All Around Catering

Finger foods, almost always, happen to find a place on the banquet menu of a wedding reception, or for that matter, any party. They typically play the role of appetizers, i.e., something which serves the purpose of warming up the appetite of a guest. However, there are a few instances wherein the wedding reception party food menu entirely consists of finger foods, and finger foods alone. Sounds strange? Well, yes, at first it does seem kind of odd.

Imagine this. The wedding ceremony gets done with, all the guests move to the reception venue, and everyone’s expecting a lavish spread, only to find that all there is to eat, is nothing but fruit punch, wedding cake, and a couple of varieties of shrimps, diced chicken and cottage cheese. Well, to be honest, such ‘finger food receptions’ (as they are referred to) are not exactly a rarity or a wedding planning blunder on part of the planner. There are certain reasons why to-be-wed couples do go ahead with this sort of reception menu (finger foods for weddings, that is). Firstly, it could be a case of a limited spending limit as far as the wedding expenses are concerned (which is a perfectly realistic scenario). Secondly, if the wedding reception is scheduled for an odd hour of the day, which neither coincides with lunch, nor with dinner, nor with any other proper meal time, then a finger food menu becomes the best bet in such situations. Now what exactly could be included on a list of finger foods for weddings or wedding receptions? Well, let us find out. Read on wedding catering.

Easy Finger Foods for Wedding Receptions
Rather than categorizing them into various categories or groups, I think I will simply list out what could be possible inclusions as far as easy finger foods for weddings is concerned. So, in a random order of preference as well as popularity, here are some options:

* Sweet and sour meatballs
* Finger sandwiches (filling options could be cucumber, diced chicken, tuna, roast beef, egg salad, etc.)
* Garlic mushrooms with thousand island dressing
* Garlic fried shrimps with thousand island dressing
* Fish fingers with tartar sauce
* Stuffed tacos with tomato salsa
* Cheesy tortilla chips served with a dip or tomato salsa
* Sushi rolls
* Deviled eggs
* Buffalo wings
* Drums of heaven (also known as chicken lollipop in certain places)
* Pigs in a blanket
* Chicken wings
* Chicken satay
* Mini versions of cheeseburgers, hot dogs, etc.
* Cheese and crackers
* Vegetable quiche cups
* Fried macaroni balls
* Vegetable or meat platter
* Assorted fruit trays
* Grilled meat kebabs
* Crab cakes
* Teriyaki meat balls
* Popcorn chicken (popcorn shrimp will also do)
* Sautéed mushrooms
* Stuffed celery
* Blue cheese bites

For those of you who like cooking and wouldn’t mind giving your own special personal touch to a few finger foods, here are some finger food recipes and party appetizer recipes to browse through. You can also read more on finger foods for parties and appetizers and finger foods.

Finger Foods for Wedding Receptions – Desserts
Oops! I almost forgot about desserts! Here are a few easy dessert options to think of when it comes to finger foods for weddings:

* Cream puffs
* Fruit tarts
* Lemon bars
* Mini eclairs
* Chocolate rum balls
* Petit fours
* Chocolate-dipped strawberries

Well, this was a brief overview of finger foods for weddings and wedding receptions. Remember, if you decide upon a ‘finger food reception’ or a ‘champagne and cake’ sort of reception, it is always advisable that you convey it well in advance to all your guests. Mentioning it subtly in your wedding invitation would be the best way to go about it. What it will ensure, is that guests are informed well in advance about whether the reception will be a formal four-course dinner, or an informal finger food affair. It will therefore eliminate the chances of guests being taken by surprise, remaining hungry, and then leaving with disappointment or with a sour taste in the mouth.

Scotland – that little country tacked on to the top of England with magnificent views, wonderful mountains and historic background is going to have a good tourist season this year.

The credit crunch will help – people short of money look for buying value, and there is no better holiday value for families than hiring your own cottage in the country.

The weather, fingers crossed, should also help. This coming Summer should reverse the wet and windy summers of the past two years, and give us some fine sustained sunshine.

Yes, Scotland looks good for the Summer tourists

Weather Looks Good This Coming Summer
The US Climate Prediction Centre tells us that the Gulf Stream has stabilized over the North Atlantic. This creates good weather conditions for the UK and in the Pacific. The warm waters of La Nina have disappeared this year so the jet stream winds should be back to their normal course. This is a good sign for the Summer in Scotland’s neck of the woods.

Back Comes This Jet Stream to its Rightful Place
In addition, the Gulf Stream affects Scotland particularly as it comes close enough to the West coast to create a Mediterranean climate effect in the western parts of Scotland. For the past two years the jet stream has been pushed off course causing two of the wettest and windiest summers that Britain can remember. But not this coming year, say the US forecasters.

All of this makes for a prediction for a sunnier Spring and Summer. Even a warm end to the Winter is predicted by the more than usually accurate Paul Simon The Time’s meteorological correspondent.

The Recession is Good for some
Things look good for Scotland’s self-caterers this coming year for another reason.

The currency used in Britain, sterling, has dropped by about 20% in value in the past three months. Looks like it is going down further. For foreign visitors this makes purchases cheap in Britain, including Scotland.

Scotland gets a lot of tourists from Germany in particular also from France and Holland. They can rub their hands with glee at though thought of getting a really cheap holiday. Visitors from the USA should increase his year as well for the same reason.

All this has happened at the right time, because few people have yet booked their holiday.

10,000 Cottages in Scotland for Let
Most of them are in private hands, and well fitted out and maintained. Scots people are proud of their housekeeping skills and their hospitality is legendary. You can find them through the internet.

How to Find Your Ideal Mountain Cottage
Just dial in to Google the place in Scotland you want to stay, and fit the search term “Holiday cottage” into Google Maps (not the search engine.) A whole list of good properties will come up and you can see their web sites and select. Better to do this than to use the directories. Most of the owners will let their property direct to guests at rates which are lower than those charged by Directories. This is because Directories take a margin, sometimes a high one, so the direct prices offered are good. Also owners know their properties and districts very well and can answer questions such as “how far from the road are you?” and “is there somewhere good to eat and drink nearby?” and what can we do with our youngster?”

Typical Costs for a Family
Without doubt, British families will realize that a Cottage in Scotland, hired for a week, can give each person a cost per night of just £14. That is one-fifth of the cost of a hotel, and just over half the cost of Bed and Breakfast.

Families often make the mistake of booking late – by the time the holiday period comes around the best properties have been booked up in January and February.

The peak season for self catering in Scotland is in the school holidays – this includes Easter and the May holiday. These dates are usually filled up early. But cottage owners offer lower rates for folks booking slightly off season. A couple can save £100 a week or more if they book in Scotland’s best month for weather – May.
There is more sun, less wind and wet in May.

In Scotland also, some cottage owners in the right districts make a strong feature of offering very low cost winter breaks. In the mountain areas, cottages are often sold out for March and April, and even February is often booked up. At this time of year the cost per night for self catering is around £9 per head.

This is a typical small Scottish highland cottage situated near the famous Glencoe. It shows you the kind of property available and the costs.