Restaurants

Finger lickin' good: Andrea Adjei of 'Comfort and Joy' cooks up sumptuous buffet grub

Delis who do
The Rosslyn Deli
This store also handles small and large
private parties. Recent events include a brunch party for teens, featuring mini croissants and pain au chocolat, mini smoked-salmon bagels with cream cheese, chicken satay sticks and cup-cakes. The firm will do anything the customer wants and devise something to suit the budget.
Rosslyn Deli (020 7794 9210/www.rosslyndeli.net). Finger-food buffet for 20 from £15 per head, plus VAT. Area covered: within M25.

Flavours
Former ‘Masterchef’ winner Julie Friend offers catering services via her two north London delis and will shortly be opening a dedicated catering kitchen. Whole quiches, tortillas, and sausage rolls are made to order. British food – shepherd’s pie followed by trifle – is popular.
Flavours (020 7281 6565 or 020 7485 2266/www.delibelly.com). Finger-food buffet for ten from £7.50 per head. Area covered: Kentish Town, Tufnell Park and surrounds. Feature continues

Hand Made Food
Fergus and Vicky Clague proudly source many of their ingredients from within the M25. They also recommend wines such as oak-aged white from Throwley in Faversham, and are happy to cook one of your family recipes for a special occasion.
Hand Made Food (020 8297 9966/www.handmadefood.com). Finger food buffet for 25 from £20 per head, plus VAT. Area covered: within M25.

Mimosa
As well as the usual spreads, this Herne Hill delicatessen can help you create a French- or Moroccan-themed dinner for ten or 20 people . You’ll find advice on portion allowances and have the option of using your own dishes or its Moroccan pottery. It has 15 salads available by the kilo.
Mimosa (020 7733 8838/www.mimosafoods.com). Finger-food buffet for ten from £13.75 per head. Area covered: Herne Hill and surrounds.

The Pie Man
Not just a much-loved Chelsea Green deli with excellent cheese straws, Murray Tollmache’s Pie Man moonlights as a caterer and event manager with pro kitchens in Wandsworth. The menus includes tuna tartare on plantain crisp with deep-fried caper sauce, and sweet-potato pancakes with vanilla crème fraîche.
The Pie Man (020 7737 7799/www.thepieman.co.uk). Finger food buffet for 20 from £14 per head, plus VAT. Area covered: within M25.

Mr Christian’s
Discretion is the word at the celebrities’ favourite local deli, where small dinner parties for two to six people are regularly prepared in customers’ own dishes. Or you can order food for up to 200 people, including the store’s pâtés, breads and cheeses. Salads are priced from £16 per kilo.
Mr Christians (020 7229 0501/www.mrchristians.co.uk). Finger-food buffet for ten from £8.95 per head, plus VAT. Area covered: Notting Hill and surrounds.

Gustoso
Modern food with traditional values is what you can expect from this Maida Vale deli, which is in the process of expanding to handle larger events. Informal dinner parties are no problem, but you will also find chic canapés such as bubble-and-squeak spoons, crispy duck pancakes, and miniature chocolate gateaux and pavlovas.
Gustoso (07968 602 657/www.gustoso.co.uk). Finger food buffet for 15 from £11 per head, plus VAT. Area covered: within M25.

Seek out a specialist
Sushi: Atariya
Selected branches of this Japanese grocer sell platters of sushi and sashimi made to order. The list of fish and seafood is extensive – from yellowtail and prawn through to ikura, snow crab and sea urchin.
Atariya (020 7491 1178/www.atariya.co.uk). Sushi priced from £1 per piece. Area covered: collection only.

French: Tray Gourmet
Nicolas Dreyfus’ company imports many of its fine ingredients direct from France. Look forward to little cassoulets, bite-sized renditions of Alsatian choucroute, shot glasses of French onion soup, and tiny beef tournedos. Or try the ‘pain surprise’ – a large cob of good bread filled with mini-sandwiches.
Tray Gourmet (020 7352 7676/www.traygourmet.co.uk). Finger-food buffet for ten from £15 per head, plus VAT.
Area covered: within M25.

Vegetarian and Fish: Celia Brooks Brown
Cookery writer, teacher and gastrotour host Celia Brooks Brown (who ran a larger catering operation before her media career got underway) specialises in vegetarian food but she also cooks fish and seafood.
Celia Brooks Brown (07956 152 899/www.celiabrooksbrown.com). Finger-food buffet for 20 from £15 per head. Area covered: within M25.

