sick of mince pies, turkey and cranberry sauce very quickly. Give them plenty of choice.
    • That being said, make sure there are some Christmas classics available. You want people to be in the festive spirit and to enjoy all of the food you have provided.
    • Provide plenty of drinks. There should be choices of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Mulled wine is always a good option, as well as celebratory drinks like sparkling wines that are traditionally associated with parties.
    • Offer your clients variety. There is nothing worse than going to a Christmas party that doesn’t cater to common dietary requirements. Make sure you have food for vegetarians, Halal food, and food that doesn’t contain nuts for allergy sufferers. You may want to speak to your clients beforehand to get an idea of numbers.
    • Serve your food in festive ways. A small addition like a sprig of holly can make all the difference.
    • Focus on quality and presentation. Make people feel like they are at a party, and they are more likely to enjoy the food that is served to them. It’s all psychological when it comes to good catering.

    Follow these tips to come up with plenty of festive crowd-pleasing dishes. People will really enjoy the fact that your food is both delicious and well presented – you may even get yourself some repeat business for the following year.

  • How To Choose Marquee Hire For Your Wedding

    If you have access to a large area that is enough to accommodate the wedding tent, then marquee hire Milton Keynes is the best option for your wedding. Although it can add stresses to organise, it gives a great amount of freedom and flexibility to create the wedding of your dream. There are different types of marquees available for hire. The main two types are pole base marquee and frame base marquee. As the name suggest, it takes a different way to create it on the ground. The frame base is the more standard type and often use for the bigger size of the marquee, there are not ropes to trip over in this type.
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  • London’s Night Tube is Set to Help the Catering Industry

    London has now launched an overnight service on its Victoria and Central underground services. The first weekend saw more than 100,000 journeys being completed, so it could prove popular. The hope is that it will also prove popular with the catering industry.

    Before overnight tubes were introduced, people had to rely exclusively on transport like taxis and buses to travel at night. This might cut a night short due to the time taken to get home, or the price of the journey. By giving people more options to stay out later, it’s hoped that this will give restaurants, bars and other entertainment venues a boost.

    The food and drink industries are excited by these changes and hope that it will mean more revenue for them. The industry makes a large percentage of its income during weekends and evenings, so anything that helps people to make the most of eating and drinking at these times is a welcome change.

    It’s also hoped that night tubes will help those working in the catering and events industries. It will give workers more flexible transport options, and provide them with a safe way of travelling home late at night after a shift.

  • Catering for People who are Vegetarian

    People have increasingly specialist diets, and a larger number of people than ever before are now choosing to adopt a vegetarian diet. As a catering professional, you will need to ensure that you can cater for vegetarians effectively.

    It’s always sensible to have vegetarian options when you are catering for a large event. There are likely to be people in attendance who follow a vegetarian diet, but there will also be people who would simply appreciate the variety. Some people may also have allergies and intolerances, or may be trying to stay healthy by eating less meat.

    If you can, try to get an ideas of how many vegetarians you should cater for. This will save you under or over estimating the numbers. However, this might not always be practical and in these situations, it is better to be safe than sorry. Make sure that vegetarian customers have plenty to eat, or you could face complaints. Give them several different options, and try inventive and interesting ideas out. Risottos and stuffed peppers tend to have been very much overdone in restaurants – come up with interesting and unique curries, halloumi or goats cheese-based dishes, and inventive takes on classics to give vegetarian diners choice.

  • Expanding Your Business as an Events Caterer

    If you’re able to cater for events, there are lots of opportunities for you to grow and develop your business. It’s an area where your skills are going to be in demand, and where people will be willing to pay well to get exactly where they want. Here are some of the ways to get the message out about your event catering:

    • Advertise. Create professional artwork and make sure that it is seen by as many people as possible. This could include putting up posters and handing out flyers in relevant places.
    • Collaborate. Work with venues that hold events so that you have advocates for your business. If they’re happy to recommend you, this can really boost your business when people book their venue.
    • Research. A large part of finding new opportunities is knowing how and where to find them. Look for relevant venues and research some trends to see the kinds of people who might want to use your services.
    • Communicate. Build up relationships that are strong and ongoing. Don’t just work for someone once – give them you business card and put in a phone call every once in a while to check whether any more work might be available. Be as personable and friendly as you can be.
    • Upsell. Make sure that you have lots of different menu options and added extras like catering equipment and room decorations. This will make you as versatile as possible.

