Subtleties of organizing a wedding buffet: from menu to entertainment

Reason to organize a buffet

There are a lot of reasons for holding a buffet. If you organize it together with colleagues for some holiday, that’s one thing, but for your birthday, that’s completely different. Here you have to rack your brains about how to surprise your colleagues and feed them well.

First, you should remember the rules for this event. A buffet is when there is not enough space to receive guests, so food is eaten while standing. This event is more suitable for friendly communication than for fun with dancing and competitions.

In this case, guests independently choose food and drinks from the common table. The menu for this event must be thought out so that everything on the table can be conveniently picked up with your hands or a fork.

The buffet usually lasts no more than 2 hours. It is important to time the number of snacks so that there is enough for everyone to eat. On average, 1 person has 400-500 g of various snacks and 0.5 liters of drinks. If alcohol can be served, then the calculation is made based on the preferences of the team.

Organizers are invited to host a large event, and you can organize a light feast yourself by preparing the dishes yourself.

Types of buffet.

1. Cocktail - Finger food or buffet served by waiters. The advantage of a buffet is that the food is served by waiters and the guests do not have plates or cutlery. All servings are “one bite”
2. Buffet with full waiter service. Guests themselves or with the help of waiters put exactly those dishes on their plate and as much as they want. They eat at cocktail tables.
3. Buffet buffet or distribution. The advantage for guests is the interactive element, because complex hot and sweet dishes are served to them by chefs behind the counter.

Based on the types of buffet, make a choice.

Classic reception rules

Indeed, for a buffet table there are generally accepted and firmly established rules:

• Each table should be 90-100 cm high.
• They should have elegant tablecloths and buffet “skirts”.
• Decorations include a flower arrangement.

The order of dishes and drinks on the table

• Usually, plates are placed at one end of the table; hot and cold appetizers, salads, bread, cutlery, napkins, and drinks poured into glasses or glasses are placed in turn along the perimeter.
• Dessert is placed in the center of the table. Each dish is served with those utensils with which the guest can transfer the contents of the common dish onto his plate.
• Stacks of clean plates (6-10 pieces each), cutlery, and napkins should also be available.

Organizing a buffet at work requires the minimum that is available in the office. Usually several free tables are connected and covered with a tablecloth or oilcloth. A napkin is placed under each plate.

Basic rules for organizing a buffet in the office

If you want to organize a corporate buffet in your office, you will have to think not only about the food, but also about the space for the party, furniture, and the comfort of the guests. Here are a few key points to consider when preparing.

Format and room requirements

You can hold a buffet reception in the office in two formats: with the preparation of hot dishes or only with cold appetizers. If hot dishes and side dishes are prepared on site, additional space will have to be allocated for this.

“When organizing a buffet table in the office and inviting a catering service, you must provide a separate area for the so-called “back” - a place where kitchen workers and waiters can sit, says Sergey. “The size of such a room is discussed with banquet managers: they will help you choose the right space depending on the scale of the holiday.” In order not to damage the coating and furniture, the back rooms are covered with film.

Another important nuance is electricity. To prepare for large events, several pieces of hot food preparation equipment may be used. “The required voltage should not overload the office power grid and knock out traffic jams, so a detailed technical specification is prescribed for each project,” explains Sergey. — Sometimes electricians have to install a separate power line to connect kitchen equipment. But such stories are typical only for large companies and offices where the number of guests exceeds 150 people.”

If you don’t have space for chefs to work or you don’t want to deal with additional complications, you can always choose a simpler and more economical option for a light buffet at work - ordering ready-made snacks from the catering catalog.

“When organizing a festive table, do not forget about the smells. As meals are prepared on site or simply reheated, mouth-watering aromas will spread throughout the office. If you share a space with other companies, odors can reach your neighbors. Not everyone likes the aroma of food in the workplace,” the general director of Muscat Catering shares his experience.

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Necessary furniture

According to the expert, the set of furniture for a buffet table in an office is standard:

• buffet tables where treats will be placed;
• cocktail tables for guests to sit at.

The number of buffet tables should be calculated based on the amount of food and drinks and arranged so that guests do not create queues. It’s more difficult with cocktail tables: their number is most often limited by free space. One such table is designed for 4-5 guests, but in fact they have to accommodate up to 7-10 people.

