Building a Christmas catering menu brief

Describe the occasion and meal format

Explain whether you are planning an office lunch, a seated staff celebration or a more informal party. Tell Fables what the food needs to do within that event. A relaxed gathering and a meal with presentations may need different arrangements even when the same number of people attend.

The Christmas offer includes festive banquet catering and links to the wider menus. Browse those menus for ideas while keeping their stated options separate. Do not combine dishes, equipment or service from several pages into an assumed Christmas package. Ask which menu can be proposed for the actual booking.

Give preferences a clear order

Tell Fables which food ideas matter most to the group and which remain open for discussion. If you are considering several formats, rank the alternatives or describe the decision you need help with. That is more useful than an unstructured collection of photographs with no explanation of what you like.

Separate a presentation preference from a requested menu change. A festive photograph can communicate an atmosphere without guaranteeing the exact dishes or setting shown. Wait for the proposed selection and arrangement to be confirmed before publishing menu choices on invitations or asking colleagues to choose from unagreed options.

Make the guest and requirement information useful

Provide the people count for the particular meal, including any distinct attendance groups whose food needs discussion. Mark provisional numbers clearly. Keep preferences separate from food intolerance requests and identify the relevant portion information rather than distributing personal histories among the event team.

Fables caters for expressly agreed food intolerances only and does not cater for food allergies. Discuss an intolerance before booking and wait for confirmation; a form entry does not establish acceptance. Food is not guaranteed allergen-free, and vegan wording does not itself establish suitability for a person with an allergy.

Connect food choices with time and place

Give the venue, preferred serving period and any fixed meeting, awards or entertainment commitments. Explain whether guests sit together, attend in shifts or become available gradually. Share known working-space and access information, then ask Fables to confirm the requirements of the menu being considered.

If the menu or event format changes, ask whether the proposed service, staffing or equipment arrangement also changes. A different selection can affect more than the food name. Keep the venue contact involved where the room use, facilities or access arrangement needs review before a booking is finalised.

Compare the full written proposal

Read the proposed menu alongside the agreed quantity, service arrangement, staffing, tableware and other items expressly included. Identify optional hire and any unresolved alternatives. A headline food price is not a like-for-like comparison if the quotations cover different menus, working hours or equipment.

Choose one organiser to maintain the current menu and attendee record. Keep the accepted quotation with the agreed selection and timetable, and route later requests through the booking contact. Only confirmed changes should reach the final guest information or supplier brief, so everyone works from the same food and service plan.

Details to gather before enquiring

• Type of Christmas event and role of the meal
• Published reference options or clearly described menu preferences
• Service-specific guest count and provisional groups
• Venue, preferred service period and known access information
• Written food, staffing, tableware and optional-hire inclusions to compare

Questions to settle with your event team

Where is the fixed Christmas dish list?

The Christmas page introduces festive banquet catering and related services. Ask Fables for the actual menu proposed for your date, guests and event arrangement; do not infer a universal dish list from promotional wording.

Can dietary details wait until the event?

Discuss food intolerance requests before booking so Fables can consider and expressly confirm them. Fables does not cater for food allergies. Do not assume a request or later substitution is accepted.