Latest trends in wedding catering

What's on the menu for your big day? Cambridge-based Little Piggy Catering serves up a feast of on-trend ideas.

Owner Charlie McLaughlin says, “Couples are looking for different ways to keep their guests happy and well-fed on the big day and want to make them feel relaxed with less formal options.”
Her top three trend alerts for 2019 weddings are:

Feasting
Fabulous platters of roasted meats served with wonderful and interesting side dishes served to the tables for guests to share. We're talking slow-cooked and pulled lamb, with mint and apple jelly served alongside bowls of steaming mashed potatoes, braised red cabbage and mixed roasted vegetables for a winter wedding. It's all about colour and presentation to ensure the wow factor. Come the summer, barbecues are always a popular choice with a wide selection of meats such as spiced steaks, marinated chicken and slow-cooked pork belly slices, not forgetting sausages from the local butcher. Served on rustic boards to the tables for guests to dig in as they please, this style of catering can be a real ice-breaker and helps to get everyone talking.

Grazing
Many couples are opting for a less formal feel for their celebration with no table plans and no agenda. You can really have fun with this and have a whole range of grazing stations at once so friends and family can choose what they want to eat, when they want. It can include anything from a barbecue, tapas and paella to gourmet burgers, hotdogs, salad bar, cheese and dessert stations. It's a versatile option, even for more traditional weddings. For instance, styled antipasti grazing stations as an alternative to the usual canapés for guests to enjoy during the drinks reception; great for soaking up the fizz and keeping hunger at bay.

Street food
This remains a hot trend for 2019. Festival-style weddings are still big and there's a wide range of food trucks available offering a variety of alternative cuisine.