“Catering companies prefer to work with their own furniture. It is easy to install, textiles are specially made for it,” explains Sergei Polyakov. “But there are situations when we are forced to use the client’s desks because there may not be physically enough space in the office for additional furniture.”

Buffet menu for a holiday in the office

For a corporate buffet, Sergey recommends choosing portioned salads and hot dishes, canapes, tartlets and any mini-snacks that are convenient to eat in one, maximum two bites.

The choice of dishes also depends on the budget. But most often the standard set consists of:

• 5-8 types of beautiful and bright canapés;
• 4-6 types of more filling snacks (for example, mini sandwiches and mini croissants);
• 3-4 types of salads;
• 4-5 types of hot and side dishes;
• 2-3 types of desserts.

But other options are possible: some companies limit themselves to pies and sandwiches, others offer guests a full range of canapés, ordering 15-20 pieces per person.

“In our opinion, the choice of treats should be balanced,” says Sergei. “Small canapés are just table decoration, and it’s better to feed guests with more substantial dishes.”

First, treats are placed on the buffet table, which do not lose their appearance and taste when exposed to room temperature. Appetizers with butter, caviar, and mayonnaise are best placed on the table last.

Beverages

This point is most individual for each team. Some people want to organize an inexpensive buffet and buy drinks themselves, while others order them along with other dishes from a caterer.

If the office does not have a kitchen. What to cook?

Most often there is no kitchen at work. How to organize a holiday without a kitchen? For a communal buffet, the preparations need to be made at home, but at work they can simply be assembled according to recipes.

Ham rolls

You will need this recipe: bring boiled eggs, chop them, grate the cheese. Place the filling on layers of ham and roll into rolls.

Caesar on skewers

You can surprise your colleagues with Caesar salad on skewers.

Ingredients:

• 100 g dried wheat bread
• garlic clove, olive oil, dill
• 200 g boiled chicken breast fillet
• 30 g Parmesan cheese
• 150 g romaine lettuce
• 100 g cherry tomatoes
• salt pepper

For the sauce

• 2-3 tbsp. l. olive oil
• 70 g mayonnaise
• 70 g natural yoghurt
• 5-7 capers
• 10 g mustard
• 10 g parmesan
• 20 g anchovies

Preparation:

1. Rub the bread with garlic and drizzle with olive oil. At home, fry in a dry, heated frying pan for a minute on each side.
2. Sprinkle with finely chopped dill.
3. Cut the chicken fillet into 1.5 x 1.5 cm cubes. Lettuce leaves into long strips. Grate the cheese.
4. Whip the ingredients for the sauce in a blender.
5. Thread tomato, lettuce, chicken fillet square, bread square, lettuce, chicken, tomato onto skewers. Place skewers on a plate and drizzle with dressing.

Cheese balls

Originally made cheese balls are very similar to candy. When you offer them to your colleagues, they will refuse because they haven’t gotten around to candy yet.

And when they try the “candy”, they will be very surprised. This dish can be prepared at home and immediately put in the refrigerator at work. If there are no cheeses listed, then you can take others.

Ingredients

• 100 g blue cheese
• 200 g soft goat cheese
• 200 g soft cream cheese
• 150 g Parmesan cheese
• 100 g roasted hazelnuts.

Preparation:

1. In a bowl, mash the blue cheese with a fork, add soft goat cheese and cream cheese, mix until smooth.
2. Grate hard cheese and place on a flat plate.
3. With wet hands, take 1 tbsp. l. soft cheese mass, roll into a ball, make a hole with your finger, put a nut in it. Close the hole and roll into a tight ball.
4. Roll the ball in grated cheese.

Salad with nuts

Prepare a light salad from a jar of red beans, finely chopped dill and walnuts. The number of ingredients is arbitrary. You can season with mayonnaise or olive oil.

Chop the nuts at home, and mix with beans and dill at work. The salad is ready!

The sandwich will taste better if...

... if you grease the bread with mustard oil (for 200 g of softened butter - 1 tablespoon of ready-made mustard from a jar) ... prepare the cheese cream (in a blender, beat 150 g of hard cheese, 150 soft cream cheese, 2 cloves of garlic and several sprigs of herbs, 1 /2 cups cream 20-22%) ... put a piece of sausage or boiled pork on tartar sauce (add 30 g of finely chopped pickled cucumbers, 1 tablespoon each of chopped capers and green onions to 150 grams of mayonnaise, cool for 30 minutes, pour in 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste).
As a rule, more than one person prepares a buffet at work, so you can distribute in advance among colleagues who can do what at home in advance. Approximate design of sandwiches in the picture:

sandwich meat yourself. Believe me, your colleagues will highly appreciate a natural homemade product, it just takes a little effort! The meat is easy to prepare - HERE is my detailed recipe for boiled pork in pictures.

