Our online store opened in 2018. This year it passed 50,000 orders, so we pulled the numbers apart to see what had been our greatest hits! Canapés came back first, and by a distance. More than 40,852 of them, piped and topped and set out by hand, tray after tray
That’s a lot of parties.
The Hardest Thing to Cater Well
A canapé is asked to survive conditions no other food has to. It sits out for an hour. It gets eaten standing up, with one hand, while the other hand holds a drink. It has to be finished in two bites, with no plate and no cutlery, without anything landing on a shirt. Most party food fails at least one of those tests. The pastry goes soft. Toppings slide. Something needs a napkin nobody has. Get a canapé wrong and your guests eat one and stop.
My own personal start to canapés actually started with the kids. How, you say. Well the kids’ parties of course! Every year there would be 2 parties (ok I admit, that for one particular year I combined 2 birthdays into one party because mama’s started a business and she’s exhausted). And no, I do not throw parties in a function hall, not in an indoor playground, nor in any fast food restaurant, not by the pool. That’s for everyone else. ALL of my kids’ parties have to be done at home. I realised that the reason I did that was mainly so that I can control the menu, what was served, how they were served, etc etc. Sometimes I don’t know why I am like this, and I do question my life choices from time to time, but that’s for another day. In a way, it got out the party planner in me and I especially relish making the menu of each party. Because the kids were really young so naturally parents are invited to stay for these parties you see. So to me, having good food is essential!
It would take me days to plan. What cake to bake, what frosting to use, what decor should be on the cake (one time it was excavators, another time it was dinosaurs and then there were some polar bears too). And when it comes to food, I naturally gravitated towards….you guessed it: CANAPÉS! Small bites, dips and such. I love how much fun (and finesse) it adds to the party. I know it’s for the kids but the adults can have some fun and good food too right?
A canapé has no room to hide. No plate, no cutlery, no second bite to fix what the first one got wrong. It has to be right immediately, or it isn't right at all. That's a hard thing to promise more than 40,852 times. We've promised it anyway.
How Many Canapés Do You Need?
For drinks before a dinner elsewhere or alongside mains, count 2 to 4 pieces per person. A box of 12 covers 4 to 6 people. While rare, for a long evening with no other catering, a box of 12 covers 2 to 3 people, and a box of 36 covers 6 to 9 the same way if no other mains are served.
The ones that never left the menu
Five canapés from that original 2015 lineup are still with us, though a few have changed their coats along the way. The Mushroom Gruyere Tartlet lives on as the Sautéed Mushrooms with Emmental Tart, Gruyere traded for Emmental somewhere along the way. Its old partner, the Caramelised Onion Gruyere Tartlet, is now the Balsamic Caramelised Onion & Brie Tart, same onions, new cheese, a splash of balsamic added for good measure. The Smoked Salmon Dill Cream Cheese Tartlet gave up its tart shell and now rides on crostini instead, though the filling hasn't changed a bit. The Roasted Tomato & Feta Cheese Tartlet didn't survive in tartlet form, but tomato and feta found a second life in quiche. And through all of it, the Chicken Mango Salsa hasn't budged an inch, same name, same flavour, just served in cups now, and remains undisputed queen of Canapés.
The box we send out the most
Our bestseller has got to be the Signature Canapés (Box of 36). It is the party format, it is the one that comes back again and again, and it is already the best value per piece in the range. Everything in it is halal certified and made fresh by hand in our kitchen, the same way it was made for the first tray in 2015
What's new on the tray
With our extended range of Canapés in recent years, we have had new categories created, a Deluxe range, a Signature range and a Vegetarian range. Options galore for everyone!
In recent years we've also seen real growth in seasonal canapés. Flavours are built around a festive calendar rather than just a standing menu especially for Chinese New Year, Deepavali, Hari Raya and Christmas, because people want something that feels specific to the occasion.
We specifically wanted vegetarians to stop settling for whatever was left on the tray, so now there's a proper range for them. Strawberry on Brie Cheese stands as a favourite vegetarian option amongst our Deluxe Canapés, so yes Vegetarian options are popular for all! For other dietary requirements, our staff are always happy to help.
Will we keep including more flavours?
You bet.
