7 Best Affordable Catering Ideas for Office Christmas Party
In all of the Christmas episodes from The Office, catering has mostly been limited to alcohol or gingerbread cookies. If that defines your office Christmas parties as well, then you need some fresh ideas. Ideas that make the party fun and stay inexpensive regardless of different tastes.
Christmas parties at your house are easy. You have a full-fledged kitchen that meets all your serving needs, all the ingredients, you can decorate with ease, and ask your family to help out if needed. But the office isn’t your house. Kitchen supplies are limited, you’re on a budget, you have people with all kinds of needs, and if it can’t get any worse — you’re short on time.
Before we begin the countdown, the main thing to remember about affordable office catering ideas is food preparation. Recipes like finger foods, grazing platters, BBQ, and simple dessert treats which maybe aren’t going to be cuisine to remember but it could be Brisbane Catering done right. This is what My Alter Ego gets right.
Even if it is your workplace, it’s a time for celebration. Let’s nosh on 7 affordable catering ideas for a not-so-huge office Christmas party without the obligatory budget cuts.
- Cookies
Is it even You cannot have a Christmas party without cookies.? You can get away without drinks, but not without a batch of home-baked gingerbread cookies. Not only gingerbread figures; you can shape icicles, Christmas trees, candy canes, socks, and even pinwheel cookies with some effort. They’re easy treats and as affordable as you want.
Gingerbread cookies are easy to prepare. Mix up some molasses, eggs, and brown sugar to make the dough. Cut out your favourite shapes, put them in the oven for 10–15 minutes and you’re done. The only con to cookies maybe be the preparation time, which could be about 2–4 hours depending on what you’re going for. The prep time could depend on what you’re going for but expect a good 2–4 hour bake session. Buying from the store is a great option, but if there’s room to do more with your budget then My Alter Ego’s grazing tables offer chocolate-covered Oreos. can take care of can get more catering ideas with an expanded budget.
2. A Christmas Platter
Christmas events are no exception when it comes to grazing platters. Whether you’re going out for dinner, a colleague or friend’s house, or a community dinner at your local church; you’re bound to find an assortment of cheese, cured meat, crackers, baguette, Boursin, and other elements that complement a buffet.
But if you’re doing a Christmas platter, then you need to be more specific. Meat is a great starter an obvious choice, some barbeque prawn, salmon salad, a sweet grazer with doughnuts & biscuits, grilled vegetables, seafood platters which aren’t frequently seen but definitely attractive platter idea.
3. Sandwiches & Rolls
Sandwiches are indeed everywhere, but that doesn’t mean people are bored. There are sandwiches & rolls for all kinds of occasions and the best thing is that they easily fall within budget. Easy to prepare too, but you need some skill. On the other hand, rolls are simple but could be a bit expensive.
For a Christmas sandwich & roll platter, it needs flavours like turkey salad, pan-fried camembert, salmon club, turkey & bacon is a classic, and grilled cheese is an all-time favourite. For rolls, you can arrange a platter of cheese, salami, fruit slices, salads, chicken nuggets, and dressings of different kinds.
4. Roast Potatoes
Roast potatoes are hands down, the most popular Christmas food. They’re crispy, juicy, fluffy on the inside, raw in flavour, but overall delicious and perfect for every kind of occasion. But Christmas is where they need to be and seasoned with rosemary, olive oil, and garlic powder. Couple it with some sour cream and serve ’em up.
Red & Yukon Golds are the most popular potato kinds for a fresh batch. The recipe for roasting potatoes goes as follows: Preheat your oven or grill to 425F, slice your potatoes into 2-inch chewable chunks, garnish them with salt, garlic powder, olive oil, and rosemary. Put them away for 40–45 minutes and finally serve with salt & pepper.
5. Prawn Cocktail
Name one person that dislikes a fresh glass of prawn cocktail! Prawn cocktails are some of the best people-pleasers, along with shrimp n’ sauce. These simple delicacies of the freshest seafood with a delicious dip are necessary for a Christmas arrangement. A batch of (preferably) peeled prawns with lime & celery gives you that tangy fresh feel that keeps parties going.
For the dip, you can either buy from a store like seafood cocktail sauce, tartare sauce, honey mustard dressing OR you try making your own with a simple recipe: Mix tomato (or tabasco) sauce, mayonnaise, and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl. Add some lemon juice later on to get that tangy rich feel.
6. Christmas Cocktails -
If your office allows for alcohol, why not take some party cocktails to your Office Christmas Party? Let’s get it straight — You need alcohol at office parties. People can do without cookies, but they won’t make it to an hour without a few bears. You definitely need martinis, margaritas, coolers, fruit punches, bloody marys, and sangrias as openers. You can go through some research before heading down to your local liquor store or you can consult with your office in advance to make appropriate reservations.
These easy-to-make, trendy alcoholic drinks are the ones to watch this party season. Whether you’re planning a small backyard office get-together or a post-lockdown staff party (fingers crossed!), you can have every office party drink idea you need, with choices from Aperol spritz to a festive white Christmas punch.
7. Dinner Meat -
A Christmas dinner meat is a very traditional, customary centrepiece for every Christmas-themed party. A barbecue-grilled brisket, turkey, chicken, lamb meat are all an expected welcome. However, nothing beats a nicely done rotisserie chicken with fava beans for a party of 20 or even 30 people.
Not only chicken, but you can also get Turkey Roast, Bacon Casserole, Beef Tenderloin (an all-time favourite at Christmas parties), Glazed Duck Roast, Roast Pork with sage & double onion stuffing, and much more. Just remember to decorate the platter with enough veggies & coleslaw to go around.
Conclusion
Hope this list rounds up your Christmas list! With so many great budget catering ideas, your office Christmas dinner party is bound to get around. The only thing worth worrying about could be diet preferences for Brisbane Catering. If a majority of your office staff is vegetarian or on a sober streak, you’re maybe going to be in a little trouble.
Planning ahead by learning different Christmas party food ideas preferences is beneficial, however, you can make reservations at My Alter Ego to figure out your specific needs. So even if things change at the last minute, you rely on them to take care of different dinner preferences. Lastly, let us know what you think in the comments below.
