Summer event menu ideas
Whether you’re planning a special birthday party, a christening, or a corporate event this summer, your menu is one of the most important parts of the day. It’s the thing people remember long after the event is over so you need to plan every last detail.
Of course, when planning an event in Britain, the weather makes it extra tricky. Summer here can mean sweltering heat or it can mean a bit muggy with downpours. It can even mean just plain old cold so your menu needs to be versatile enough that people will want to eat it regardless of the temperature.
So, what are your options? We’ve picked out some of our favourites.
The traditional three-course meal
Of course, this doesn’t sound very summery. In Britain, we tend to opt for three courses of stodge teamed up with some roasted meat – definitely more of a winter meal. However, you can put a summertime twist on it and still give your guests a delicious filling menu.
Rather than a soup starter, for instance, offer a leafy green salad with warmed black pudding and a vinaigrette dressing. Instead of a roast dinner as the main course, go for the lighter option of fish with seasonal vegetables. And instead of a heavy, hot dessert such as sticky toffee pudding, opt for a cold dessert of mousse, ice cream or sorbet.
Small plates
Small plates have become a very popular option in the last few years and their Spanish tapas roots make them ideal for summertime events. The best bit about small plates is they get people talking as they share the selection on their table and chat about the different flavours.
For a summer event we’d suggest each table getting several small plates that they can share, including a mix of meat, fish and vegetarian options. Include things like salad, patatas bravas and bread and oil to provide a flavourful backdrop to the main event dishes such as chorizo and garlic prawns.
The buffet
It may seem simplistic, but a buffet is a brilliant summertime menu idea and it doesn’t have to be endless sausage rolls and mini quiches. Offer fun summer-themed choices such as mini fish and chips in cones, tapas dishes and tasty nibbles to tie in with the (hopefully) warm weather and remember that this can be a great option if there will be children present as you can put on a separate kids’ buffet.
And if the weather’s really nice, you can even choose to add a barbeque into the mix and add this to your buffet.
What to remember
The important thing to remember when planning an event menu is to ask guests for any special dietary requirements beforehand and make sure you can cater for them.
And If you need table linens to co-ordinate with your carefully selected menu, take a look at Simply Linens and our event linen hire service. We provide linen to events in London, Essex and across the UK so no matter where you are, contact us to see how we can help.
