Christmas is just around the corner, and it’s an extra busy time for hotels, bars and restaurants. Not only do you need to make sure stock is in to feed all the guests, you also need to prepare your venue for all those wonderful Christmas parties. You’ll want to spread some festive cheer throughout your hotel, bar or restaurant, from hall decorations and wreaths down to the carefully placed mistletoe hanging from the ceiling.

The festive season is a time to spruce up those table decorations too, so add some sparkle to your usual crockery and pop those crackers ahead of a lovely meal. By choosing a catering supplier like us, you can rest easy in the comfort that all the additional Christmas catering solutions will be supplied in time – allowing you to capitalise on this wonderful season, hosting the perfect festive event for your customers

Christmas Crackers

Get the show off to a bang with a selection of Christmas crackers – an essential to get any party started and available in a variety of different colours to match your table decorations. Whether you’re hosting a work Christmas dinner party, or a festive afternoon tea, crackers are a great way to liven up the room. Complete with fun paper hats, a nonsense joke and a complimentary toy, what’s not to love?!

Consider eco-friendly (recycled) Christmas crackers to help show how your business is focused on sustainability. The @Guardian are on board with this, asking how people are making their Christmas celebrations more eco-friendly. By purchasing your festive decorations in bulk from a catering supplier like us you will already by decreasing your carbon footprint, but it’s always good to think outside the box a bit. By opting for plain crackers for table decorations (particularly silver or gold), the left over ones can be re-used for a wedding reception later in the year

Table Decorations

Silk table covers are perfect for protecting tables from those mulled wine spillages, and they’re often available in a wide range of festive colours. For a royal three kings vibe, a gold table cover is the perfect solution. Or if you want to brighten up a room more, a Santa red table cover would look lovely.

When you’re thinking about how to decorate your tables in a Christmas theme, don’t forget some of the more traditional disposable items like paper doilies. They quite easily look like snowflakes, and with a sprinkle of glitter or confetti added to the table they will be transformed.

Don’t forget the napkins either. If you’re preparing your table for a big party and want a more luxurious feel, the Tork Linstyle red napkins would be ideal. Alternatively, if you’re hosting a Christmas party within your bar, some green cocktail napkins would help to liven up the bar area. You could always opt for patterned napkins that have sparkly Christmas trees and a little message on them if you wanted something a little more unique.

Crockery

To match with your stunning table decorations, consider switching out your usual white crockery and opt for something pretty or colourful. For something quite basic you could choose the Dynasty Sleigh plates which are still white but are in the shape of a sleigh. If you want a subtle hint of festive colour, the Avebury red plate is a perfect choice, or the Java decorated coupe plate if you’re going for a gold theme.

If you want to be a bit more daring and adventurous with your Christmas crockery, the Earth Cinnamon plate is another option. Each hand-crafted piece of this porcelain is unique, so your competitors won’t have the same crockery. and together they bring warmth to the room.

Everyone wants a strong coffee after a Christmas meal, so be sure to match your cups and mugs to your colour scheme too and finish off the night in true style. Bring the festive season to your venue by choosing some colourful catering supplies.

Glassware and Cocktails

Christmas is a time to pop that cork and let the champagne flow. By having exquisite glassware both at the table and behind the bar, you can provide your customers with a truly luxurious Christmas party that they will remember. Whether you’re looking for champagne flutes or wine glasses, we have a huge selection for you to choose from. We even stock gold wine glasses to match your table decorations!

Champagne and prosecco are the perfect first drink to get people into the festive spirit. By supplying the drinks in beautiful champagne and prosecco glasses you really are setting the tone for the rest of the evening. The Oasis champagne flute and the Opera champagne cocktail saucer are made from crystallised glass so sparkle elegantly when light touches them.

Cocktails are very popular during the Christmas period, so as well as ensuring you have the correct cocktail glasses, it’s a great opportunity to spruce up your festive cocktail menu. Be sure to include some of the old favourites, like the classic Snowball, Mulled wine cocktails, Amaretto fizz and the trusty Christmas cream liqueur.

You really can get creative and put together a cocktail menu that will wow your guests. Remember to include mocktails too for those who are driving. Mulled apple juice is a great alternative to mulled wine, and you can even put together an alcohol-free G&T. That’s sure to be a hit this year!

Christmas time is coming

We hope you have enjoyed this Christmas guide to getting your venue prepared for the increased footfall over the next few months. Whether you own a hotel, bar or restaurant, it’s important that you get into the festive period as soon as possible after Halloween. If there are any items you can’t seem to find on our website, please do contact our fantastic customer service team and they’ll be able to point you in the right direction.