CATERING 47 Dietary requirements The key to making sure every guest is happy and well-fed is communication. Our experts explain... CONTACT OUR EXPERTS Mesa Catering, www.mesacatering.co.uk | Paxton & Brown Caterers, www.paxtonandbrown.co.uk Queen & Whippet, https://queenandwhippet.com | Rhubarb & Ginger Grazing, www.rhubarbandgingergrazing.com Mesa Catering © Ryan Thomas KEEP CALM AND MARRY ON Naomi at Mesa Catering says: Don’t panic when it comes to dietaries. Caterers tend to have a bank of options available for common dietary requirements, such as vegan and gluten-free guests. For more complex requirements, it’s sometimes worth asking the guest what kinds of food they usually eat and are comfortable with. You can also put them in touch with your caterer directly to work out their meal. Paxton & Brown Caterers ALL IN THE DETAIL Henny from Paxton & Brown Caterers says: It’s important to ask all of your guests if they have any special requirements and then tell your caterer everything, even if you think it’s a small detail or something that won’t affect your menu. Unlike being in a restaurant our chefs will only have the produce necessary for the day and so by this point we’ll have very limited options for supplying alternatives. During the planning stages we’re more than happy to talk directly to guests especially those with severe allergies – some can feel very anxious about this, so we’re happy to talk them through the menu step by step to put them at ease. Queen & Whippet © www.evokepictures.com THE VOICE OF EXPERIENCE Jo from Queen & Whippet says: As parents of a child with multiple allergies, we know the anxiety eating out can cause. We’ve planned entire menus around complex allergies, and love a vegan wedding. Make it easy for your guests to provide dietary information at the RSVP stage and publish the menu on your wedding website so any issues can be resolved in good time. Ask your caterer if they’re happy for guests with severe allergies to contact them directly, and if you’re having a buffet establish how dishes will be labelled. A dietary-inclusive caterer will welcome open discussion from the start. EASY AS PIE Stephanie from Rhubarb & Ginger Grazing says: Grazing tables are surprisingly easy to cater for both dietary requirements and allergies. We provide different parts of the table that cater for vegetarians and vegans or separate meat onto centrepiece wooden boards, in order to keep them apart from other ingredients. When it comes to allergies we use tiers or boards holding gluten-free options for instance and bake many of our own cakes to ensure we can provide alternatives that are just as good. We also use lots of local producers and work with them to ensure we can provide ingredients that are free-from or suitable for particular diets. We’ve seen a massive increase in veggie and vegan wedding graze tables for 2023 and have a number of bookings to create a solely vegan version for the entire wedding party, which is such a treat. Being veggie myself, I know what tastes good and these ingredients don’t need to be seen as boring and tasteless anymore. Guests will be amazed when they set eyes on the table filled with an impressive variety of ingredients and colour. Due to the increased demand we’re seeing a wider variety of superior alternatives on the market now such as vegan cheeses. Rhubarb & Ginger Grazing © Amelia Morton Photography
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