What a French Christmas buffet holds
A French Christmas buffet borrows the dishes of the family Christmas meal and serves them cold, on platters, so that a whole team can help itself. The Christmas buffet of the range follows that pattern: smoked salmon with blinis and dill cream, one foie gras gingerbread toast per guest, and sliced cold roast turkey with cranberry sauce as the main dish.
Around them come three salads (lentils, potato and dill, lemony carrots), a selection of matured cheeses (Comté, brie and goat's cheese) with walnuts and raisins, and country and multigrain bread. For dessert, each guest has a slice of bûche de Noël, with clementines and chocolates to finish. Water and juice are included.
It is a proper meal, eaten from a plate with a fork, not a tray of canapés. That is what makes it the format of the staff Christmas meal: people sit or stand where they like, come back for the cheese, and the bûche marks the end of the meal.
Lunch or evening?
At lunchtime, the Christmas buffet replaces the canteen for a day. It suits teams with long commutes, part-time colleagues and parents who cannot stay late, and it leaves the afternoon free for a toast or a gift exchange. It is delivered in the slot you choose when ordering, before the meal starts.
In the evening, the same buffet becomes the dinner of the party. Add the drinks you want, per guest: white and red wine at €8.90, crémant at €8.90 or a glass of champagne at €9.90 for the toast, soft drinks at €3.
A cold buffet has a practical advantage in December: nothing needs reheating, so it waits calmly while the speeches run long, in any meeting room, with or without a kitchen.
Buffet or standing dinner?
The French distinguish the buffet, a meal served from platters onto plates, from the dînatoire, a standing reception of bite-sized pieces generous enough to replace dinner. The buffet is the better choice when people will sit down, when the meal is the heart of the event, and when the team prefers proper portions.
The standing dinner is better when the evening is about mingling, with music or speeches, and people move around glass in hand. It offers 18 pieces per guest over three to four hours, 13 savoury and 5 sweet, from foie gras toast and smoked salmon wraps to a mini Christmas log and a lemon tartlet.
| Criterion | Christmas buffet | End-of-year standing dinner |
|---|---|---|
| How it is eaten | from plates, seated or standing | bite-sized pieces, standing |
| What it holds | salmon, foie gras toast, turkey, three salads, cheese board, bûche | 18 pieces per guest, 13 savoury and 5 sweet |
| Best for | a staff lunch or a sit-down evening | an evening of three to four hours |
| Price per guest for 50 | €30.60 | €20.40 |
| Price per guest for 100 | €30.60 | €20.40 |
| Price per guest for 200 | €30.60 | €20.40 |
10% off any order paid by 15 November On the end-of-year menus, for orders paid by Sunday 15 November at 11:59 pm (Paris time); options and delivery at the usual rate, not combined with the office subscription.
Order now to secure your date: the menu stays adjustable after you order. Swap items, change the headcount or options: we adapt with you up to 72 hours before delivery.
Order online →For the CSE: the staff Christmas meal
In French companies, the CSE (comité social et économique, the works council elected by employees) often organises the staff Christmas meal or party. If you sit on the CSE of a company with an international workforce, the Christmas buffet has an advantage: it brings everyone to the same table, around dishes that need no explanation.
The CSE orders like any company, online, with the company's details for the invoice. For a large order, a deposit by card, a purchase order signed online and the balance by bank transfer are possible.
Two points matter for a staff meal. Several sites mean several deliveries, and the minimum order of €300 applies to each delivery. And a meal for the whole workforce includes colleagues with dietary needs: give the number of vegetarian guests when ordering, and point people to the allergens listed on the product page.
Ideas to make the buffet feel like Christmas
Give the meal a shape. Keep the bûche for a set moment, after the speech or the gift exchange, rather than leaving it on the table from the start, and bring out the clementines and chocolates at the end.
Raise a glass. A crémant or champagne toast, added per guest, turns a lunch into a celebration, and soft drinks let those who do not drink alcohol join in. One sparkling option is enough: choose crémant or champagne, not both.
Dress the room rather than the food: a tablecloth, lights, a playlist. The food arrives ready to serve on its platters; if you would like the buffet laid out for you, on-site set-up is an option, €190 for 100 guests.
Quantities, notice and delivery
The buffet is sized per guest: one foie gras toast and one slice of bûche each, with platters and salads in proportion. Order online in a few minutes, in the version for 30, 50, 100 or 200 guests; after the order, the headcount, the composition and the options stay adjustable up to 72 hours before delivery.
The notice is 24 hours, 48 hours from 100 guests, counted up to the start of the delivery slot. Delivery is included across Île-de-France, with a €90 supplement in Seine-et-Marne, and disposable tableware is included.
Guests help themselves, as at any buffet: there is no service staff during the meal. For a room without a fridge, the cooling package at €69 per 50 guests keeps the drinks cold.