If you are planning a meeting, conference or event, you’ll have likely noticed a major trend – more guests than ever now come with specific dietary requirements.
As a leading hospitality and events provider across the UK, we have seen this shift first-hand. What once involved the occasional vegetarian request has now grown into a long list of allergies, intolerances, lifestyle diets and faith based requirements that need to be managed at nearly every event, meeting, or conference we host.
How common are dietary requirements at events?
In our Birmingham venue, for example, our chefs often prepare food for more than 400 guests in a single day. We already include vegan and gluten-free options as part of our standard two-course buffet to ensure a wide appeal. However, we still frequently receive over 100 additional individual dietary requests.
These range from nut allergies, dairy-free needs, and coeliac requirements, to more niche preferences like fruitarian diets or sensitivities to ingredients such as onions, garlic, and tomatoes.
This trend is not limited to Birmingham. We are seeing similar patterns in our Manchester, Leeds, and Glasgow venues. It has become clear that accommodating a range of diets is no longer optional. It is a central part of successful event planning.
Our Allergen Management Plan: Safety comes first
At all of our venues, we take food safety and allergen control extremely seriously. In collaboration with Environmental Health teams, especially in Birmingham, we developed a strong Allergen Management Plan.
A key part of this plan is a system we created we called N.E.A.D., used for labelling individual boxed meals. This helps prevent cross-contamination and ensures accuracy for each guest’s needs. Here is how it works:
N – Name: Who the meal is for
E – Event: Which event they are attending
A – Allergen: What must be avoided
D – Dish: What the dish is and confirmation that it excludes the allergen
This process is standard across our kitchens in Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow, and Birmingham, ensuring consistent food safety wherever you book.
We are also proud to maintain 5-star food hygiene ratings across all our venues, offering additional peace of mind to organisers and guests alike.
How Event Organisers Can Support Dietary Needs
Whether you are organising a corporate lunch, networking event, training day, or conference, helping us prepare in advance makes all the difference. It allows us to serve every guest safely and confidently.
Here are the key steps you can take:
P – Pre-order special diets when possible to ensure availability
L – Label guests clearly with any special dietary requirements
A – Ask attendees early about dietary needs and preferences
T – Tell your coordinator well in advance about any special requests
E – Encourage questions from guests about ingredients or preparation
S – Specify if needs are allergies, intolerances, or preferences
Why It Matters for Your Event’s Success
Failing to accommodate dietary requirements can affect your guests’ experience and your event’s overall success. When guests feel considered and cared for, it reflects positively on your organisation and your event planning.
The hospitality industry has changed, and so have guest expectations. Dietary flexibility is now a standard requirement for successful events. We are proud to lead with inclusive, safe, and adaptable catering across all our venues.
Planning an Event with Dietary Needs in Mind? We Can Help.
From business meetings to full-scale conferences, our experienced team is here to support your event planning. We make catering for dietary needs straightforward and stress-free.
Get in touch with our events team to find out more.
Welcome…
Everyone loves feeling a part of something, having a sense of belonging and being accounted for. Life’s much more fun when everyone’s included, it’s why our meat-free buffet options are gluten free, dairy free and of course vegan friendly! #worldveganday
Unlimited vegan options…
On a health kick? Wave goodbye to boring celery sticks and hello to mouth-watering vegan dishes like chickpea and spinach masala with pilau rice or sweet & sour tofu served with stir fried veggies and rice noodles. Who ever said a plant based diet had to be boring? (Watch this space, we’ll be releasing thestudio cookbook this winter which includes some great vegan dishes! Talking about vegan dishes… click here for a surprise recipe!)
Food for thought…
Did you know veganism is more than a plant based diet? It’s a lifestyle! Their ethos of avoiding animal products for moral/health reasons influences all types of products they use from shower gel to floor cleaner, even clothing. Learn more about veganism click here… and the benefits click here…
Insider view…
One of the studio team undertook a short stint of veganism, check out her experience:
“One of my good friends is vegan and she was a real hard-core meat eater. Admittedly I didn’t eat much meat or dairy so taking on a vegan week challenge seemed achievable! It went swimmingly and I haven’t eaten meat since, a few months now, I can’t say I miss it that much, well, that is until the aroma of a bacon sandwich in the morning!”
Foodie to foodie…
Here at thestudio, we see being a foodie as a super power to make any food spectacular, enjoyable and memorable. Whether the dish is vegan or otherwise, we’ll definitely put our heart and soul into it!
Here at thestudio we like to think of ourselves as being game changers. We place you, our valuable guest, at the heart of everything we do. This being said, in today’s day and age an undeniable spotlight has been firmly placed on what we put on our plates.
Sustainable, less travelled, super food , gluten free, diary free and vegan are all words we hear more and more and are becoming a more prominent factor when our customers are choosing their venues for meetings, training and events. So with this in mind and the fact that we love food! … what we’re about to announce should come as no surprise!
We have only just gone and done it! We have achieved a Bronze Food For Life Catering Mark!
Why’s this something to shout about?
Well… this means all your food is freshly prepared to the highest of standards by using seasonal vegetables, ‘red tractor’ meat and eggs from free range hens. Did we mention there’s no place for additives or trans fats in our food? We meet the government guidelines for food and nutrition!
