Employing a caterer takes the graft out of party-giving... and they always have up-to-the-minute ideas. Elizabeth Fields introduces seven of the best.
If you’re considering making the leap from DIY party catering to hiring a professional, there are caterers to fit any budget. Parties don’t need to cost a fortune; savvy caterers will advise you on purchasing your own booze to save the added cost of a middleman. They’ll use inexpensive materials to decorate the venue creatively. They’ll guide you in ordering ready-to-eat meals that only require reheating and the addition of a salad and dessert to comprise a beautiful meal. Shop around and choose carefully, making sure that you understand how the caterer charges. Some quote an all-inclusive, per person price, including food, staffing and equipment hire, while others charge separately for food, staffing and equipment. The best caterers don’t need to advertise. They garner new clients by serving delicious food at parties and handing out business cards to prospective employers, or they rely on word of mouth among customers and colleagues.
AUDREY MCDONALD AND JOHN CARTY
Heart set on a rock 'n' roll fantasy party? With clients including U2, the Rolling Stones, the Corrs, and Angelica Huston, Audrey McDonald and John Carty know what makes these clients happy. Common denominators are sexiness, glamour, and great looks (that's the food, not the guests).
The pair do a lot of interesting cocktails, such as purple Cosmopolitans (made with grape juice instead of cranberry juice) for a purple-themed party for the launch of a Channel 4 offshoot, E4; blue margaritas and frozen vodka shots on arrival at a boozy supper party for 50, featuring hamburgers, hot dogs, and pizza. An elegant Asian dinner for 25 started with ice-cold Asahi beers and champagne with puréed mango, followed by Thai beef salad with lime juice, chilli and coriander, steamed sea bass wrapped in banana leaves with a kaffir lime leaf and coriander infusion, and lime and ginger crème brûlée.
This winter, Audrey is serving a lot of wild game, such as grouse or pheasant, with bread sauce and wild mushrooms, followed by blackberry pie. Audrey and John are exclusive caterers at the luxury venue, No. 10 Ormond Quay, Dublin, and work at other venues in Dublin and beyond. A basic two-course dinner starts at €65 per person, with prices rising accordingly.
Audrey McDonald and John Carty Private Caterers, Dublin (01-8555855), www.privatecaterers.com.
CATHERINE O'NEILL
A movie actor comes to town, and either he's on a special diet, or he doesn't like the meals the studio provides. Maybe he's got young kids in tow, or his wife is bored and wants private cooking lessons. He calls Catherine O'Neill, who is based in Sligo, but often works in Dublin. "My style is varied, but I favour healthy, seasonal food," she says. Catherine raises her own chickens and rabbits, has a large organic vegetable garden, and relies on local fishermen for wild salmon, lobster, crab, and mackerel, which she often barbecues. A typical dinner party might include a stuffed fillet of pork with prunes, apricots, and pistachio nuts, roasted root vegetables (carrots, parsnips, beetroot, sweet potatoes), and a French-style apple tart with a custard base. She also specialises in vegetarian cooking.
Catherine describes her presentation as "fairly simple, not fussy, and as colourful as possible." Pricing depends on the job, but figure on €20-€40 per person for dinner.
Catherine O'Neill, Easkey, Co Sligo (087-2314230/096-49320).
SUZY PIERCE
A relative newcomer on the catering scene, Ballymaloe-trained Suzy Pierce worked for many years as a restaurant chef in Ireland and abroad, before opening Specialised Cuisine one year ago. She caters for all occasions, stressing the importance of fresh, top-quality ingredients. Suzy describes her style as “contemporary; a mix of French and Asian.”
Oft-requested dishes include salmon and leek terrine with a sun-dried tomato mayonnaise; spiced chicken with almonds and poppadums; boeuf bourguignon; meringue roulade with fresh cream and strawberries; and chocolate fudge cake. Vegetarian and other special diets are accommodated. “I am able to keep my costs low, without compromising on ingredients, and pass this on to my customers,” she says. A two-course dinner, with a choice of two main courses, potatoes, and a choice of two desserts, is €18 per person. Buffet meals, featuring three main courses, four to six salads, bread and two desserts, start at €22 per head. Service and equipment hire are additional. Suzy works primarily in Dublin.
Suzy Pierce Specialised Cuisine, Monkstown, Co Dublin (01-2843995/087-6902902); e-mail: cuisine@idpg.ie.
ITSABAGEL/FEAST CATERING
If you’re looking for all the fixings of a New York-style weekend brunch (bagels, cream cheeses, smoked salmon), Domini Kemp’s itsabagel stores in Dublin and Dún Laoghaire supply the lot for pick-up. But if you’re planning a somewhat more-formal catered canapés party, office event, banquet, wedding or dinner party, she and her sister Peaches’ offshoot business, Feast Catering, is the place to call.
