Building a custom event menu

A custom event menu almost always beats a fixed package, because your event is not off the peg either. The guests, the venue, the season and the reason you are gathering all pull the food in a particular direction. At Blame Frank we start from your event and design the menu to fit it, and here is how that works.

Why fixed packages fall short

A set menu is built for an average event that nobody actually has. It might suit the room or it might not, and you only find out on the day. Planning from scratch means every choice earns its place, from the canapes to the last course.

You can see the kind of food we cook on our menus page, then we shape it to you.

What we plan around

Four things guide a menu: your guests, your venue, your season and your budget. Numbers and space decide whether a served meal or a grazing table works best, the season decides the produce, and the budget keeps it all realistic. We balance these together rather than one at a time.

Dietary needs sit inside that from the start. We cater for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free and halal diets.

The tasting confirms it

A menu on paper only tells you so much. A tasting lets you judge the cooking, adjust the balance and lock in choices with confidence. Our tasting is well worth the trip before you commit.

Most people leave a tasting with a clearer, tighter menu than they arrived with.

Flexibility right up to the day

Plans change, and a good menu can flex with them. We keep details open until final numbers are confirmed four weeks before the event, so late guest changes are not a crisis. That flexibility is part of why a made-to-measure menu is worth the planning.

It also means the food matches the event you actually end up having.

Frequently asked questions

As much as you want. Some clients arrive with clear ideas and others prefer us to lead, and both work well. We plan the menu with you around your guests, venue and season, then refine it at a tasting. You guide the direction and we handle the detail of making it cook and serve well on the day.

Yes. Our team cooks across a range of global influences, so we can shape a menu around a particular cuisine or the feel you are after. We keep it grounded in good, seasonal produce so it tastes as good as it reads. Tell us the direction and we will build something that fits your event.

We keep the menu flexible through planning and confirm the detail once you have had a tasting. Final numbers are locked four weeks before the event, which is the point the kitchen plans around. That timeline gives you room to adjust while leaving us enough notice to source and prepare properly.

Building a menu around your event, not a set list