3 Pro Tips for the Christmas Office Dinner

The Christmas office lunch or dinner is a fantastic opportunity to kick back with colleagues and really get to know each other over drinks and good food. Aside from anything else, it’s a time to give something back to employees with a big end-of-year blowout. So why do we so often come across employers who think of the Christmas catering as more of a cookie-cut, de rigueur addendum to the year?

To help you make the most of your Christmas office dinner with a supreme catering service, here are three top tips – each gleaned from our professional experience as gourmet London events caterers with chef Michael Glennon.

Think about the event progression

There’s no need to keep things simple. Mixing up party styles throughout the evening keeps interactions fresh and varied. You’ll want to make sure everyone has a chance to talk to everyone else, so a great way to start things off is with a canapes and drinks reception. With butler-passed mini delicacies and champagne, this is an easy way to encourage mingling and networking.

Next up, you might want to go for a more formal seated dining option – either a table-served banquet or Christmas buffet catering for fork or finger (ideal for large corporate groups). This can then transition into another informal drinks party to end the evening. Saving the Xmas cocktails for the end gives the whole occasion a more cohesive feel and leaves everyone with fond memories of the event.

Think carefully about the venue and theme

Hosting a Christmas office party at the office seems to miss the point. Your guests need to be able to find the venue, certainly, but they should also feel at ease. Keep the workaday office mindset at bay with a standout venue that’s all about fun and relaxation. Ideas range from rural Sussex manors and country pubs to dedicated events centres within the city.

Having a theme is another good idea to steer conversation clear of work, so you might consider a striking decor with matching fancy dress code. Themed menus are also great for tying it all together. Our crispy chicken salad wonton cups and duck pancakes, for example, pair excellently with a grand Oriental theme, while cold smoked salmon mousse profiteroles and pears wrapped in prosciutto have the more traditionally festive touch of holiday recipes befitting some of the city’s top restaurants. Mini hamburgers and hot dogs, meanwhile, are perfect for a retro American buffet food theme, while sweet chilli butterfly prawns and Indonesian satay chicken are well suited for an exotic extravaganza.

Hire an outside London catering company that offers a full service

So you’ve got your plan, your theme, and you’re excited about a venue. Now all you need is someone to bring things together and pull it all off. For this, there’s really no substitute for a good team of professional caterers from a gourmet catering company like us. Offering full service, we handle everything from setting up to clearing away and washing up.

As corporate caterers, we’ll also help you plan your event, working closely with you to cover scheduling details, menu selections, wine pairings and other concerns. Also covering waiting staff, decor assistance, drinks and more, hiring a full service private catering company with great reviews as your outside caterers not only ensures your guests will enjoy the Christmas party but, crucially, that you’ll have the peace of mind to enjoy it too.