Garden parties are the perfect setting to appreciate and use what nature has to offer.
Turn your garden into an eye-catching dining venue
Allow your flowerbeds to be the focal point of the decorations and theme. You could set up food and drink tables near blooming flowers to draw guests’ eyes. This saves on plastic waste from decorations and shop-bought flowers.
Your own eco-friendly bunting could be made from rice paper or recycled paper, and strung around your garden with twine. You could also make paper chains for traditional, eco-friendly party decorations.
As an alternative, scatter fresh petals from flowers in your garden or make confetti from dried petals and garden leaves.
Homemade catering for guests
An entirely homemade spread is perfect for garden tea parties. It reduces packaging waste and makes your garden party more eco-friendly.
Bakes and bites
Cakes and finger sandwiches can be made from ingredients which don’t use plastic packaging. Flour and sugar are more commonly sold in paper bags than non-recyclable plastic.
Bread can be baked from scratch or bought without packaging from a bakery.
Even sandwich fillings can be purchased without plastic. You could make your own jam or buy it in jars to be reused as glasses for drinks.
Resource management
Buying from small, local businesses helps bolsters the local economy. The amount of packaging used and emissions generated will likely be smaller, when compared with shopping at national retailers.
The advice to ‘make more than you think you’ll need’ often leads to a lot of wasted food. Cater for the number of people you know will be attending, making enough for leftovers the next day. This ensures there’s enough without copious amounts of uneaten food being binned.
If you’re cutting the crusts off your sandwiches for traditional afternoon tea, don’t throw them away. Save them to feed the birds and wildlife in your garden the next day or pop them into compost.
Setting the table
Repurposed jam jars and glass bottles can be used as rustic decanters. Reusing containers is an effective way to reduce waste. Fill them with water, refreshing iced tea, or fruit punch for a burst of colour on the table.
China tableware runs the risk of breakage, no matter how careful you and your guests are. The only destination for broken tableware will be landfill.
Compostable tableware removes the risk of breakages, as it all goes into compost. It also eliminates the need for washing up, reducing energy consumption and the need for chemical detergents.
Incorporating compostable tableware
Plates
Use large palm leaf plates in place of crockery for a modern take on traditional afternoon tea service. Palm leaf plates are more robust than paper plates, and completely biodegradable. You’ll be able to fill display stands without worrying about bowing or bending plates.
Trays
Instead of tiered display stands, lay sandwiches, pastries and cakes out on palm leaf serving trays for a stylish buffet. The platters can go straight into home compost when finished with, or wiped clean and reused.
Bowls
Serve trifle in a large compostable bowl instead of glass. Bowls made from sugarcane are microwave and freezer safe, so show-stopping desserts can be kept in the fridge until ready. Alternatively, use the bowl for a fresh salad to accompany your main course.
Cutlery
Birchwood compostable cutlery is stronger than its plastic counterparts and complements the natural aesthetic of palm leaf tableware. As birch grows faster than other trees, less land is cleared for production, making it more sustainable.
The wood is also naturally splinter-free, so no chemical processing is required.
Straws
Straws no longer need to be environmentally challenging. Add compostable wheat straws for a touch of elegance in your jam jar fruit punch. Water-resistant and naturally gluten-free, they can be disposed of without guilt or reused.
Easy garden party catering for the environmentally conscious
At FOOGO green we care about the environment as much as you do. Our palm leaf tableware is processed carefully to ensure high quality, and with minimal impact on the environmental. Check out our online store to view the complete range.
For private parties, or when catering for events, we supply wholesale and bulk buy quantities of our products.
Unsure? Order a sample pack today. We’d be more than happy for you to test out our claims yourself!