Buffet on March 8

Women's Day March 8th is celebrated in every team. Even the bosses are not averse to attending such a celebration. The first thing that comes to mind is to prepare more canapés. Indeed, this is the simplest dish. And there are so many canapé recipes that there will be enough for all events of the year.

Let's try to find simple and tasty canapés that the whole team will like. Don't forget to prepare the skewers. The products presented make 4-6 servings.

The simplest, but very original appetizer is herring with potatoes:

Ingredients:

• Rye bread – 300 g
• Herring – 300 g
• Cream cheese - 200 g
• Potatoes - 200 g
• Kiwi - 3 pcs.
• Herbs, spices

How to cook

1. Cut the bread into small squares and dry in the oven.
2. Spread each slice with cream cheese.
3. Boil the potatoes and make a puree. Salt, pepper, spread on top of the cheese or mix two ingredients at once.
4. Cut the peeled kiwi into slices and place on top.
5. Place the herring on top of the kiwi and sprinkle with herbs.

Conqueror of hearts - canapes with olives

Ingredients:

• Hard cheese – 200 g
• Lemon – 150 g
• Marmalade – 100 g
• Olives - 100 g

How to cook

1. Cut the cheese into equal squares. Thread onto skewers.
2. Cut the lemon into small pieces, squeeze lightly. Skewer on top of cheese.
3. Place pieces of colored marmalade on top of the lemon.
4. Olives complete the pyramid.

Birthday cake

Everyone loves pies, even those who are on a diet. To avoid fiddling with the dough, you can buy ready-made squares of frozen dough. For one square you will need 3 fresh apples, 3/4 cups of sugar, 30 g of butter.

How to bake:

• Defrost the dough
• Sprinkle the silicone mold with sugar.
• Arrange the chopped apples, sprinkle with sugar again, and add another layer of apples.
• Place pieces of butter on top.
• Cover with defrosted dough, press the edges tightly, brush the top with sweet water for a beautiful crust.
• Place in preheated oven for 35 minutes. Monitor cooking periodically.
• Turn apples upside down.

Popular snacks

The buffet menu is by no means monotonous, as many people think. It can consist of snacks from different cuisines of the world, exclusive treats invented by the organizer or chef himself. Try to include hearty and light, meat, fish and vegetarian dishes, beautiful delicious desserts.

Canapes are the most popular items at corporate buffets. Place on skewers:

• vegetables;
• cheeses;
• lightly salted red fish;
• seafood and other delicacies.

Canapes are convenient and tasty. Baskets with different fillings can be described similarly. Tartlets are filled with mushrooms, chicken, pates and other things.

Sandwiches are made quickly, but they look too simple. Instead, it is better to treat your colleagues to Italian bruschetta. They turn out delicious if you put boiled pork, slices of chicken, salad, dried or grilled vegetables on toast. To satisfy hunger, one person only needs to eat two bruschettas. Hearty snacks also include:

• mini sandwiches;
• small pies;
• mini burgers.

Do you need bread at a buffet table? In most cases it remains untouched. Instead, it is better to fill the bread basket with small buns, breads and crackers.

Traditionally, fruit baskets, eclairs, jellies, tiramisu, cakes and mousses are served for dessert.

Snacks from around the world

By preparing dishes from different countries, you can incredibly please your colleagues.

Stuffed bell peppers: cut each pepper into 2 parts, remove seeds. Cut boiled chicken meat, tomatoes, cucumbers, boiled eggs, season with mayonnaise, add pepper. The dish can be served to the table.

Lobio - a dish from Georgia

It is easy to prepare at home and bring to the buffet.

Ingredients:

• Beans - 500 g
• Onion - 2 pcs.
• Cilantro
• Garlic - 3-4 cloves
• Salt, adjika, suneli hops, ground coriander

Preparation

1. Soak the beans in cold water overnight.
2. Coarsely chop the onion, add to the beans, cook with the lid closed until tender.
3. Mash all this with a fork to a paste. Some beans can be left whole.
4. Chop a bunch of cilantro, chop the garlic.
5. Thinly slice the second onion into half rings.
6. Stirring constantly, add adjika, coriander, hops-suneli, and add salt.
7. Turn off the stove, add garlic, herbs, and onions. Let stand for 15 minutes.

