Christmas Catering

[Andy1968]

I've some how ended up with having my family (8 members) and my husbands family (6 members) for Christmas this year!

I really need some help and advice on where to buy some decent crockery, cutlery and glasses (will need some flutes, wine glasses and tumblers) etc, as I have no where near enough and it's all very dated and old. We've just moved too, so really want to update what we have.

Any recommendations please?

depends on your budget. if you want cheap then wilko do good stuff - 50p per wine/champagne glass etc and lots of different sets of plates etc

I am happy to spend a reasonable amount as it would be good to buy to last (and it's been long overdue!). Will definitely have a look at wilko, that's great prices for the glasses, thank you.

There is always Ikea.

Yes, love Ikea, although fancied trying somewhere new. Thank you, I may end up going back there!

If there are any big off licences nearby ot catering companies you can sometimes rent plates/glasses/cutlery and napkins.

They normally collect and deliever them. You only need to rinse the plates and glasses as they put them in a industrial dishwasher.

Got to be ikea!

I personally prefer to eat off plain white plates, but appreciate that's a personal preference. We bought our everyday stuff from Asda years ago very cheaply but it's good enough to put out for Christmas . Dunelm, the Range, Matalan and Next are also good value along with the supermarkets and of course IKEA. Depends on your budget and what you are looking for. Don't forget extra gravy boats, serving dishes/platters and serving spoons etc

I agree re Ikea.

They have nice white "glass" plates (vitreous glass or something, not pottery/china) which are nice and can be dressy, and also are not so large they don't fit in a dishwasher.

White is a good colour for catering service - as you can then match tablecloth, napkins, candles, flowers, or whatever else, to that easily. And those tend to be the cheaper elements rather than the plates/bowls etc.

Ikea glassware is also nice. But there are also nice sets by Rayware or similar - if you need a range of types, a couple of box sets with red, white and flutes may be the answer (for that number, you may need 3 as most of them serve 6).

I like Newbridge for cutlery - while the silverware is gorgeous, it's pricey. But they do have some lovely everyday sets in metal as well which are a lot more reasonable, and some of those are 8 person sets too, so you may only need 2, or even 1 to supplement existing ware.

If you do have "non matching" ware - a mix of existing and new sets - I like to alternate the old and new every 2nd place setting around the table, as that then looks "planned" rather than 1 end older and 1 end newer ware. (And I might, if I really had time to remember it - put the old cutlery with the new crockery - so that no person is getting all old pieces and no one is getting all new pieces - less chances of people feeling slighted, even if that would be unintentional).

And cups for tea/coffee, and small plates for dessert/cheese...

This is really helpful, I'll definitely have a look at Rayware for glasses and the Newbridge cutlery.

I like the non-matching theme too, what a great idea. I may be able to mix and match with old and new.

Thank you for your advice, much appreciated.

I hadn't considered hiring, but could be worth looking into. I like the idea of not having to wash up. Just wouldn't want to spend the same as purchasing. Thank you.

(If you do happen to end up in ikea, pick up a decent storage box as well, for any extras that are generally for entertaining rather than everyday use. Then you can put those away safe, clean and ready to grab and use again next time you are catering for numbers!)

I've recently bought some bits and pieces from a company called Catering Products Direct - www.cateringproductsdirect.co.uk. They have lots of lovely crockery including porcelain and stoneware and their glassware is stunning. They seem to cover everything you need for entertaining, baking and cooking. Really would recommend their products, great quality.