Street cred
Street food remains a huge trend and embraces a wide range of cuisines. The beauty of this is that you get to taste your way around the world in an evening. "You could sample up to 15 dishes," says caterer Adam Nathan, who can conjure up foods from all over the globe, including the Middle East, Morocco/North Africa and Mexico.
Pull them in
Slow cooked meats are currently all the rage and a firm favourite for parties. Serve pulled beef as a burger, either ready assembled or at a DIY burger station, where guests can customise theirs with different sauces and toppings.
Nathan's pick is lamb shawarma, which he serves with tangy Texan barbecue sauce on a brioche-style bun with spicy coleslaw. Or he suggests a roll filled with smoked brisket - which is barbecued and then slow-cooked for four to six hours until meltingly soft.
Feed the children
"Children's food should not be bland and boring," says caterer Simone Krieger of Krieger's Kitchen. "Children do have discerning palates and are deserving of a decent meal." Which is why her clients' children get their own food tasting. If they do still want goujons, these will be in the form of fish burgers - one giant goujon in a bun alongside hand-cut chunky chips, coleslaw and peas.
Other children's ideas include sushi (a perennial favourite); sliders (mini burgers) or mini hot dogs and sticky sausages.
Sweet dreams
"Dessert stands are really big," says Pauk. The contents may be healthy or super-indulgent. Arieh Wagner provides a fresh fruit carvery. "Any fruit there will be prepared, cut and plated in front of you."
To make up for all that saintly stuff, he also offers churros (Spanish doughnut strips) fried to order with a choice of dipping sauces.
Other popular desserts include brownie sundaes - a mound of brownies, served in ice cream cups with little spoons. You get to select your ice cream, sauce and sprinkles. What's not to love?
Smoke gets in your ice
Liquid nitrogen is very popular, either to give that smoky effect or on ice cream stands where the maker conjures up instant ices with it. KP Events works with a company that makes nitro desserts. "They are amazing," says Pauk. "They look like scientists, dressed in white coats and goggles, and freeze the desserts in liquid nitrogen. When you put them on your tongue, you end up blowing out loads of smoke from your mouth - it's a real spectacle."
New fish on the dish
If you find sushi a bit passé, make friends with its cousin, poke. Pronounced poke-ay, the raw fish dish, which originates in Hawaii, consists of cubes of raw fish in poke seasonings, served in bowls with finely chopped vegetables or fruits. Pass it around on spoons or in bowls.
Drink it in
"Children love milkshakes and bubble-ology-style drinks (beverages containing bubbles of, say, jelly) and smoothies," says Krieger. She recommends serving them in mason jars and milk bottles - with stripy straws, colour-coordinated with the host's theme. Pauk says mocktail bars are popular - "A bartender can teach children to make their own mocktail, which is fun."
Also stopping at
Krieger recommends tacos and burritos - "kids adore them and it's a great opportunity for guests to build their own meal," she says. "Give plenty of options for fillings and provide a choice of tortilla, wrap or taco shell."
Move down the platform, please
No one likes a queue, so make sure you pass food round as well as serving it from the stations.
"Sometimes people have been so immersed in their conversations you find they've not gone to find their food. So we take it to them," says Food Story's Matt Rickard, whose staff bring out the food in usherette trays or even wheelbarrows.
Guests can choose to take the ready-made version or customise it at the food station. "We send round the flatbread with everything in it or you can get it bespoke from the food station," Nathan adds.
