
Two major components, in any event, are food and drinks. Let’s be honest, it is what a lot of people look forward to most! But when you book a venue, they will often offer this service themselves, or ask you to have a quick online search for ‘outside catering near me’. While it can seem like the easy way out to ask them to cater for everybody, you might not always get the service you were hoping for. Similarly, if you were to decide you were going to sort it out yourself – it puts a lot of strain on you to get it right!
Amongst all the other planning and hosting on the day, you don’t need another thing to think about. That is why opting for external services can commonly provide you with the best, most stress-free experience. We understand that budget and availability can be a concern when outsourcing different services, but we’ve written this blog to show you the many reasons why it could be the best decision you’ll make. We will address common concerns and some things you might not have even thought about!
Extensive and Unique Menus
If you choose to opt for in-house dining with your venue of choice, you’ll often face the same dilemma time and time again. Many people want the menu to complement their theme and cater to different dietary requirements. But you could be faced with just a couple of meat and one or two vegetarian options. They will probably be similar wherever you go and you tend to have little wiggle room for any changes you want to make. That’s where that google search of ‘outside catering near me’ can do wonders for your overall experience!
Here at Vanilla Bean, we have an incredibly creative and dedicated team that embrace different themes, cultures and seasons. The more unique we can make each menu, the better. We want you to have the full experience of delicate and beautiful food that is bespoke to your event. That is why we communicate with you to find out as much as possible and discuss options for each course.
Not only that, but we work closely with local producers to ensure that you are receiving the most sustainably sourced and high-quality products. In-house catering services cannot always afford to source local products, nor will they necessarily tell you what kind of meats or vegetables you will be getting. Play it safe and ensure you get the menu of your dreams by outsourcing instead!
Less wastage
It is always a worry when you decide to tackle the food and drinks yourself that you won’t have enough for all of your guests. This can lead to overbuying and ending up with tonnes of wanted food or bottles that you don’t know what to do with. It can also see you overspending by a huge margin – just to make sure everyone is fed! You’ll have plenty of other places to use your budget, so it is important we stick to it as closely as possible. Outsourcing the services like ours ensures you will have as little wasted food at the end of the day. Our experience in the industry means we know how much is required for each menu depending on the number of guests you expect.
Similarly, you also do not want to be under-catered for. This will leave you with some unhappy guests and some rumbling stomachs. So, how do we go about making sure there is enough for everyone?
Because we do this for a living, your event will probably not be the first time we make these dishes. With all of the practise we have – our recipes have been perfected, along with measurements and quantities. This allows us to make a really careful estimate of how much produce we will need once you can determine a guest list. We hate wasting food as much as anybody, so we are cautious not to make more than is required. However, we certainly aren’t stingy with portion sizes, so you can rest assured everyone will be satisfied.
Presentation
You have worked so hard to plan this event and get every small detail perfect for the big day. The last thing you want is for the overall aesthetics to be ruined when the food gets brought out. Sloppy plating or poor service can put a real downer on an otherwise amazing event. Unfortunately, it is often the negatives that people take away with them unless there is something truly amazing to capture their attention.
That is why outsourcing is fantastic for adding the finishing touches. You will be presented with professionally plated food that has been crafted to match the atmosphere and theme of your night. As a result, nothing looks out of place and it ties together everyone’s experience perfectly. You will see every part of your planning work in harmony and the guests will have something positive to remember. We aim to be a part of lots of food photos on social media throughout the night – so they will all be raving about your event.

Service unlike any other
The aim of any event is to provide the most wonderful and cohesive experience for everybody attending (and hosting)! That is why we believe service skills are one of the most important factors. While you can have excellent food and delicious cocktails – if they are not provided with exceptional service, it ruins the entire experience. This is where people dwell on the negatives and struggle to enjoy the good parts.
When you are looking for outside catering near me – the companies that appear will have years of experience. Opting for in-house or other means could leave you with inexperienced staff, or help-yourself style service. Part of the night is usually being able to relax and enjoy things you may not get very often. This includes being waited on and having professional chefs cook for you. Even if just for a few hours – it is incredibly important to get it right.
Professional guidance
The majority of external companies like Vanilla Bean offer much more than just a catering service. Having worked for many years across all kinds of events from weddings to corporate events and parties – we come across a lot of difficulties faced by the hosts. Now obviously unless you work in events planning, you will have questions and doubts as you work through the process. It can be hard to find guidance on this without hiring someone to do it all for you.
We understand that you have a vision and want things to look a certain way. As well as that – tight budgets rarely allow for a planner. That is where people like us can give you the best of both worlds. A professional team will be able to give advice on table arrangements so that nothing looks out of place. This is key as many times the decoration and food will be handled separately – leaving the venue looking mixed matched.
Also, our creativity when it comes to food creation means you are in good hands when trying to pair a menu with the theme of the event. This can be hard to do well and will often take time and research to get it right. But with the help of experts, you will be able to understand pairings of food and drink as well as the best ways to incorporate aspects of the party with your catering. From colour schemes to cultural considerations – you’ll be surprised what kind of magic we can make!
Vanilla Bean: Outside catering near me
We want you to enjoy the event as much as your guests. That is why it is important to take away as much stress as possible. A large venue is really difficult to cater for without a professional team and can often lead to poor service, under (or over) catering and an experience that wasn’t what you expected. With venues and services all over Surrey and surrounding areas, we have the perfect team of experts to put the cherry on top of your next event.
Food is at the heart of our business. We embrace each season, supporting local artisan produce to enhance our creative journey in delivering an outstanding dining event experience. We pay attention to the detail in everything that we do; from the initial concept through to the final presentation.
Our dedicated Vanilla Bean team have been in the industry for over 30 years, so we’ve certainly seen our fair share of event trends! We can seamlessly incorporate personal touches and preferences into your event, wowing your guests with our innovative dishes! To find out more about us and what we do, please visit our website by clicking here, or get in touch to discuss your upcoming event. Leave it to us and enjoy the day with everybody else. It would be a shame not to!