For this party of 35 office workers, we provided a range of small bowl dishes – all chosen by our client after discussions with me – and I took along professional waiters to serve the food and make sure the evening ran smoothly.

I always start discussions with questions about food allergies and intolerances. It’s quite common to have requests for gluten-free and vegan options, which we can always provide. However, on this occasion everyone seemed to be able to eat everything!

It’s good to have a mix of dishes for people to try, and each bowl of food has to be easy to eat standing up at an event like this one. In the end, the client chose six savoury and four sweet dishes:

Sole Goujons with Pea and Mint Purée, French Fries, and Tartare Sauce.
Chicken Thighs with Ginger, Chilli and Tamarind Sambal and a Mint, Coriander and Lime Salad.
Coconut, Ginger and Prawn Curry with Basmati Rice and Naan Bread.
Spinach, Courgette and Lemon Cakes with Tomato, Basil and Onion Salad and Minted Yogurt.
Boeuf Bourguignon with Horseradish Mashed Potato.
Minced Lamb Samosa with Pea and Potato Curry and Mango Chutney.

Sticky Toffee Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce.
Chocolate Profiteroles with Chantilly Cream.
Tiramisu Pots.
Crème Brûlée.

Everyone loved the food, and there was enough that they could all try each dish at least once, with many coming back for seconds of their favourites.