Why Thai Food Is Perfect for Events (and Why Guests Love It)

Choosing the food for an event usually means pleasing a room full of different tastes. Thai food is one of the few cuisines that manages it: exciting enough for food lovers, gentle enough for cautious eaters, and easy to adapt for almost every diet. Here is why it works so well, and how we serve it.

A balance of flavours in every dish

Thai cooking balances sweet, sour, salty and a little heat in the same dish. Lemongrass, lime leaf, basil and coconut milk make it fragrant and fresh rather than heavy, so guests feel satisfied without needing a lie-down afterwards.

It does not have to be spicy

The most common worry we hear is that Thai food will be too hot. It does not need to be. Massaman curry is mild and rich, pad thai is gentle, and we serve chilli on the side so the heat-seekers can add their own. Children usually head straight for the noodles and spring rolls.

Easy for vegan, gluten-free and allergy-aware guests

Rice and rice noodles replace wheat, coconut milk replaces cream, and most dishes can be made with tofu instead of meat. That means vegan and gluten-free guests get the same food as everyone else, not a token plate. Every dish we serve is labelled for the 14 major allergens.

Made for sharing

Thai food is social. Food stations and sharing platters get people talking, going back for seconds and comparing favourites, which suits weddings, birthdays and work events far better than a silent plated meal.

Cooked fresh in front of your guests

Street food is meant to be eaten straight from the wok. We cook on site from our own food stations or our converted horse-box food van, so nothing is reheated and the cooking becomes part of the entertainment.

How Fan Thai Sticks does it

• A family-run business from Chelmsford: Mihai plans your event, chef Nok cooks the recipes she grew up with.
• Menus built around your event and guests, with no fixed package to squeeze into.
• Fast service: up to five guests a minute from our food stations.
• Everything brought with us, so no venue kitchen is needed.
• A 5-star food hygiene rating and £5 million public liability insurance.
• Rated 5.0 from 66 reviews on Google.

What it costs

Our packages start at £14 per guest for a main with jasmine rice, £17 with two spring rolls from hot food stations, and £24 for food stations with starters, satay, two mains and staff. Canapés start at £2 each. See the full menu and our catering services, or ask for a quote for your event.