How to Order GAIL's Catering for Meetings and Events

Quick answer

Order GAIL's catering by starting with a firm guest count, then choosing boxes that match how people will eat: sharing savouries, individual salads, or mini sandwiches. Build in a buffer of a few extra portions, place the order early enough to confirm a pickup or delivery slot, and store cold items properly until serving.

A good catering order comes down to two things: knowing how many people you are feeding and how they will actually eat. For a standing meeting, people graze and take small portions. For a seated lunch, they take a full plate. GAIL's catering range is built around boxes and pots, so the format you pick matters as much as the quantity.

This guide walks through the order in the sequence that avoids most problems: count first, choose formats second, then confirm timing, storage, and the small extras that make an event run smoothly. Each step includes the mistake that most often trips people up.

Start with an accurate guest count, not an optimistic one

Catering math fails when the headcount is vague. Count confirmed attendees, then add a small buffer for last-minute guests or second helpings. A buffer of roughly 10 percent is usually enough for a working lunch; for an evening event where people linger, lean closer to 15 percent. Write the number down before you look at any menu, because every later decision depends on it.

If you are ordering for a meeting that runs across a meal window, decide whether food is the main event or a side note. A two-hour workshop with a break needs less food than a lunch-and-learn where people expect a full meal. That single distinction changes how many boxes you need more than any menu choice.

• Checkpoint: confirm your final headcount the day before ordering, not the week before.
• Common mistake: ordering for the invite list rather than the RSVP list.

Match the box format to how people will eat

GAIL's catering options are grouped by eating style. The Savouries Box is built for lunch and sharing, with 12 Mini Cheese Straws and 12 Borekitas, so it suits a table where people help themselves. Salad Pots (Serves 6-12) arrive as 3 Beetroot, Lentil & Goat's Cheese salads and 3 Sweet Potato & Freekeh salads, which works when you want individual portions without plating. The Mini Sandwich Box contains 4 Smoked Salmon & Avocado Yoghurt on a Poppyseed Sourdough Roll, 4 Mini Salami on a Cream Bun, and 4 Avocado & Chickpea Sandwich, making it the easiest option for a stand-up meeting.

A practical approach is to combine one sharing item with one individually portioned item. That covers both the people who want a quick bite and the people who want a proper plate, without doubling up on the same thing.

• Checkpoint: for a mixed dietary group, check the components of each box before assuming it fits everyone.
• Common mistake: ordering only sharing food for a meeting where people eat at their desks.

Add something sweet and something to drink

Savouries alone can feel unfinished, especially at an afternoon event. The Lemon, Olive Oil & Polenta Cake is a flourless cake made with lemon, poppy seed, polenta, and olive oil from Citizens of Soil, finished with a tart lemon syrup and olive oil icing. Because it is flourless, it also covers guests avoiding wheat, which reduces the number of separate items you need to order.

Drinks are the most commonly forgotten part of a catering order. Decide early whether you are providing coffee, cold drinks, or both, and factor in that a morning meeting skews hot drinks while an afternoon one skews cold. If you are unsure, a mix is safer than committing entirely to one.

• Checkpoint: confirm whether your venue allows outside drinks before ordering them.
• Common mistake: ordering cake but no plates, napkins, or knife.

Confirm timing, pickup, and storage before the day

Timing is where catering orders go wrong most often. Work backwards from when you want food on the table, not from when your event starts. If you are collecting in person, allow for travel and a few minutes at the counter. If you are having items delivered, confirm the window and make sure someone will be there to receive them.

Cold items such as salad pots and sandwich boxes need to stay cold until serving. Plan fridge space in advance, and avoid leaving them at room temperature for long stretches. If your event is outdoors or in a warm room, bring a cooler bag. These are small logistics, but they decide whether the food tastes as intended.

• Checkpoint: write the pickup or delivery time on the calendar with a 15-minute buffer.
• Common mistake: assuming delivery arrives exactly at the start of the event.

Do a final check the day before

The day before your event, re-read the order against your guest count and the format of the room. If the event is standing, confirm that everything can be eaten with one hand. If it is seated, confirm you have enough full portions rather than tasting pieces. Adjust the quantity now rather than on the morning of the event.

This is also the moment to confirm any dietary needs that surfaced late. Check the components of each box against those needs, and note that GAIL's directs customers to the individual products for nutritional information, so if you need detailed allergen or nutrition data, look it up per item rather than assuming it applies to the box as a whole.

• Checkpoint: label or separate items for guests with dietary requirements.
• Common mistake: leaving dietary checks until the food has arrived.

Your catering order, step by step

1. Count confirmed guests and add a buffer: Use the RSVP list, not the invite list, and add roughly 10 percent for a working lunch or 15 percent for a longer event. Checkpoint: your final number should be written down before you open the menu.
2. Choose one sharing item and one individual item: Pair something like the Savouries Box with Salad Pots or the Mini Sandwich Box so both grazers and full-plate eaters are covered. Checkpoint: every item should be edible without a knife and fork if the event is standing.
3. Add a sweet item and decide on drinks: The Lemon, Olive Oil & Polenta Cake covers a dessert and a wheat-free option at once. Choose hot or cold drinks based on the time of day. Checkpoint: confirm the venue allows outside drinks before ordering.
4. Lock in the pickup or delivery window: Work backwards from serving time, add a 15-minute buffer, and make sure someone is available to receive the order. Checkpoint: plan fridge space for cold items before the day.
5. Review the order the day before: Re-check quantities against the final headcount, confirm dietary needs, and look up nutritional information per individual product where needed. Checkpoint: separate or label items for guests with dietary requirements.

Catering items worth knowing about

• Savouries Box: A catering option built for lunch and sharing, containing 12 Mini Cheese Straws and 12 Borekitas. It works as the shared centerpiece of a table, so you can order fewer individual items alongside it.
• Salad Pots (Serves 6-12): Contains 3 Beetroot, Lentil & Goat's Cheese salads and 3 Sweet Potato & Freekeh salads. Individually portioned salads suit meetings where people eat at their desks or in small groups.
• Mini Sandwich Box: Contains 4 Smoked Salmon & Avocado Yoghurt on a Poppyseed Sourdough Roll, 4 Mini Salami on a Cream Bun, and 4 Avocado & Chickpea Sandwich. The mix of fillings covers different preferences in one order, which simplifies planning for a stand-up event.
• Lemon, Olive Oil & Polenta Cake: A flourless cake made with lemon, poppy seed, polenta, and olive oil from Citizens of Soil, drenched in tart lemon syrup and finished with olive oil icing. Being flourless, it can serve guests avoiding wheat without requiring a separate dessert order.

A smooth GAIL's catering order is mostly about sequence: count accurately, match the format to how people will eat, confirm the logistics, and check everything the day before. Get those steps right and the food becomes the easy part of your event.