You can make sandwiches or serve with meat.

Entertainment program for guests at the buffet table

To prevent guests from getting bored during the buffet, you need to think of some entertainment for them. One of them could be a photo zone, which is easy to arrange yourself.

Place a table where there will be a book of wishes or install a tree of wishes - this way guests can leave their warm words for the newlyweds.

Organize a relaxation area where guests can sit on soft sofas, smoke a hookah or drink coffee. As a program for guests, you can invite any artists or order one of the shows described in the article “Top 5 Popular Wedding Shows.” And don’t forget about the musical accompaniment of the buffet table - it can be live music or a set performed by a fashionable DJ.

There are some nuances that must be taken into account when organizing a wedding buffet:

• At a buffet table, guests do not keep track of where they left their plate, cutlery or glass, so there should be twice as much dishes as there are guests.
• To avoid getting your glasses confused, use the idea with name cards from the “Seating Card in the Shape of a Wedding Ring” master class.
• Although the buffet does not involve gatherings, make sure that there is enough seating for everyone. It's hard to spend the whole day on your feet, and guests will probably want to sit down at least for a while.
• You can organize a separate table for the newlyweds. It is better for them to rest a little after the photo shoot and walk, and then join the guests.

When making a choice between a traditional banquet and a newfangled buffet, consider what kind of guests are planned for your wedding.

A buffet is perfect if most of the guests are young people. But the older generation may not appreciate your craving for experimentation - after all, wedding stereotypes and traditions in our country are still strong.

Birthday buffet

In this video you will find 5 great recipes for easy quick appetizers that you can prepare for work on a birthday or for a holiday buffet.

Shish kebab

• thin sausages - 300 g
• small cucumbers - 200 g
• cherry tomatoes - 300 g
• black olives - 50 g
• green olives - 50 g
• mini mozzarella – 150 g
• lettuce leaves
• skewers for kebab - 20 pcs.

Chop everything and put it on a skewer.

Appetizer "Raffaello"

INGREDIENTS:

• boiled eggs - 3 pcs
• cheese - 70 g
• crab sticks - 3 pcs
• garlic - 1-2 cloves
• mayonnaise - 1 tbsp. l.
• coconut flakes - 50 g

Tomato appetizer

Prepare:

• medium-sized firm tomatoes - 5 pcs.
• parsley - 1 bunch
• garlic - 2 cloves
• ground black pepper;
• vegetable oil - 3 tbsp. l.
• apple cider vinegar (you can use 9% table vinegar) - 1 tbsp. l.
• Dijon mustard (French) - 1 tbsp. l.
• salt - 1/2 tsp.
• sugar - 1/2 tsp.

Snack rolls with crab sticks

INGREDIENTS:

• eggs - 4 pcs.;
• mayonnaise - 200 g;
• crab sticks - 100 grams;
• starch - 2 tsp;
• sunflower oil for frying.

We bake thin egg pancakes with finely chopped crab sticks. Roll them into a roll and cut into portions.

The buffet replaces the banquet. What is this event like?

Today, a buffet is a common option for holding a feast. This event takes its name from the French expression “a la buffet,” which translates as “on the fork.”

This is the main tool, because first courses are not served at the buffet table.

During the feast, guests eat and drink standing close to the tables with dishes. For convenience, chairs are placed next to the tables.

If the wedding celebration is planned for several days or from morning to late evening, then a mini-feast can become a kind of snack. This way, guests will not be hungry throughout the holiday until everyone sits down at the tables in the restaurant.

Most often, a wedding reception is organized at the bride’s home. This is where all the guests gather for the first time and the groom meets the bride before going to the registry office.

Miniature appetizers and various cuts (meat, vegetable, fish and cheese plates) are most often served as a snack for celebration guests. In addition, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks are placed on the table.

It is worth noting that a buffet for a wedding is often chosen if a young couple almost immediately goes on a trip after the wedding ceremony. Thus, the banquet does not drag on, and the guests have time to congratulate the lovers before they leave the celebration.

The buffet is perfect for modest weddings with no more than a dozen people.