In these financially difficult times, everyone is feeling the pinch. This means that booking, organising, and catering an event can be a daunting prospect, especially when it comes to working out a budget. You’ll want to make sure your guests have a great time, but you’ll also be trying to make your cash go as far as possible, and feeding a large number of people without breaking the bank can feel like a challenge.
That’s why we’ve compiled our best advice on how to cater an event on a budget, to help give you some ideas. Whether you’re organising a wedding reception, birthday party, corporate event, or any other type of get-together, these top tips can help make sure everyone goes home well fed without your wallet begging for mercy.
Serve Pizza
Pizza is the perfect choice, as it manages to occupy the cheaper end of the catering scale, while at the same time being universally popular. It’s fast, delicious, and appeals to both vegetarians and carnivores alike, so you won’t need to worry about devising an expansive menu to please all dietary tastes. What’s more, pizza is a hearty meal that will easily fill people up, so you can be sure of satisfied guests, while you enjoy the benefits of a cheaper catering bill.
Pizza catering services are available from Hot Stones Pizzas.
BYOB
Book a venue that allows self-catering rather than an onsite bar, and shop for you own beer and wine in advance. Supermarkets regularly host an impressive selection of wines, and well as the same beer selection you’d find at a bar, so you can offer your guests great drinks at a fraction of the cost.
Be Your Own Chef
Instead of booking a full catering crew for your next event, why not hire catering equipment and wear the chef’s hat for the day. You may not be a culinary whizz, but if you go down the BBQ route, you can be sure of delicious food that’s easily to cook, and will go down a storm. For the added wow-factor, you could even hire a hog-roast oven and treat your guests to a medieval style banquet. Ovens are generally simple to operate, and your chef role will both impress everyone in attendance, as well as providing a great conversation topic.
Book a Package Deal
Event catering includes more than just the food itself. You’ll also need to think about place settings; plates, cutlery, napkins, glassware, table decorations, and possibly even a shelter such as a gazebo if you’re outside. Purchasing all items separately can generally start to ramp up your costs, however if you source a catering company which offers a full package deal, you can generally save yourself stress, hassle and money by booking everything in one go.
Go ‘Off-Peak’
As with all social activities, event planning has different costs depending on when you want to have your gathering. Weekends, public or school holidays, and the summer months are generally the most expensive times to host an event, so have a think about whether you’d be happy to stage your gathering on a weekday or during the ‘off-season’. This can save you money on the venue which can then go towards other aspects such as catering, and help keep your budget on track.
If you’re looking to cater an event on a budget, be sure to contact The Roasting Pig. From pizza menus, to package deals, to equipment hire, we’re ready to work within your requirements to help your cash go as far as possible, and keep your guests well-fed and happy. Contact us today for more information to see how we can help.
Related: hog roast catering in Northamptonshire.