  • How to Cater for Businesses

    The corporate sector can mean big business for caterers. It’s an environment where lots of people have numerous requirements for food, both on a day-to-day basis as well as for particular events. Here are some of our top tips for making sure you can cater for businesses effectively:

    • Have lots of choice. As a catering professional, you’re probably completely used to catering for events and ensuring there are options for all requirements. This is particularly important for corporations who have clients to impress and staff to keep happy. Cater for all dietary requirements and make it clear that you have different options available.
    • Consider your branding and advertising. Businesses will be more likely to take notice of a company that has a strong brand image.
    • Be professional. Corporations take professionalism seriously. They want to know that you will be able to work with them in a professional capacity. Be self-assured, confident and knowledgeable to make a good impression.
    • Have a catering portfolio. This is something that you can show to bigger clients to demonstrate how capable you are. It will help you to get more catering work by showing what you’re able to do.
    • Listen. Ascertain what the client wants and demonstrate that you’ll be able to provide it. They will appreciate you being adaptable and receptive to their ideas.

  • Making Yourself a Versatile Catering Professional

    Everyone has their favourite dishes which become staples of their catering repertoire. Whilst it’s good to have signature dishes that always go down well, you need to remember that you have to be versatile. Never rest on your laurels with catering – it’s a dangerous move.

    Remember that when you work in the catering industry, your clients are the most important people. You need to be able to tailor your services to meet with what they want. Therefore, it’s important to keep learning so that you can offer them their first choices.

    It’s important to have plenty of choice in order to get business in the first place. If the options you have are too limited, you won’t be able to market your business properly and attract new clients. People will be looking for different types of food and drink which will meet with their own preferences.

    Think about new ways to improve and expand on the services you provide on a regular basis. You might want to create links with other businesses who you can work with to offer different services above and beyond what you alone can provide. You might also want to consider taking a course to learn some new skills.

  • Expanding Your Catering Business

    If you are a professional caterer, it might be time to think about the next step in your career. Whether you work for a company or work alone, it’s all about looking for opportunities to expand your influence.

    Build up a network of contacts. This will open up new business opportunities for you. For example, there might be hotels which require outside caterers, or wedding venues which require extra support at busy times during the year. Even if nothing comes of it immediately, it will be worthwhile to you in the long run. You might even find that other local businesses are willing to advertise for you on their premises.

    Put together a portfolio. It’s important that you can show people what you do and that you have lots of attractive examples on hand. The new contacts which you make will want to see previous work to get an idea of your skills, so make sure that the photographs you use in your portfolio show your work in its best light. It will also help when you have new customers who want to know what you’ll be able to do for them.

    Come up with new, innovative ideas which will help you to make a name for yourself. Think about the area in which you live and what would go down well amongst residents and visitors. For example, do you live near a beach or country park where you might be able to sell bespoke picnic baskets? Are there any stately homes or local cafés where you could sell your products? Is there a shortage of places to eat, leaving a gap for you to open your own? Thinking creatively in the catering business will pay off for you.

  • Getting Your First Job in Catering

    It’s always tough breaking into any industry and catering is no exception. There will be lots of competition and you can expect to find multiple people applying for any one catering job. However, if you’re passionate and dedicated, it’s a rewarding industry to work in. Here are some tips for getting started:

    • Take a course. The easiest way to get into the industry is to have a professional qualification. Many colleges will offer them and it shouldn’t be too difficult to get onto a catering course.
    • Get a job in a kitchen. Employers will value candidates who have a knowledge of food and know how to work under pressure. Even if it’s just pot washing, it’s relevant.
    • Do some work experience. Nothing is more valuable than direct experience and if you can persuade someone to let you shadow them for a couple of weeks, it will look great on your CV and catering job applications.
    • Let you enthusiasm shine! The food industry is one where people are passionate and driven. If you show that you care, you’re far more likely to be successful.
    • Cook for friends and relatives at any given opportunity. Practice really does make perfect and you’ll learn to adapt to various situations.
    • Keep a portfolio of dishes you make. Present your food prettily and take photos to show what you’re capable of.