Party - Brakes

Planning a party
or celebration?
Our simple guide provides tips and
advice to help you cater for different
budgets, tastes and events, as well as
practical ideas to ensure every event
is a real crowd pleaser.
What type of menu will work best?
There are many factors that impact on the choice of menu
– the space, type of event, speed of service, budget,
logistics, equipment and staffing available. For most
parties and events, a buffet would probably be the norm
with exceptions being canapé receptions or more formal
sit-down/served meals.
Finger or fork food?
Finger buffets perhaps offer the greatest flexibility
because the food items and equipment needed are
that much simpler. In some situations, it may even be
Cooking guide
Brakes has food options to suit all types of event,
skill level and equipment available – from quality
ingredients to prepare your own dishes to delicious,
ready-prepared items to simply Thaw & Serve or
Heat & Eat. All our products are clearly marked with
symbols that determine cooking method, serving
temperature and any relevant ingredient information.
So choosing appropriate items is simple, allowing
you to adjust your event offering to suit your own
unique situation.
d
Thaw &
Serve
H&E
Heat &
Eat
Serve hot
or cold
e
Oven
cook
f
Grill
g
Deep
fry
h
Pan
fry
Hints & tips
j
Microwave
k
Boil in
bag
appropriate to use good quality disposables. A buffet
table needs to be carefully managed and extra staff may
be required to ensure dishes are topped up and replaced
regularly. As a rough guide, have one buffet station for
every forty to fifty guests.
Fork buffets allow great flexibility with your choice of
dishes. A hot fork buffet with a couple of main course
choices, one vegetable option and one potato/rice/pasta
option can also be simpler for a kitchen to produce than an
extensive finger buffet, although food cost may be slightly
higher. Remember, if it’s a fork buffet, and especially a
stand-up buffet, everything must be prepared so that it can
be eaten without the need to cut food.
More useful hints and tips
We have lots more helpful information to help you
maximise the potential of events and celebrations.
Whether it’s advice on planning the perfect buffet, tips
for adding value to make your occasion more memorable,
suggestions on controlling costs or marketing ideas for
your event menus to increase bookings; you’ll find it at
brake.co.uk/party.
Menu balance
Food choices
Preparation space, staffing and the equipment available
are big issues to think through when planning events.
Whatever the situation at your venue, Brakes has a
wide range of solutions for caterers to choose from.
Convenience may be a priority if you have large
numbers to cater for and/or limited preparation and
cooking facilities available. Brakes Thaw & Serve and
Ready to Serve options are ideal in these situations.
Delicious buffet items can very quickly be thawed,
presented garnished on flatware and served to guests.
If time and staffing are a challenge, Brakes Heat & Eat
range will be perfect for you. Depending on the cooking
equipment you have available, you can buy tasty ready
prepared food from Brakes that simply needs to be
finished in the oven, microwave, fryer, sauté pan or grill.
For larger events, prepare as much as possible in advance
to save time on the day but also consider your food
storage facilities like refrigeration and freezer space.
Take a look at our Platter suggestions on pages 40-41
and our Mixed Packs on page 15 for inspiration. They
save freezer space and offer a choice of flavours and
textures. If you use our lidded buffet trays preparation
can be done in advance saving even more time.
A tasty range of food is essential but it’s not just about
balancing the flavours. It’s also important to look
at the colours of the food you are serving. Using all
baked or fried foods will create a very brown buffet.
Add colour with fresh garnishes or centrepieces for
BALANCE OF BITES
meat &
poultry
platters, and texture by using different preparation
styles – for example, open sandwiches and tartlets.
A good mix of meat, fish and vegetarian dishes, fresh fruit
and accompaniments (using seasonal wherever possible)
guarantees an appealing menu for every customer.
fish vegetarian desserts extras
total bites
per person
Drinks party (short) 2 1 2 - - 5
Drinks party (medium) 3 3 3 1 - 10
Drinks party (meal replacement) 4 4 4 2 2 16
Children’s party 2 1 2 - 4 9
Working lunch 2 2 2 1 2 9
Afternoon tea 1 1 1 2 2 7
Family lunch 2 2 2 2 4 12
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