Now that’s something to shout about!
Our daily menu created by our chefs and complying to the awards standards always offer our delegates; a hot meat or fish dish, a hot vegetarian dish, which is always gluten and dairy free, hot side dishes, salads and super food of the day, with a little sweet treat of something to finish
If you’d like to see what storms our in-house chefs are capable of cooking up, check out our menu page! *warning salivation imminent*
If we’ve had the pleasure of hosting your all-important meeting, party or event, you could probably tell from our lunch menu (Tandoori roasted chicken skewers with mint and cucumber raita, Heritage carrot tart tatin with red onion marmalade just to name a couple), that we @studiovenues HEART our food. We even hold a not so secret quarterly menu tasting. You’re most welcome to join us for a nibble, get in touch by phone, enquiry or social media!
When thestudio Birmingham got a new neighbour earlier in November, our undeniable love for all things fun, festive and food, the time had come for the team to grab their sleighs and head down to the German Market!
Full of whimsy, wonder and fantastically festive, year after year the stalls are brimming with stocking fillers and trinkets full of Christmas charm. As if that wasn’t enough, the market is laden with seasonal treats. As it is a forgivingly indulgent time of year, a foot long bratwurst is not out of the question! With the promise of a white Christmas high on the cards, it was no wonder the team were drawn to the comfort of a hot chocolate and a fresh off the grill sausage.
Feel like you’re missing out? The German Market has nestled into many cities around the UK, so whether you’re way up in Leeds, mooching in Manchester or busy in Birmingham, be sure to visit them before they leave in late December!
Wishing you a very merry time in the run up to Christmas!
Tonight is no ordinary night, with the sun setting early and winter already upon us it seems like a gloomy end to the day is inevitable. But all is not lost, as tonight is magical Bonfire Night and to top it off, it’s also thestudio’s Leeds launch party, so chin up! (Literally or you’ll miss the fireworks).
If you’ve visited us in Leeds before, its winning panoramic views would have undoubtedly made an impression and if you have the pleasure of joining in our celebrations, we offer you delicious food, thirst quenching drinks, fireworks and surprises along the way!
Tweet your pics @studiovenues (more…)
If you were lucky enough to be around Birmingham last week you may have seen quite a few events kicking off, not just the long awaited England Vs. Wales match (well done to Wales), but the unveiling of Grand Central, the opening of John Lewis and the activity packed Birmingham Weekender!
With lots of exciting events now behind us, it is hard to imagine there’s much life left in September, but you’d be surprised! As the month comes to an end and autumn slowly draws in, turning the leaves and even the Moon red… We’d like to introduce our new menu!
As fall bares a whole host of ripe treats to the table, a change of seasons truly wouldn’t be the same without the studio menu tasting which also takes place every quarter. If you’re interested in joining our taster panel then Tweet us @studiovenues to get on the guest list! The more the merrier.
If you we’re able to join us this Monday you’ll have been able to feast both your eyes and tummies on our alluring autumnal selection. From heart-warming Beef Bourguignon to Heritage Carrot Tart Tatin served with red onion marmalade and treats like “Snickers” Eaton mess, what’s not to love?
We hope that you’ll be able to join us in our next gastronomical journey.
The time to dust off those BBQ’s has finally arrived; 21st June marked the official beginning of the long awaited British Summer! With the change of seasons it’s now time to get ready for the gastronomical delights @ thestudio’s quarterly menu tasting!
Don’t worry if you couldn’t make it this Monday, there’s 2 more seasons left to taste this year! Just let us know and we’ll add you to our special tasters list.
Being genuine foodies, we really value our ingredients and the dishes we create to incorporate a menu that truly embraces all the fresh, lovely produce summer offers. Not to mention how much we enjoy reading your views on our culinary creations, this is one place your feedback is always welcomed!
Rejuvenated after the Easter bank holiday, it’s time to celebrate spring’s arrival. For us, there is no better way to welcome the budding trees, sunny weather and beautiful blossoms than our spring menu tasting!
Admittedly many of thestudio teams’ favourite working day, attending the culinary cook off is a great excuse to indulge on some seasonal sensations. Whether you’re a meat eater, favour vegetarian or the type of person who always has room for dessert, with our huge variety of dishes you’re destined to find one that tickles your taste buds. (more…)
Join in celebration of this delicious day by grabbing an oat & raisin cookie…
Whether you’re a self-professed carnivore or just have a sweet tooth, from haggis to flapjacks, oats are so versatile they can be enjoyed by all!
Here @ thestudio (as you can tell) we love food, hence our National Food Day craze! With our love of food being at the fore front of what we offer, having unique menus is really important to us… With that in mind, have you had the pleasure of trying thestudio’s oat baked chicken?
Time to get those frying pans out and start flipping! It’s Pancake Day!
Why not join us @ thestudio for some delicious fresh pancakes!
It might sound like a great excuse to comfort eat the winter blues away but the once Pagan Slavs originally ate pancakes (which represent the sun) to ward off the evil spirits of the winter. If this were true, we’re sure in the hopes of better weather pancakes would become a UK staple! (more…)
