The start of fall is the perfect excuse to hold a party to celebrate the end of summer and the start of harvest season. One of the most crucial elements of any social gathering or party is the food. Get this wrong and you’ll never live it down. Even if you’re a seasoned event planner, it pays to take the time to think about the food that you will serve your guests. After all, the last thing you want is your celebration being talked about because of the poor food. Instead of because of how incredible it was.

Take a look through our guide to the ins and outs of organizing the food for a social gathering or party. Hopefully, this will help to ensure that you get the dishes that you serve, spot on. 

Think about the event type

Choosing the perfect food to serve at a social gathering or party should always depend on the type of event it will be. For a sophisticated evening gathering of a few close friends, wine and canapes could be ideal. While for a larger gathering, a buffet-style meal could be more suitable. Think tomato and basil salad, gourmet breads, a selection of cured meats, and some cheese and crackers. If it’s a BBQ that you’re holding, you’ll already know that you want to grill the food. However, that doesn’t mean that you’re sure about what exactly you should serve. There are lots of places you can get inspiration from, such as blogs like Fire Food Chef, for instance. As well as social media sites like Pinterest, We Heart It, and Instagram. These resources have inspiration and ideas for all sorts of foods, so whatever type of party you’re holding, take the time to get inspired.

Be smart about what you serve

Make sure that you think carefully about the dishes that you plan on serving. Not only do you need to take into account the event type, but also whether the dishes are a smart choice. What you need to consider is whether they’ll be affordable to make and serve, as well as how easy to put together they will be. There’s also the concern of allergies to take into account, as so many people now suffer from allergies. The most dangerous of which are nut allergies. So if you do choose to serve anything with nuts in it, make sure that it’s got a sign alongside it that says ‘contains nuts'. Other common allergies include shellfish allergy, egg allergy, and intolerances to wheat and gluten. If you plan on serving bread, it may be worth getting a gluten-free alternative, as well as traditional bread.

Don’t forget the details

When you’re organizing a get-together or event, it’s easy to forget about the little things. However, it’s important that you take the time to think about all the important elements needed to ensure that your food goes down a treat. Say, for instance, you’re hosting a BBQ. Don’t just think about the meats that you will serve, but also the side dishes and sauces. The meat is important, but without a selection of side dishes and sauces, it won’t be as enjoyable as it could be. The same goes for any party, the details are always the most important part, especially when it comes to food.

There you have it, a guide to the ins and outs of organizing the food for a social gathering or party.