The mighty Canapé

The Mighty Canapé

Canapés are the ultimate culinary signal that this is an occasion to savour. They serve a variety of purposes. From stimulating appetite to satiating hungry guests. Encouraging people to drink more whilst also preventing them getting too tipsy. Giving people an opportunity to roam and around interact with one another to helping guests relax by filling quiet moments with delicious food. These, sometimes contradictory purposes, are only further testimony to why canapes play such an important role. It can be difficult to read the room and know what each guest needs. But feed the room and you’ll find that canapés are one of the most effective ways to manage a crowd and keep everyone happy. Having catered events of every kind for more years than we care to admit, Salters Events has mastered the art of canapés. Here are the golden rules for serving showstopping canapés that guests will remember:

Canapés must be…

Absolutely delicious

Your guests may have been saving their appetite up until this point, so you want the first thing they put in their mouth to be truly scrumptious. Being wowed from first bite gets things off to a great start. It immediately puts guests in a good mood and sets the tone for the event. Quality over quantity always. But quality is even more important when serving small quantities of food since you need to pack a punch in a tiny bite. Use the best ingredients you can afford and remember the importance of seasoning and condiments too.

Beautiful to look at

We like to think of canapes as roving edible art. They form an important part of the visual landscape of your event. Canapés ought to turn heads faster than a knockout outfit. As well as prompting just as many compliments. If you’re new to making canapés, opt for elegant simplicity rather than attempting anything too elaborate. For something optically dazzling, this is where Salters Events comes in. Our experienced chefs and event stylists can work with you to conjure up creative themed canapés that look almost too good to eat.

Easy to eat

Your guests are looking their best and have a glass of champagne in one hand… this is not the time for dropping food down your front. The architecture and structural integrity of canapés really matter. They should be self-contained with minimal risk of dripping or toppling over. Small enough to eat in a single bite or substantially larger providing something to hold on to whilst keeping fingers away from sauces. If you’re serving your canapés with some sort of utensil (a cocktail stick, spoon and so on), make sure it’s convenient for guests to dispose of these so you don’t end up with canapé remains littering the room. It’s all in the detail.

Plentiful

Things to avoid at parties include talking about religion, politics, or fighting someone for the last remaining nibble because you’re both incredibly ‘hangry’. Ensuring there is plenty of food prevents anyone succumbing to their primal appetite. It also conveys a sense of generous hospitality and makes guests feel well cared for. Consider the timing and nature of your event when accounting for how many canapes you’ll need. What will your guests have been doing beforehand? Is there a grand dinner to follow within the hour or do these nibbles need to keep your guests going throughout a performance or award ceremony? For a one-hour drinks reception, 4-6 canapes per person is usually advised. If your individual canapes are particularly labour intensive or feature costly ingredients, it may be worth providing some additional grazing foods. Think delicious breads, crudites, gourmet crisps and dips, or flavoured roasted nuts.

Effortless – for you, that is.

That’s where Salters Events comes in. Leave behind the pre-party stress of trying to make charcuterie flowers, thread ingredients on sticks, assemble vol au vents or remember which sausage roll’s vegan and which ones are are definitely not. Let Salters Events take care of that. We’re canape pros with cool heads, steady hands and the skills and experience to organise crowd-pleasing catering for events of every kind and size. We take care of everything from the ordering to what to do with any leftovers, and our zero-waste approach takes care of the environmental side of things too, making your event as sustainable and resource savvy as possible.

If you’re interested in Salters Events catering for your event, wedding or workplace, please get in touch with us today.