Recipe Ideas and Tips for Large Groups

Planning your recipes

The caterer's role is to entice people by the presentation of food and by emphasising the taste of healthy menu items.  Give people the choice of how much dressing, spread or sauce to add.  Try changing the ingredients by using reduced-fat products and using lower-fat cooking methods, such as grilling instead of frying.

Portion Sizes

A large selection of food is often served at functions and people can be tempted to eat more than they usually would. People tend to be less active at these functions too, as they are more likely to sit down for the majority of the day. You can help them out by keeping portions small and offering lighter foods. New Zealanders usually eat their main meal in the evenings, so keep lunch portions small and light and serve plenty of fruit and vegetables.

Suggestions:

• Keep serves small
• Offer generous fruit platters
• Expand savoury platters with a selection of fresh vegetable sticks and dips such as hummus, salsa, pesto and tzatziki
• Offer low-fat/low-salt wholegrain crackers and bread
• Serve plenty of vegetables.

When creating your recipe use the following spreadsheet template which will allow you to cost your recipe and scale it up or down to suit your needs.