Yvette Chatwin, account director for Searcys believes that event catering needs to adapt to people’s ever-changing lifestyle choices.
The events industry is living through an era of transparency and immediacy, where honesty, creativity and imagination grow ever-more important in capturing the hearts and minds of our audiences.
The lifestyle choices of our consumers are constantly evolving, and it is the job of event organisers to work with a catering partner who truly understands and embraces this. We, as caterers, need to have the creative skills to adapt our menus to those lifestyle choices, whether it be dietary preferences, quality of produce or ethical practices.
One of the big trends going from strength to strength in 2018 is the emphasis on sustainability and the provenance of food in determining the success of an event.
What does a dinner menu look like in 2018?
Plant-based diets are growing in popularity, and this is reflected by the increase of these dishes on our event menus. According to the Veganuary Campaign, more than 120,000 people pledged to follow a vegan diet in the first month of the year.
Just recently, we hosted a dinner for 20 guests of whom 40% of them had dietary preferences. Companies will need to ensure their events managers work with a caterer who can provide creative, tasty and wholesome options for gluten-free, low- carb, vegan and other dietary requests.
To meet this growing demand, our chefs have designed extensive menu options using the freshest, most seasonal ingredients which have been proven to provide nutritional benefits too.
Wholesome vegan dishes like Runner, green and broad beans on lemon oil or Chickpea, spinach, avocado, red onion and chia seeds are all standard on our menu to help organisers plan an inspiring, yet inclusive menu.
It is increasingly important to our customers to understand where the food they are eating comes from. At Searcys, we have made a strong commitment to British producers, and in the summer months, up to 90% of our seasonal fruit and vegetables is grown in UK.
All of our artisan fruit and vegetable suppliers uphold the NFU's Fruit and Veg Pledge to ensure fair treatment to suppliers, build long-term relationships with growers and commit to increase the proportion of British food when in season.
Our eggs are all free range, our milk is Red Tractor certified and all our tea and coffee is ethically sourced – an important detail our clients care deeply about.
2018 will also continue to see an increase in environmental expectations of consumers.
Through clever menu design, we at, are striving to produce dishes that inherently reduce food waste, as well as committing to re-use leftovers and recycle food waste wherever possible.
We are also seeing an increase in demand for events that go one step further to give an experience with character and substance.
From brand activations to private occasions and celebrations, the key for planners is to work with a partner that can curate creativity and imagination allowing guests to leave an event with great memories to share.
This year, we are investing in the redesign of our flagship venues, The Gherkin and St Pancras Brasserie and Bar, to create additional private dining and meeting rooms to fill this demand.