Make canapes a great snacking idea for your wedding

A major part of your wedding entails keeping your guests contented throughout the ceremony and the celebration afterwards. Usually, there is a good 2-3 hour difference between the ceremony and the meal. In the interim, you may have thought of serving canapés as an ‘in-between’ snack to satiate the guests’ hunger pangs. However, with canapés selling for as much as £10 to £12 per head, it is no wonder that you may be having second thoughts about making sweet canapés a good snacking option for your wedding.

If you are in the same boat, then read on to know when canapés can be a good idea and when can you give it a miss:

1. Time of the wedding

If your marriage ceremony is scheduled for the afternoon (12 pm - 2 pm), the chances are that the meal and drinks will happen by around 5 pm. It is very likely that your guests may complain of grumbling tummies in between. Here, canapés can be a great snack option to keep them awake and smiling.

If the marriage happens in the morning (9 am – 11 am), there may be chances that by the time you are finished, it will be meal time. In such a case, sweet canapés might not be a good idea, as you will be having a full meal ready by that time. Also since the guests would have had breakfast before coming, they would not complain much. 

2. Duration between the ceremony and the meal

Having pictures and celebration videos will take up a lot of time. Also shuttling between the church and the lunch venue might take up a lot of time. This is when offering sweet canapés to the guests will be a great idea. If you are planning to have a short wedding ceremony (unlikely, considering this is your once-in-a-lifetime event), then you can make do without canapés.

3. Portions of the servings

Remember, the basic objective is to keep the guests content. Hence if you decide to serve canapés, make sure that the portions aren’t miserly, which would backfire on you. 3-5 canapés per head will be a good idea, with a mix of veg and non-veg options. If you opt for a reliable sweet canapé maker in London, and order in bulk, you can get your favourite sweet canapés for much less per head.

If you are still confused about whether to offer canapés or not, then put yourself in the shoes of the guest and think. Will you be prepared to wait for a long time between the church wedding and the wedding breakfast? If your answer is no, then you are right. Sweet canapés will be a great idea as a pre-wedding breakfast snack to keep your guests satisfied. 

Tips for impressing your dinner party guests with your culinary skills

Preparing and cooking food for a dinner party can be stressful even for experienced cooks. Fortunately, there are a few simple tips and tricks to make this much easier while also ensuring that everything you serve is delicious. This should help your dinner party to be a huge success and enjoyable for all.

There are a handful of aspects that go into a fun and memorable dinner party, but none as important as the food. If you can dazzle your guests with an evening filled with delicious dishes, it will send them home happy and leave them talking about your party for weeks to come. There is an expectation that you should cook something special and unique when it comes to hosting a dinner party, which can understandably cause some anxiety and particularly if you are not too experienced in the kitchen. For those wanting to impress their guests but are unsure how here are a few food tips:

Plan your menu in advance

Preparation is the key to success, and you should begin planning your menu from the moment that you know the date of the event. The first step involves identifying who is coming to the party and if anybody has any dietary restrictions. With this knowledge, you can begin selecting suitable dishes that complement each other well.

Keep it relatively simple

You may be tempted to try a fancy dish that you saw on TV, but this is not a great approach. You will need to be confident in the kitchen on the big night, which means that you should know what you are doing. You should either cook a dish that you have plenty of experience in the making or select something new and have a few practice runs before the party.

Online recipes

If you are struggling for inspiration, take a look online for recipes to cook. There are hundreds of fantastic food blogs and websites, many of which have easy to follow tutorials and dishes suitable for different abilities.

Prepare the kitchen

On the day of the big party, ensure that everything will go smoothly by thoroughly cleaning the kitchen and getting out all the pots, pans, utensils and ingredients that you need. If space permits, set up different stations for each dish and prepare as much as you can before the guests arrive.

Dessert delivery

Dessert is often the dish that causes the most stress as people do not regularly prepare it themselves, plus it is also the final dish of the evening and often the one best remembered. Order desserts online from a catering company, and you know that it will both look and taste amazing.

Enlist help

If possible, have somebody to assist by taking dishes to the table, pouring drinks and keeping guests engaged while you are in the kitchen preparing the food.

Dinner parties can be tricky and stressful, but these food related tips should reduce stress and ensure that your guests are sent home happy and content.

The main types of canapés to serve at parties

Canapés are the perfect snack to serve at parties and other social events. There are three main types of canapés to serve, but within each type, there are thousands of variations to serve. This ensures that every guest should be able to find at least one type that they like.

One of the great benefits of serving canapés at any kind of party is the fact that there are so many different types that you could serve. This ensures that every guest should be able to find at least one type that they like, and hopefully they will enjoy a selection. The possibilities are endless as you can change the base, garnish and topping to almost any food type, but here are the main types of canapés that are typically served at parties.

Cold Canapés

Cold canapés are the most common form that is served at social events (this is largely due to the fact that they can sit out for hours at a time). They usually have a garnish and are topped with a cold meat (like salmon) or cheese. The presentation is extremely important with this type.

Hot canapés

Hot canapés are great for buffets and often act the “main course”. Examples include mini burgers, mini Yorkshire puddings, mini quiches and vegetable samosas. When you have these delivered by by the top London canapés caterers, you simply warm them up in the oven before serving.

Sweet canapés

Sweet canapés are usually served towards the end of a party, much like a dessert. They could include macarrons, mini chocolate éclairs and mini lemon tart. Sweet canapés are also ideal for tea parties or coffee breaks in the office.

These are the three main types of canapés, but within each type, there are endless variations and types that you could serve to impress your guests.