5 Tips For Setting Up The Perfect Buffet Tray For Your Next Party

Have you ever attended a party where fantastic food has been served on a beautifully arranged buffet tray by a seemingly unruffled host? You’ve probably left the party wondering how on earth the host has managed to pull off such a stressful endeavour. Whilst the food is not something that we can help with, setting up a beautiful buffet is definitely something that we can teach you – all you need is a few simple tricks.

1. Plan ahead of time

The most important tip that we can offer you is to make your serving plan a few days in advance. Knowing which foods will go on each buffet tray and where those pieces will fit on the table beforehand can make your party setup a breeze. All you will need to do is focus on churning out some delicious delicacies for your guests and making sure that everything is kept hot for maximum taste impact.

2. Give yourself some space

Take a closer look at your space and furniture arrangement. What works for you every day may not work for a crowd of people, so don’t be afraid to rearrange your furniture for the party. When choosing where to place your buffet, remember that if two people cannot pass easily along the sides of the table it’s better to move the table (against the wall, for example) and serve from the front.

3. Pick our your platters, plates and trays

Take a closer look at all your serving pieces – if you’re short on whatever items you need to serve your delicious food, now is the time to hit the local party or homewares store. You could also be creative with whatever you have on hand – some casserole dishes can be used to serve rows of crackers or cookies, napkin-lined baskets can hold bread or muffins, and cutting boards make great cheese platters.

4. Carefully arrange your table

Now you will need to arrange your buffet using your selected pieces using the catering secret of creating height to make it all look great. This is easy if you have a few cake pedestals or stands on hand, but you can easily make your own using stemware – simply overturn two or four stemmed glasses and place a tray on the top. Martini and margarita glasses tend to work best, as the wide rim is stable.

5. Use extra pieces to tie it together

Don’t forget about all of the other pieces that you will need to tie the whole buffet tray together. If you have shelves, a baker’s rack or a side table on hand, set it up adjacent to the table to hold plates, utensils and napkins. Place some salt and pepper shakers on the table and use little bowls filled with condiments so that people aren’t searching through your kitchen cabinets for these things.

With the silly season well and truly upon us, there are plenty of parties looming on the horizon that we need to plan for. If you have found yourself the host of a Christmas or New Years gathering, we hope that you will find the above tips extremely useful for setting up your buffet we are sure that you will look every bit the unaffected host and that your guests will leave well fed and raving about the delicacies you served.

Tom Smith has been working as a freelance writer for interior design and decoration, equipments hire and scrap metal recycling.