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Are you looking for ideas for your Australia Day celebrations? Or is your company celebrating Australia Day?  When booking catering for corporate events, it can be a challenge to distinguish your events from others. Apart from leveraging seasonal produce and fine-tuning your menu to the attendees, there are some tips you can use to put a modern spin on your event.

Traditional BBQ With a Twist

Lam cutlets, barbecue chicken, meat pies, and burgers. They're all quintessentially Australian, and a great way to celebrate Australia Day with family or with colleagues. After all, what's more Australian than a BBQ? BBQs encourage employees to socialise, and they're casual enough that employees don't feel that they're pressured to "enjoy" a corporate event. Instead, they can relax.

But how can you make it a little more modern? By elevating the ingredients. At Laissez-faire, we use fresh, locally sourced ingredients, from farms that we've established relationships with. By introducing seasonal fruits and vegetables, you can make familiar items new again.

Prawns, Yabbies, and Other Seafood

How can you give prawns, yabbies, and other seafood a fresh twist? Think about creating a menu of canapés. Canapés give you the opportunity to create a lot of different foods with different flavours, rather than concentrating on just one. Seafood is a strong taste that lends itself to a lot of different appetisers and treats, and canapés make it more likely that everyone will find something they like.

Vegan and Sustainable Foods

Vegan foods are becoming more impressive every year. You can create a sustainable, eco-conscious menu that includes things such as tabouli, Brussel sprout and mushroom skewers, black bean fritters, fries, and wedges. Consider adding vegan and vegetarian options to your catering menu: more people are eating these types of diets today, and being inclusive is what Australia day is all about.

Seal It With an Excellent Dessert

For many people, dessert is the favourite meal. Consider a pavlova or lamington, with mango or passion fruit flavours. The idea is to use a traditional Australian dessert but also pair it with some modern, seasonal flavours. Think about whether you want things to be bright, or warm and toasty. Wagon Wheels, milo cakes, cheesecakes, and ice-blocks are all quintessentially Australia Day dessert, and they can be livened up with different flavours and presentations.

Don't Forget Any Special Dietary Needs

Australia Day is about what makes Australia special, and a good part of this is celebrating the shared culture of Australia. Don't forget that people may have special dietary needs, such as Halal or Kosher restrictions. Make a list of guests through their RSVPs. Creating a special menu may seem tiring, but a Sydney corporate catering company can handle it all for you.

Don't Forget the Drinks

Cocktails (including virgin cocktails and punches) let you explore different flavours without having to commit to another set of food items. A good drink menu is going to keep people enjoying the catering throughout the event, and give them a palate cleanser between the things that they eat.

Laissez-faire has everything you need for catering for corporate events, whether it's for your Australia Day party or something else entirely. Contact us today if you want to start planning your catering Sydney,  on (02) 9209 4810, or make an enquiry online.

It's time for some end-of-year event planning. What are some of the best ideas for summer corporate catering? Summer is a great time for a refreshing, seasonal event. You can use the bright, sunny summer months as inspiration for your food, drinks, and decor.

The Best Venues For Your Summer Event

First: It's time to look for a venue! The first step when organising catering for corporate events is to find the right place to host. Start with your head count, and then you can find a venue that works best for you.

• The Royal Botanical Gardens. Enjoy the lush greenery of the botanical gardens, which can seat anywhere from 80 to 550 guests. Private landscaping and courtyards make this an elegant, contemporary retreat, with a number of fantastic locations: Bennelong Lawn, Fleet Steps, and the Rose Garden. Choose the Botanical Gardens if you want to emphasise nature for your summer event.
• The Australian National Maritime Museum. A cool breeze off the open waters will make this summer venue a refreshing experience. This waterfront property hosts from 30 to 300 people, and can create some cozy corporate events. Choose the Australian National Maritime Museum if you want to have a waterfront retreat for your guests.
• The Island Sydney. This event space comes with a fully licensed bar and enough room for 70 people sitting and 200 people standing. A unique venue, The Island is a floating beach club with private water taxis, sure to be a memorable experience. Choose The Island in Sydney if you want to host a spectacular event, such as an awards ceremony, product launch, or end-of-year wrap.
• Prince Henry Centre.   Take in the pristine views of the Pacific Ocean and dramatic Sydney coastline. Located in Eastern Sydney,  the Prince Henry Centre offers  small, medium and large private function rooms  as well as terraces, dressing rooms and an amphitheatre.  The facility is a favourite for Summer weddings, but it also perfect as an exhibition space.

Once you have your venue selected, then you can get started on your theme, decor — and select your Sydney corporate catering. Your catering is going to be one of the most important aspects.

The Best Food For  Your Summer  Events

Summer events demand a special type of catering, and it's one we know very well at Laissez-faire. For a summer lunch, you want refreshing, light food, often with a number of different options.

