If you have decided to tackle the catering for the party yourself, you are probably wondering what to serve, how much you will need and, more importantly, how much it is all going to cost.

To get you started, below are some menu suggestions for a range of styles from traditional afternoon tea to fashionable bowl food, using dishes from party food ordering services such as Waitrose Entertaining, Banquet in a Box and M&S Food To Order.   These can be ordered in advance to be delivered to you on a specific date or picked up in store.

The approximate cost per person for the pre-prepared food has been included as a guide (from about £3.50/head) - obviously if you choose to make the food yourself, that cost will vary.

For more inspiration or to order online, browse the full ranges using the following links:

• Waitrose Entertaining
• M&S Food To Order
• Banquet in a Box
• Food Full Stop
• Sainsbury Instore Deli Platter service (very limited stores only)

Menus

Canapés
Afternoon Tea
Finger Buffet
Fork Buffet
Bowl Food

Canapés

Canapés are ideal if you are just planning to have a short reception or are limited to space as they are designed to be eaten whilst holding a drink and without the need for plates or cutlery (which also saves on the clearing up for you!).

You can either get someone to circulate with the canapés or let guests help themselves from trays of mixed canapés dotted around the room.  

As a general rule of thumb most caterers suggest about 5 canapés per person for a 1 hour reception, 7 per person for a 2 hour reception and 10-11 per person for 3 hours or more.  Serve the food in batches rather than all at once to avoid everything being eaten in the first half an hour!

Cold Canapés for 24

• Mini Vegetarian Wraps x 2 (36 pieces)
• Bread Canapés (54 pieces)
• Smoked Salmon Canapés (48 pieces)
• Taiko Sushi party pack 'Take' (52 pieces)
• Sandwich Assortment - Mixed (24 pieces)

£5.25 per person from Waitrose Entertaining

NB If sushi isn't your cup of tea, try substituting the Flavoured Roast Chicken Selection instead.

Hot and Cold Canapés for 50

• Mini Galettes (54 pieces)
• Focaccia Fingers x 3 (54 pieces)
• Mini Fishcakes & Salmon en Croûtes
• Seafood Medley Platter x 2 (60 pieces approx)
• Mini Chicken Kebabs (36 pieces)
• Canapé Selection x 2 (120 pieces)

£5.00 per person from Waitrose Entertaining

NB For younger guests with less sophisticated taste, try Waitrose Entertaining Mini Cheeseburgers & Hot Dogs or their Tommy Turtle Roll Platter.

Hot & Cold Luxury Canapés for 20

• 36 Indian Style Chicken Kebabs
• 12 Mini Coquilles St Jacques x 2 packs
• 20 Chicken Saltimbocca with Red Ailoli
• 24 mini Cheese & Tomato Frittatas
• 24 Vegetarian Filo Selection
• 12 King Prawn & Lobster Spoons x 2 packs
• 18 Oak Smoked Salmon Appetisers
• 12 Scallop & Chorizo Potato Rosti x 2 packs
• 24 Mini Smoked Salmon bagels
• 12 Mini Beef Wellingtons x 2 packs

£7.65 per person from M&S Food To Order

Afternoon Tea

The tradition of taking afternoon tea as a light meal is said to have been started by Duchess Anna Maria, wife of the 7th Duke of Bedford in the 1840’s. She felt that it was a long time between luncheon and dinner and that taking tea and delicate sandwiches, cakes and biscuits at 5 o’clock helped to bridge the gap. 

Mix and match china tea sets borrowed from Granny and other friends/relatives for a trendy vintage look.

Afternoon Tea for 30

• Finger Sandwich Assortment x 6
• Lemon Drizzle Cake
• Chocolate Victoria Cake
• Afternoon Tea Biscuits
• Butterfly Fairy Cakes
• Mini Viennese Petit Fours
• Mini Tartlets

Under £5.00 per person from Waitrose Entertaining

Finger Buffet

Designed to be eaten without the need for cutlery, finger buffets are the traditional way of catering for informal parties and are the easiest where there are lots of children involved.  

The price can vary enormously depending on the type of food included.  Our suggested menus range from an economical £3.50 per head for more traditional fare to £16.99 per head for a gourmet banquet.

Finger Buffet for 40

• 36 Mini Chicken Kebabs x 2 packs
• 52 Piece Sushi Party Selection
• 18 Wrap Platter x 2 
• 18 Mini Vegetarian Wraps
• 15 Assorted Rolls x 2
• 50 piece Mini Indian Selection
• 36 Mini Sweet Tartlets x 2
• Fruit Platter

Approx £5.00 per person from Waitrose Entertaining

NB If sushi isn't your cup of tea, try substituting the Flavoured Roast Chicken Selection instead.

