Choosing Christmas catering starts with how you want people to gather. Will guests stand with a drink, sit down together, or help themselves to a buffet? How long will the event last, and how many people are you expecting? Once you’ve settled on the shape of the occasion, choosing the food becomes much simpler.
Our eight Christmas menus cover everything from a few festive bites to a full sit-down meal. They’re designed for offices and families across Rutland, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and South Lincolnshire, with options to suit both private and corporate events.
Canapés and finger food for standing gatherings
Cold canapés work well for a drinks reception or as a light start before dinner. Choose eight options for £13 per person. The selection includes smoked salmon blinis, prawn vol-au-vents and duck liver pâté with orange, alongside vegetarian choices such as mini quiches and Lincolnshire Poacher mini scones with mango.
If canapés are served with drinks before a meal, we suggest four per person. The menu has a minimum of 30 people.
For warm bites with a little more substance, choose eight hot canapé options for £16 per person. Examples include mini Yorkshire puddings with sirloin of beef and horseradish, king prawns with sour cream and chilli dip, and Grasmere Stilton cocktail sausages. Vegetarian options include caramelised onion and goats’ cheese tartlets, and Brie and cranberry tarts.
As with the cold selection, four canapés per person is our suggested starting point when they’re served before dinner. The minimum is 30 people.
Finger food is a flexible choice for a relaxed party where guests can mingle and eat at their own pace. Savoury choices include honey and ginger chicken drumsticks, Grasmere Lincolnshire sausage kebabs, locally made pork and turkey pies, and Brie and cranberry tarts.
Choose between five and ten items, from £9.25 to £17.25 per person. You can add desserts for £3.50 per person, with options including mince pies, chocolate brownies and moist orange and almond cake. The minimum is 30 people.
A relaxed meal without formal seating
Bowl food suits an informal gathering where guests want a substantial meal but you’d rather not organise a formal sit-down service. The menu includes coronation turkey with jewelled rice, flaked salmon and prawns, and Thai beef salad. Vegetarian and vegan choices include halloumi with bulgar wheat and pomegranate, and falafels with Moroccan couscous.
Cold bowls are £12.50 per person. Desserts, such as cranberry and orange trifle, pears poached in red wine, or winter fruit salad, are £7.50 per person. The minimum is 30 people.
Buffets for a flexible, shared occasion
A cold buffet offers variety and lets guests choose what suits them. The selection includes honey-glazed ham with English mustard, Norfolk turkey with cranberry sauce, poached salmon, and vegetarian options such as Stilton and walnut roulade or goats’ cheese and pear tart. Sides include Christmas coleslaw with walnuts, carrot and orange salad, and baby potatoes with parsley butter.
A choice of three mains, four salads and two desserts costs £27.50 per person. A main-course-only option is £20 per person.
For a warming, help-yourself meal, the hot buffet includes choices such as pheasant casserole in Madeira, fish pie with salmon and prawns, beef in Guinness with mixed spice and cloves, and pork loin with Bramley apples. There’s also a vegetarian roasted root vegetable crumble with cheese and thyme.
A choice of two mains, two salads and two desserts costs £25 per person. An English cheeseboard is available for £7 per person, and coffee, tea or fruit infusions with mints or mini mince pies are £3 per person.
For a sit-down Christmas meal
If you’re planning a more traditional Christmas occasion, the lunch and dinner menu brings together starters, main courses and desserts. Starters include prawn cocktail, smoked salmon mousse and Stilton and broccoli soup. For the main course, options include roast turkey breast with bread sauce, Bramley apple stuffing and Lincolnshire sausage, or beef bourguignon made with Lincolnshire beef. A vegetarian and vegan sausage cassoulet is also available.
Seasonal vegetables and potatoes are included. Desserts range from Christmas pudding with rum butter to pears poached in red wine and cinnamon. The menu is £33.50 per person, or £36.50 with coffee, tea, fruit infusions and truffles or mini mince pies. Meat and fresh produce are locally sourced.
A sweet finish
Dessert canapés make a useful finishing touch after drinks, a buffet or an evening celebration. Choose four for £8 per person. Options include mini mince pies, raspberry cheesecake, baby meringues with brandy cream, and chocolate tiffin with pistachios and walnuts.
They’re designed as an addition to other catering rather than a meal on their own. The minimum is 30 people.
Combining menus
You don’t have to choose just one format. A menu combination can give the event a natural flow: cold or hot canapés as guests arrive, a hot buffet for the main meal, then dessert canapés later in the evening. For a more casual party, finger food followed by a few sweet bites may be all you need.
The same menus suit a family gathering or an office celebration. If you’re arranging corporate catering, we can help you choose a format that works around the way your team will spend the event.
The practical details
We ideally need seven days’ notice. We work up to Christmas Eve and return after Boxing Day for New Year’s parties. Most menus have a minimum of 30 people, but if your gathering is smaller, please ask and we’ll see what may be possible.
We can deliver food ready to serve, or provide staff to set up and look after the food and guests on the day. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and other dietary needs can be catered for. Let us know what your guests need when you enquire, so we can talk through suitable options.
All prices exclude VAT, staff charges and equipment.
We cater for offices and families across the area, including Stamford, Oakham, Bourne and Market Deeping. We also serve Peterborough, Oundle, Spalding and Huntingdon. If you’re looking for catering in Stamford or catering in Peterborough, we’ll be happy to talk through what might suit your event.
Talk us through your plans
Jeeves Catering is a family-run business based at 41 High Street, Maxey, Peterborough, established in 1995. To get started, browse our Christmas menus page, then tell us where and when your event is, how many people you’re expecting and which menu styles you’re considering. We’ll send back a proposal with prices.
Call us on 01778 349 512 or email info@jeevescatering.com.