Introduction
Working with your chosen venue
Hosting at home
How do I choose caterers?
Cost
Finally

Introduction

If hiring caterers for your christening or naming ceremony reception seems a bit daunting then don’t worry - with over 15 years of experience, Westminster trained chef Adrian Collischon, founder of Simply Fine Foods, is well qualified to tell us what to expect.

“Our clients tend to be fairly evenly split between those having their christening reception in a venue and those hosting the party at home. We find that buffets and barbecues are the most popular choice as it creates a more informal feel to the event whilst giving guests a wide variety of food at a more affordable price.

Working with your chosen venue

A good caterer should be able to work with you in advance to plan your menu and event in detail. From then on they should be able to work hand-in-hand with your chosen venue, leaving you free to relax and spend time with your guests on the day. In our experience we have found that our clients have had a really enjoyable day without having to worry about anything knowing every last detail has been covered.

Hosting at home

If you are hosting your reception at home, many caterers offer a full delivery service where they will bring your chosen food and drink to your home along with all the equipment you will need to serve it to your guests. 

If you would rather spend more time mingling then serving then most caterers will provide staff to serve the food and drinks and (here’s the best bit) we will clear up afterwards, leaving your kitchen spotless.

Hire of crockery, cutlery and glasses can usually be arranged through your caterers and some can recommend suppliers to provide finishing touches for your reception. For example, over the years Simply Fine Foods has forged relationships with some fantastic companies and can arrange floral decorations, celebration cakes and even ice sculptures to compliment your food and drink

How do I choose caterers?

Talk to the caterers about the type of food that you want, a rough idea of the number of people and the date that you have in mind. If you are having the reception in a venue, ask the caterers if they have worked with that venue before. Get a range of price estimates per head and ask them to send you sample menus at those prices. Don’t forget to establish what is included in the price and whether there are extra charges for equipment, staff, table linen etc.

Get a feel for the caterers’ experience of the type of food and size of reception you are planning by asking about past customers – a caterer whose business is corporate entertaining may not be suitable for a finger buffet for 20 guests; similarly a smaller business may not have the facilities or staff to cater for a lunch for 100 guests.

Ultimately a catering business is built on what its customers say about it so take a look at their website for testimonials or quotes from clients – if they don’t have a website, ask for references.

If you get a chance try and have one of your meetings at the caterers, you will then get a better feel of how they operate and that they are professional caterers.

Cost

Obviously prices will range from company to company and should be based on the quality and complexity of the food as well as the service you are getting. As an example, our menu prices range from £10 per head for a buffet, £15/head for a BBQ and from £20/head for a sit down meal plus any extras you may need such as equipment and staff.

Finally

Any good caterer will offer free tastings for most serious clients, which is always a good way of trying before you buy and seeing how food is presented and more importantly taste. This is also normally the best time to visit their premises.