• The best burgers and sliders for summer lunches. Burgers and sliders are loved by everyone, and they're convenient and easy to eat. If people are wandering around and socialising, they can pick up a burger and go. Create a few different types of burger, or let people customise their burger, to keep everyone happy.
• The best canapés for summer events. Canapés are a fantastic solution for a summer event. Canapés let everyone try out different flavours, and let the catering company experiment with expressive and interesting tastes. Canapés are the best catering food for socialising, as people can grab a few small bites as they go.
• The best desserts for summer parties. For summer parties, fresh, seasonal fruit make the best desserts. An assortment of seasonal desserts that are easy to eat can keep the party going. Fruit-based and alcohol-infused popsicles make for a fun treat, and they're easy for people to hold while they do other things.
• The best cocktails and spritzers for summer cocktail parties. People remember both meals and dessert, and drinks shouldn't be forgotten. Some seasonal cocktails and spritzers are going to be exciting and memorable.

Food and drink is what people remember most out of any event, and it's entertainment in and of itself. So don't forget to plan in advance for summer catering events.

The Best Entertainment for Your Summer Event

Once your catering is in place, it's time to plan the rest of your summer event. Start with planning your decor and finding a cheerful, seasonal theme. Entertainment can include live music and awards ceremonies. Make sure to schedule your entertainment throughout the evening: Otherwise the party is over once the food has been eaten!

Are you about to start planning your summer catering events? Contact us  today to find out more about what we can do for you. Make an enquiry today.

How To Cater A Great Summer BBQ Party

A summer barbecue is one of life’s simple pleasures. In addition to showcasing fresh and seasonal food, it allows everybody to enjoy the great outdoors while mingling with good friends and family. What could be better than having a great summer BBQ party?

Planning your BBQ party doesn’t have to be hard, especially if you have everything planned out. Follow our tips and you won’t have to rush for supplies at the last minute just to replenish your spread. For a BBQ, you need to prepare recipes that are delicious but simple to execute and cook as well as drinks that can be made in big, easy batches. After all, a BBQ party should be about enjoying delicious grilled food, enjoying great company and getting plenty of sunshine.

Below are our top tips to cater for a great summer BBQ party.

Prepare your grill

Preparing and cleaning your grill is the first thing that you’ll need to do. Do this a few days before the event. To clean the grill, let it heat up for 10 minutes (gas) or 20 minutes (charcoal). Once the grill is heated, use a brass wire brush to scrape any charred gunk off the grate. Give it a good scrape and make sure that no gunk is left. Coat the grill with canola or peanut oil and let it set. Now, your grill is ready.

Set the stage

Since it’s a summer BBQ, everything should be casual and relaxed. Let your guests know that they can wear t-shirts and shorts; there’s no need to impress anyone with an expensive ensemble. Set your table outside with colourful place mats, table cloths and informal dinnerware. The plates should be big enough to fit sandwiches, grilled meats, salads and other extras.

Do not blow your budget on expensive meats

You don’t need to break the bank and serve fancy meats, steaks, chicken or fish. Instead of serving porterhouse, go for inexpensive skirt or flank steaks or flavourful chicken legs and thighs. For fish, go for darker, grill-friendly fish like bluefish or mackerel.

Let your guests know what’s on the menu

Use a blackboard to showcase what will be served during the party. This way, your guests will know what food to expect. But if you want to surprise them, ditch the blackboard and let your guest be surprised at the good spread you’re providing.

Drinks, drinks, drinks!

Fill your cooler with ice and stock it with plenty of drinks so that they are nice and cold by the time your guests arrive. Remember to frequently replenish the ice supply all throughout the event. Beer, soda, juices, summer cocktails and fruity wines should be available for your guest to enjoy. Summer favourites are lemonade, sangria, beer and iced tea. Freshly cut fruits and vegetable are good appetisers. Keep them in the fridge until your guests arrive.

 

Cocktails already! ...The long weekend is already underway. Serving- Strawberry Caipiroska's #cocktails #summer #strawberries #love #amazing #awesome

A photo posted by Laissez-faire Catering (@laissez_faire_catering) on Jan 21, 2015 at 11:09pm PST

Make extra but not too much

When you plan out your portions, make sure to grill enough for leftovers. To reheat meat properly, sprinkle with water or BBQ sauce, wrap it in foil and cook over indirect heat for about 5 minutes. If you have some leftover roast pork, toss it into the slow cooker and add some BBQ sauce. BBQs are the perfect opportunity to cook some great meat that will last well after the party.

 

BBQ anyone #events #bbq #privateevent #laissez_faire_catering

A photo posted by Laissez-faire Catering (@laissez_faire_catering) on Dec 18, 2015 at 12:44am PST

Set the party mood with the right music

Prepare your summer playlist before the event. Having the right music will keep your party guests in a great mood all afternoon and evening. As long as the music makes everyone smile, it should do the job.

Keep it simple

There’s no need to overdo the decorations when hosting a BBQ. Just set up a few lights or candles and some blankets to supplement seating.

Check out our BBQ menu for some ideas to get you started. Click on the banner below to get access: