When people think of buffets they often think of a long table with plates of sandwiches, cold pastries and greasy chicken legs served at room temperature and this is distinctly unappealing. As with any form of commercial catering buffet food is very easy to get wrong but rather more difficult to get right.
The Old Style
Comedian Peter Kay discussed buffet catering at length during one of his monologues in which he described five different items appearing on the table one after another in succession and taking up a lot of space. Indeed buffets can often seem like a lot of space is taken up by very little in the way of choice or substance.
Thankfully though the times have changed and the expectations of buffet food have succeeded in forcing a great number of caterers to “raise their game” as it were. Diners now expect more choice, more experimentation with food and a wider variety of flavours and fillings than ever before.
The Modern Rules
When it comes to modern catering there are very few actual “rules” and more than ever before caterers and chefs are expected to use their imagination. Whilst there is undoubtedly still a market for sausage rolls and vol-au-vents there is also a huge market for mini fish and chips, hog roasts and hot Chinese and Indian buffets to name but a few. This new style of catering has been helped no end by the innovations in moveable heating sources such as bain-maries and gas lit barbeques.
Caution
The serving of hot and cold food in a buffet, whilst easy and certainly a cheaper option than a full sit down meal is not without its problems. Food Hygiene regulations are very strict about the temperatures at which food must be served and the amount of time it can be left for before serving. It is now essential that anyone preparing a buffet for members of the public has the bare minimum of a Basic Food Hygiene Certificate, that their premises have been thoroughly vetted and that they have Public Liability Insurance
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