Organic: Skye Cooks
Skye Coxe’s ethically minded company conjures organic and Fairtrade ingredients into mouth-watering morsels such as Venezuelan black-bean cakes with tropical fruit salsa, and salads of wood-smoked mushrooms, baby artichokes, roast red onion and sunblush tomatoes. Vegetarian and vegan functions are no problem either. Skye will produce a menu with seasonal ingredients and portion sizes as required.
Skye Cooks (07939 592 724/www.skyecooks.co.uk). Organic finger-food buffet for 50 from £18 per head. Non-organic from £12 per head. Area covered: nationwide.

Raw Foods: Rainforest Creations
A familiar sight at markets all over London, Khieron James and Ingo Scheuerlein use raw tropical and organic foods to produce colourful wraps, salads, cakes and sweets. Ingredients such as maca come straight from the rainforests and Caribbean favourites such as chocho, plantain, avocado and sweet potato are staples in this ‘raw living’ cuisine.
Rainforest Creations (07985 235 219/www.rainforestcreations.co.uk). Finger-food buffet for 25 from £15 per head. Area covered: in and around M25.

Cocktails: Shaker Events
Relish the thought of preparing your own party food, but want to serve something more special than bulk-buys of cheap wine and beer? This company creates cocktails for private dos, and will even create a bespoke drink for your event.
Shaker Events (087707 202 877/www.shaker-events.com). Four-hour cocktail service from £350, plus stock and VAT. Area covered: nationwide.

Independent operators
Amaze in Taste
‘Bowl food’ is the latest fashion for people who want something more substantial than canapés, but still want to mingle freely with guests. Try macaroni cheese with pancetta and Cumberland sausages on cheesy mustard mash. Shot glass food is another stylish option. They also deliver buffet and finger-food ready to serve.
Amaze in Taste (020 8981 8844/www.amazeintaste.com). Finger-food buffet for 25 from £10 per head, plus VAT. Area covered: within North and South Circulars, plus Essex.

Butter and Co
Comfort cooking is the speciality of Karey Butterworth’s company. It turns locally sourced produce and vegetables from farmers’ markets into treats such as tiny pot pies with duck-and-orange sausage, and crab cakes with lime-chipotle aioli.
Butter and Co (020 8969 2269/www.butterandco.com). Finger-food buffet for 40 from £15 per head. Area covered: Kensington and central London.

Meals on wheels: Andrea also delivers food you can heat up yourself

Comfort and Joy
Andrea Adjei (pictured) has a professional kitchen from which she caters dinners and other private parties, often delivering cold food for customers to heat up themselves. Dishes range from classic to international.
Comfort and Joy (07916 262 576). Finger food buffet for ten from £8.50 per head. Area covered: within M25.

Food Unlimited
Beckenham-based Lin Neillands creates bespoke parties and has done everything from outdoor paella to James Bond-themed food. If you want catering for a funeral, she recommends a finger buffet, including sandwiches, quiches, Coronation chicken in filo tart cases, little sausages coated in sesame seeds and honey, plus mini-chocolate éclairs and cheesecakes.
Food Unlimited (020 8659 8000/www.foodunlimited.net). Finger-food buffet for 20 from £5 per head, plus VAT. Area covered: central and south London, Surrey and Kent.

Gorgeous Gourmets
This Wimbledon-based company, established 24 years ago, has menus that are market-inspired and favour British ingredients – such as cheddar scones topped with honey-roast ham and mustard butter.
Gorgeous Gourmets (020 8944 7771/www.gorgeousgourmets.co.uk). Finger-food buffet for ten from £15.95 per head, plus VAT. Area covered: within M25.

Personal Chef Lucian
Lucian Aldritch’s CV includes time with Marco Pierre White and Jamie Oliver, as well as work in Japanese and Indian restaurants; his menus reflect this perspective and he will prepare the food at your place. Think smoked duck breast with caramelised garlic and smoked paprika; sushi; shot glasses of Indian fish soup or Thai cauliflower soup .
Personal Chef Lucian (020 8699 7844/www.cheflucian.com). Finger-food buffet for 50 from £15 per head. Area covered: within 40 miles of London.

Simply Catering
Theo Stylianou started his business on a Princes’ Trust course in 2003 and, despite spending some of his training with prestigious chef and caterer Anton Mosimann, has acquired a reputation for approachable food at competitive prices. Breaded king prawns, Chinese spare ribs, bruschetta, samosas and bowls of beef bourguignon, and wild-mushroom risotto are some of the crowd-pleasing options you can expect.
Simply Catering (07932 377 069/www.simplycatering.co.uk). Finger-food buffet for 20 from £5.50 per head. Area covered: north London.