Smartlife

Smart Food • We love a feast

February 21, 2018

Planning a special occasion? Here is some food for thought…

We love hosting parties at Jack and Jill Food Co. but nothing makes us happier to plan the menu, make it and then serve you!

I really don’t believe in over complicating things and my most nerve wracking catering gigs have been when I have tried something new and didn’t know if it’s going to work out!! Make sure you have fun with your food, it sets your party mood and reflects in your presentation and flavour of your feast.

Presentation of the food is 90% of your battle won

That’s why we prefer to present our party food as an abundant feast table. Your guests get to chat whilst dishing up, it’s a relaxed atmosphere and no one is embarrassed about seconds (or thirds for that matter).

We believe in a visual feast with different colours, textures and complimentary flavours. Also I try to find a balance between what foods can be eaten at room temperature and what needs to be served hot. Serving vessels add interest to the table and I enjoy using herbs for greenery (and they are edible).

Here are some tips to help you plan your next fabulous feast

Plan your menu and choose your recipes in advance. If you want to be adventurous and try something new, give it a bash before your party to see if it works for you.
Make a list of what can be prepared in advance. Not only does this alleviate pressure on the day of your party, some items improve with “age” for example marinating olives.
Plan your shopping list with your recipes as a guideline. It makes life easier and also eliminates unnecessary ingredient crisis’ on the day of your party.
Focus on what you are good at doing and for the rest there is nothing wrong with getting a little help from a local deli, bakery or Woolworths (wink).
Prep what you can in advance, it’s the little tasks done ahead of time that save you a lot of time when you start food preparation.
If you are serving hot food, make sure your oven is up to temperature and the items are already packed out onto oven trays.
When it comes to displaying your food, pack out what you can about 30 minutes before your guests arrive but ensure that the food is well covered or wrapped so that it doesn’t dry out. Uncover the food as soon as your first guests arrive.