Corporate Christmas Party Catering in Scotland
Italian Banquet Company cooks corporate Christmas parties, staff dinners and client lunches across Scotland — in your own offices, in a hired castle or country house, or at a self-catering property taken over for a company weekend. A full chef's brigade travels to you and cooks on site.
It is a long way from a function-suite carvery, and that is rather the point.
Why an Italian banquet suits a Christmas party
The problem with most corporate Christmas catering is that it is designed to be served, not eaten. Plated portions on a schedule, everyone facing forward, the food arriving and departing before anybody has relaxed.
An Italian Christmas table works the other way round. Long tables, generous sharing courses, second helpings expected rather than rationed, and a pace that lets people actually talk to the colleagues they never normally sit next to. The meal becomes the evening instead of an interval in it.
It also solves the thing every office organiser dreads — the vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and allergy list. Italian cooking is unusually rich in dishes that are naturally suitable, so everyone eats from the same table rather than one person receiving a sad separate plate. We explain how we handle that in Feeding Everyone at the Table.
Three ways we do it
1. In your office
We cook in your building, on the day, provided there is a usable kitchen to work in. That means a working oven and hob, a sink, worktop space and somewhere to plate — a decent staff kitchen or canteen is usually enough. We bring our own knives, pans, plating equipment and everything that will be eaten, cook on site, serve, and clean down before we go.
This suits a boardroom lunch for a dozen, a departmental dinner, or a full staff party where the office is cleared and the desks pushed back. If you are not sure whether your kitchen is up to it, send us a photograph — we would rather tell you honestly in September than discover it in December.
2. A hired castle, country house or venue
Plenty of Scottish companies take a castle or country house for the Christmas party. Most of those venues are dry-hire or self-catering, which is exactly where a travelling brigade earns its place — we work in the venue's own kitchen rather than reheating trays that came in a van. We do this all year at wedding venues across Fife, Perthshire, Angus and Aberdeenshire, including Glamis Castle.
3. A self-catering house for a company weekend
Increasingly common, and our favourite format. A firm takes a large house or lodge for two or three days — a strategy session, a team retreat, a partners' weekend — and we cook every meal across the stay. Welcome dinner on the Friday, lunch and a proper banquet on the Saturday, breakfast before everyone drives home. Here is how that works in practice.
What a Christmas menu looks like
Italy does not do turkey and sprouts, and nor do we. An Italian Christmas table is built on antipasti to open, a fresh pasta course, a slow-roasted main and dolci to close — with the seasonal Scottish produce that December actually offers rather than what a catalogue supplies.
Every menu is built for the specific event, so nothing here is a fixed list. But the shape is usually: a generous antipasti spread while people arrive and thaw out; a primo of pasta rolled and filled by hand that morning; a secondo of slow-cooked meat or a properly considered vegetarian centrepiece; Scottish and Italian cheeses; and Italian Christmas sweets — panettone done properly, cannoli, torrone — with espresso and amaro to finish.
Booking a December date
December fills early. Most corporate Christmas catering is decided between August and October, and the good dates — the Thursdays and Fridays in the first three weeks of December — go first. If you are reading this in the autumn, you are in good time. If you are reading it in November, ask anyway; we occasionally have a date left.
Frequently asked questions
Can you cater in our office?
Yes, provided the building has a usable kitchen — a working oven and hob, a sink, worktop space and somewhere to plate. A decent staff kitchen or canteen is usually enough. We cook on site on the day rather than delivering pre-made food. Send us a photograph of the kitchen and we will tell you straight away whether it works.
What if our office has no kitchen at all?
Then an office event is not the right format, and we will say so. A hired venue or a country house nearby is a better answer, and we are happy to suggest options.
How many people can you cater for?
From a boardroom lunch of eight up to a full banquet for 120 guests.
Do you provide staff and equipment?
Yes. We bring the chef brigade, front-of-house service staff, cooking equipment and plating. Serviceware and table setup can be provided; glassware is usually hired directly by the client through the venue or a specialist supplier.
Can you handle vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and allergies?
Yes, built into the menu from the start rather than added as an afterthought. Italian cooking has more naturally suitable dishes than most cuisines, so every guest eats from the same table.
How is it priced?
Every event is quoted individually. What it takes is shaped by the number of guests, the menu, the kitchen we are working in, the staffing the day needs and how far we travel. We build the menu with you first and then send a clear, itemised quote.
How far in advance should we book a Christmas party?
August to October for a December date. The first three weeks of December book earliest, particularly Thursdays and Fridays.
Where in Scotland do you cover?
Edinburgh, Glasgow, Fife, Perthshire, Angus, Aberdeenshire, the Highlands, the Cairngorms, Argyll and the Borders. For anywhere else in mainland Scotland, ask.
Enquire about a December date
Tell us the date, the number of people, and where you are thinking of holding it — your office, a hired venue, or a house for the weekend. We will come back with a menu proposal built around it.
Call 07868 162435, email hello@italianbanquetcompany.com, or use the Check Availability form. See also Corporate Events in Scotland: Beyond the Function-Suite Buffet and our catering FAQs.