“People are definitely more relaxed about their menu choices – even for formal dining,” says Domini. “They realise that the most important part of dining is that they are enjoying themselves, the food is delicious, and the guests feel welcome.” Gone are the days of gimmicky presentation, in favour of more straightforward canapés, such as blinis with smoked salmon cream and caramelised bacon, or an American-style shrimp cocktail served in a beautiful ice-bowl. Popular dinner party fare includes fillet of beef with béarnaise sauce and chips, and chocolate and coffee tart. Feast Catering works mostly in Dublin, as well as counties Kildare and Wicklow. Canapes are €15-€40 per person, buffets €35-€55 and formal tasting menus up to €100 a head.
Feast Catering, 16 Fitzwilliam Lane, Dublin 2 (01-6449441), David Devereaux (086-3844377), www.feast.ie.
LU THORNELY
Conversing with a client over tea in the old-fashioned library bar at the Central Hotel in Dublin, Lu Thornely is an ideas machine. A virtually unending list of hot and cold hors d’oeuvres trips from her tongue – carpaccio of beef with rocket, truffle oil and caper salad; barbecued asparagus; miniature paper cones of fish and chips with homemade tartare sauce; spicy lamb burgers with yoghurt and mint raita.
Whether it’s a gala birthday party at a country house, or a kids’ 21st soirée in a castle, Lu’s vibrant food takes centre stage at any event. Partly evocative of Elizabeth David, part Claudia Roden, with a touch of Nigella, Lu’s fresh, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern-influenced food is highly individual. No project is too daunting. She created a replica of the Italian feast served in the film “Big Night” for a party of 40 recently, and devised a “cheese tier” – a spectacular creation featuring rounds of Stilton, Camembert, Durrus, and Chèvre cheeses of decreasing size, arranged on tiers like a wedding cake – for a bride who just didn’t fancy fruitcake. Prices start at €10 per person for a canapés event, and go up to €60 for a multi-course sit-down meal. Lu works countrywide.
Lu Thornely, LaraLu Foods, 1 George’s Street Arcade, Dublin 2 (087-9908003).
YUZU
John O’Connell and Sarah Peelo of Yuzu are so confident and easygoing that they will venture where most caterers fear to tread – to fish and seafood cookery. “The Chinese are great believers in really good fish,” John explains, “and so are we.” Dinner-party clients prefer light and seasonal fare, including pan-fried hake with lemon chilli, slow-cooked red peppers, rosemary and capers; or crab salad with baby greens, asparagus and aioli. For winter house parties, Thai chicken curry with rice, salad and mixed berry pavlova would be satisfying, or winter game salad with mallard, widgeon, wild mushrooms, asparagus and tarragon vinaigrette. People “go mad” for their desserts including chocolate raspberry torte; pecan pie and praline ice cream or apple-toffee tart. Based in north Dublin, Yuzu caters barbecues, weddings, canapés parties, conferences, funerals, and private dinners, in Dublin and beyond. Prices run from €40 to €51 per person for a three-course dinner. Yuzu also does a “drop-off” service for parties of 10 people or more, in which main courses are delivered to a client’s home, at €8 per person. They also sell freezer-ready main courses, again with a minimum of 10 portions.
Yuzu, 62a Grange Close, Baldoyle Industrial Estate, Baldoyle, Dublin 13 (01-8395900); John O'Connell (087-6783657), Sarah Peelo (087-9584580), www.yuzu.ie.
MICHAEL SMITH
“The single most important thing about a catered event is that the food looks good, looks pretty,” says Michael Smith, who caters weddings, christenings, conferences, dinner parties, drinks parties – you name it. His style varies from “old-fashioned English” to traditional French and Italian. Well-known on the thoroughbred breeding scene and at country house parties in Kildare, Laois, Carlow and Dublin, he might prepare a dinner party of pan-fried scallops in a rosti potato basket, followed by boned roast quail stuffed with rice and fruit, a green and broad bean salad with sun-dried tomatoes, and apple-blackberry tart. “Treacle tarts are a huge success this winter,” he says.
A three-course, sit-down dinner starts at €20 per person (food only), and runs to about €60, depending on ingredients used. Canapes are €1.20 apiece. He also owns a delicatessen/shop, where you can purchase ready-to-go meals and imported French delicacies. “People are scaling down,” he says. A lasagne for 12, or fish pie for 20, or steak and kidney for 30, served with a green salad and a nice dessert, makes a stylish statement and is good value for money. Michael works with several wine suppliers who can deal directly with clients.
Michael Smith, The Kildare Kitchen, Johnstown, Naas, Co Kildare (045-879133).