Gourmet Buffet

Per person:

• Goats cheese and sunblushed tomato tart x 1
• Hawaiian chicken kebab 30g x 1
• Luxury Smoked Salmon Canapés x 2
• Tortilla bites(Cheesy red pepper & spinach and ricotta) x2
• Spicy Chicken Wings x 3
• Chicken, Cranberry & Chardonnay Pate 70g x 1
• Banqueting Rolls 25g x 2
• Chocolate Temptations x 4

£13.99 per person from Banquet in a Box

Banquet Buffet

Per person:

• Asparagus and Gruyere Tart x 1
• Spicy Chicken Wings - 40g x 3
• Oriental King Prawn wrapped in Filo Pastry - 40g x 2
• Thai Vegetable Spring Roll - 40g x 2
• Luxury Smoked Salmon Canapés- 25g x 2
• Mango and brie pastry parcel 30g x 2
• Chicken Satay  on a stick - 30g x 1
• Salmon Prawn and Champagne roulade - 40g x 1
• Rich Roasted Chicken Drumsticks -  50g x 2
• Tiny treacle tarts x 2

£16.99 per person from Banquet in a Box

Economy Buffet for 60

• Finger Sandwich Assortment x 4
• Wrap Platter x 4
• Mini Quiches
• Vol au Vents
• Mini Indian Selection x 2
• Mini Pork & Mustard Melton Mowbray Pies x 2

Approx £3.50 per person from Waitrose Entertaining

Serve with crisps, crudites and dips and a slice of christening cake or a christening cupcake for dessert.

Fork Buffet

Having a fork buffet gives more scope for adding cold meats, salads and quiches to your lunch.  For a winter reception try adding jacket potatoes cut in half - these can be left in foil in the oven while you are at the church.

Luxury Fork Buffet for 30

• Hand Carved Meat Platter
• Poached & Dressed Salmon Side x 2
• Tomato & Wenslydale Quiche
• Bacon Leek & Stilton Quiche
• Party Pizza Selection Box
• Mozzarella & Sunblush Tomato Salad x 2
• Pesto Pasta with Pine Nuts & Spinach x 2
• Caesar Salad Kit
• Mascarpone & Lemon Cheesecake
• Bagatelle Chocolate Etoile Gateau
• Fruit Platter x 2

Approx £7.80 per person from Waitrose Entertaining

Tip: If you are using disposable plates and forks, ensure that they are robust enough not to collapse in the middle when people try to eat, particularly if you are serving hot food.  You may want to consider using plastic plates instead of paper (available from most party shops) or borrow plastic or melamine picnicware from friends and family.  China crockery can also be hired from local catering equipment hire businesses at surprisingly reasonable rates - from around £1.50 for 10 plates.

Bowl Food

One of the newest trends in catering is bowl food.  As for the fork buffet, the meal is designed to be eaten standing up without the use of a knife, however, serving the food in a bowl allows guests to eat more substantial "main dishes" usually associated with sit down meals.

Perfect for winter receptions where guests can enjoy a substantial and warming meal, bowl food is easy to prepare in advance and heat up on the day, particularly as the choice of dish is usually restricted to one meat and one vegetarian.

For this reason, it is also surprisingly economical as the food is made in large batches with little waste as portion size can also be adjusted to suit your guests' appetites.  As you will see from our suggested menus a substantial main course and dessert can be served for under £5 a head.  See our Bowl Food page for additional suggestions

If you are using caterers they are likely to present the food pre- served in the bowls.  If you are catering yourself, you may want to leave the food in large serving dishes and let guests help themselves.

Under £5.00 per person from Waitrose Entertaining

• Green Thai Chicken Curry
• Thai Fragrant Rice
• Individual Lemon Mousses

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• Pancetta, Parmesan & Spinach Risotto
• Crusty Bread
• Individual Vanilla Creme Brulees

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• Chilli con Carne
• Rice & Potato Wedges
• Individual Chocolate Mousses

£5.00 - £6.00 per person from Waitrose Entertaining

• Beef Carbonnade
• Mashed Potato
• Individual Raspberry Brulee Cheesecakes

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Indian Banquet

• Chicken Tikka Masala
• Chicken Korma
• Bombay Potatoes
• Masala Dal
• Pilau Rice
• Naan breads

Over £6.00 per person from Banquet in a Box

• Lamb Stewpendous
• Long Grain Rice
• Individual Mulled Wine Cheesecakes

Tip: As mentioned above, if you are using disposable bowls, you will need to ensure that they are large enough and robust enough to hold the hot food.  Choose plastic in preference to paper or hire your crockery from a catering equipment hire business (prices from about £1.50 for 10 bowls).