Party Food

See www.mrfingerfood.com.au or www.fingerfoods.com.au

We all know that great parties don’t just happen without any work? A great event has a lot of forethought by the host and hostess. The trend over the last decade involved formal occasions and celebrations moving away from the traditional sit down meal to a cocktail party.

All cocktail parties vary from elegant formal function (with the little black cocktail dress and black tie for the guys), to a bright and breezy informal affair with entertaining music and mouth watering colourful drinks in the safety of your own backyard! This is what makes cocktail parties so great since they will do for any occasion and allow you to entertain your guests at the same time.

Step one is to decide what type of party it will be. Will it be a special occasion to celebrate a milestone or a get together to celebrate a particular season? Take time to think about what sort of decorations will suit the occasion, what sort of music and lighting will be appropriate and what kind of ambiance you would like to create. Secondly, you will decide the when and where it will take place – whether it be outside on a summers night or inside with luxurious seating! Remember to consider the number of people the venue will hold.

A trick for the ultimate cocktail party and hosting a successful event is being organised. You must start planning early as well as ordering any non perishable items like alcohol. By sorting things out in advance means there is less left to the last minute…….

Now for the FOOD!

The amount of finger food you serve all depend on the event you are hosting. For a cocktail party, finger food will be the focus, so be sure you have plenty to go around!

Some Tips and Shortcuts

Hot or Cold

In my opinion, people prefer hot over cold food at the best of times. I suggest 60/40 in favour of hot food. In the cooler months you may need to add some extra hot food too, a warming soup in little china cups can really hit the spot!.

Don’t attempt to make all the food from scratch. Be kind to yourself and take advantage of some of the good quality finger food, fresh and frozen available in supermarkets and specialty stores. There are some great dips and antipasto items available, these can be included as part of the cold items. Don’t be afraid to have a combination of simple favourites like little pies or pizzas intermingled with the more exotic like rice paper rolls. Remember in a larger crowd tastes can be varied. Don’t forget how important it is to keep tummies full, especially where alcohol is served for obvious reasons!

Cook ahead

Being organised and ahead of yourself means cooking and freezing where you can. Remember though to allow foods to thaw in the refrigerator and not on the kitchen bench.

Get some help!

Don’t attempt to do it all yourself on the night, otherwise you will miss out on all the fun. In fact enlist a mate to help you, or pay someone to take charge of the kitchen on the night. Make a detailed list of all food to be served and accompaniments, the serving platters and the time the food is required. You may also need to consider staff for serving the food as well as someone to man the bar.

Keep Cool

When catering, refrigerator space can be at a premium. The week of the party remove all non essential items from the fridge to allow for an influx of party food. For a larger function consider borrowing a friend’s beer fridge as a back up or maybe even hire a small portable cool room.

Never forget the Food Safety Principles:

For food that is to be served hot, heat the cold food as quickly as possible to 75°C then hold above 60°C. For food to be served cold, ensure the food remains under 5°C.

View www.mrfingerfood.com.au or www.fingerfoods.com.au for some great catering deals for your finger food.

For your drinks, how about checking out ontapbeverage for sorting out the drinks for your event. They offer their services to all areas of Sydney and even offer Bar Hire.

fingerfoods.com.au have added 16 new finger food lines to their menu due to popular demand. These new added lines are specifically designed to please the vegetarians amongst us.

With over 120 items in their range, fingerfoods.com.au allow you can choose from over 120 elegant taste sensations that are certain to make your next function or cocktail party a fantastic success.

Don’t leave it a day later, visit the fingerfood.com.au website or call them on FREECALL 1800 608 186 today!

After 15 years of pleasing Sydney & Melbourne – remember that www.mrfingerfood.com.au caterers for Adelaide and Brisbane.

Mr Finger Food can cater for any small or large catering requirements you may have and they have a large variety of menus which offer customers the option to choose an appropriate mix of cuisine for each occasion. Choose from one of their specially designed packages or create your very own selection.

This website runs through the overall selection of menus available. With each set menu you can add further items from our overall finger food selection or create your own. Once you are ready to order you can then fill in the quote form to obtain some very competitive quotes.

Mr Finger Food offers a variety of value based packages including Finger Food Menu’s priced from $6.75 to $10.75 per person, Working Lunch Options from $9.50 to $13.50 and Boxed Lunches from $11.00 to $15 per person plus GST. Or you may create your own menu from their Finger Food Selection at a price that suits you.

To compliment Mr Finger Food excellent food we also offer three service and delivery options:

• Pick Up – Available from our Sydney or Melbourne Showrooms with food served on quality platters, which are to be returned the next day for a 5% discount on the total account.
• Delivery – We will deliver to your venue and where necessary return to pick up any presentation platters. This option has a flat charge of $40.00. for delivery in the greater metropolitan. Extra Delivery Charges may apply if outside the metropolitan regions.
• Serviced – Fully serviced by uniformed professional staff, this option is available at $40.00 plus GST. for delivery and $30.00 plus GST. per hour-per staff member for a minimum of 4 hours.

Remember they cater for all business functions, weddings, large gourmet corporate functions, a 21st, 50th or even wedding anniversaries…make your celebration a success by booking with Mr Finger Food.