Head Chef at Camm & Hooper, Ronnie Murray, offers his top tips on how to cater for a large event.
Running the perfect event isn’t all about finding a venue that ticks all the right boxes. Of course, it’s important that the venue inspires, energises and provides an unforgettable experience for your Guests but there’s plenty more to consider before the big day.
One of the biggest hurdles to overcome is catering. Getting the catering right at your event is a big step towards ensuring the whole event runs smoothly from start to finish. But there are so many things to consider such as what, how and when to serve food and of course the dietary requirements of all your Guests.
At Camm & Hooper, they know just what it takes to cater for any event. From summer soirées to Christmas parties and from conferences to exhibitions, no occasion is too big or too small for them to provide the perfect catering.
For all those events – and more – there is no venue more unique, more versatile and more awe-inspiring than Banking Hall. Situated in the heart of the city, Banking Hall is best suited to corporate events, dinners, conferences and exhibitions with capacity for anything between 50 and 800 Guests. For Christmas parties, the venue is a superb option. The dedicated events team pride themselves on providing the best quality service and are on hand to create bespoke menus and adjusting the event packages to suit all your needs.
Catering across all Camm & Hooper venues is headed up by Ronnie Murray – who previously spent seven years as group head chef of HIX Restaurants – and his team of 20 chefs.
With corporate bookers across the UK turning their attention to finding the perfect setting for their 2019 Christmas party, we spoke to Ronnie to find out his top tips for catering a large event.
1. Dietaries – don’t get too hung up on them
“They’re important, of course, because you have to be able to cater for everyone who attends.
“However, it is also easy to get into a position where one guest’s dietaries dictate the catering for the whole event. You must make sure you are catering for the majority and not the minority.”
2. Less is more
“In every area of the event, whether it’s food, drink, AV or theming, don’t over complicate things.
“It’s easy to fall into the trap of trying to outdo last year’s event or your competition but that’s a dangerous place to be. For example – if you’re decorating a Christmas tree, what looks better? A few hand selected, beautiful decorations or loads and loads of cheaper decorations?”
3. Too many cooks…
“Don’t have too many people involved in the decision making processes. The more people that are involved the more opinions you have to juggle.
“That means it will inevitably take longer to make decisions and that isn’t fun for anyone involved.”
4. Be flexible
“Play around with your menus. Wow your Guests at the canape reception when less alcohol has been consumed and then go for a cheaper dessert when people are less bothered about it in the evening.”
So, there you have it, four simple rules to follow when planning catering for your next event. If you’re planning your next Christmas party in the capital, look no further than Banking Hall, a spectacular Space which will deliver an unforgettable occasion.
