Event catering is evolving, helping modern ideas grow in popularity and give you more choice when it comes to how you want to feed your guests. Many think that a traditional 3-course meal or a casual buffet are the only options when it comes to event catering, but there are some inspirational ideas we’re seeing emerge. Here’s why grazing stations have become one of the hottest event food trends.
Grazing Stations vs Buffet Tables
While we all love a good buffet, they tend to be an assorted mixture of small bites, whereas grazing stations can be more themed than this. They group together similar food or drink items, so the fun part is creating customised stations to your tastes or matching each one to your event theme. You could even choose a chef-run grazing station where they’ll carve fresh meat that’s been slow cooked to perfection. Another problem with buffets is they often create congestion around one area, especially if feeding dozens of guests. Why not add several grazing stations around the room to make things easier?
Informal Serving
Many people dread a sit down meal at an event, never knowing how much you’ll be served or who you’ll be forced to make conversation with. This also extended to weddings, where the formality of the traditional wedding breakfast isn’t right for some couples. Grazing stations are a great way to encourage guests to relax, create talking points and provide more places around the venue to mingle. This isn’t just good for weddings, but corporate events too, making it easier to network and meet new people. Guests love the informal atmosphere, helping them to enjoy themselves all the more.
More Variety
The trouble with sit down meals at events is they can sometimes limit choice for guests. Everyone may be given the same food, or they have pre-chosen from a short list. Grazing stations allow guests to try a little bit of everything and build their own plate, having several dishes within one station. You could even have multiple grazing stations to represent different elements of the meal. For example, you could have a wood fired pizza bar followed by a cheesecake stall.
Awesome Presentations
Grazing stations can become a great feature at your event thanks to stylish décor options and food presentation ideas, incorporating your event theme. You could even choose one of your stations for the centrepiece with some smaller ones elsewhere. At weddings, couples may like to match the stations to some of their themes. Imagine a doughnut grazing station where the iced toppings reflect your colour scheme for the day, for example. The presentation can make the difference between a buffet-looking table and a memorable grazing bar that has everyone talking.
Planning an event?
Here at With Fire, we specialise in event catering and can help you with amazing ideas for grazing stations at weddings, private parties and corporate events. We specialise in cooking using smoke and fire, so we know a thing or two about creating awesome food stations that wow every guest. Covering South London, Hampshire and Surrey, you can speak to our team about your ideas on 07825 533440.