This year sees Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II celebrate 70 years on the throne. It's an incredible achievement and one which very few monarchs in history have achieved. In fact, the Queen is the first British monarch to reach that milestone, easily surpassing the 63 years of Queen Victoria her great-great-grandmother.

The Platinum Jubilee will be celebrated across the country with street parties, civic events and other celebrations in schools and workplaces. They'll be taking place during a double bank holiday from Thursday 2nd to Sunday 5th June, with an estimated 10 million people getting involved.

Most of these events will involve food and drink, with lots of organisers having to think about the logistics of catering for large numbers of people.

How do you go about planning for a Platinum Jubilee catering event and what catering supplies might you need?

There are a wide variety of different events being organised across the country, from formal dinners to lively street parties, each of which will require a different approach when it comes to catering. Between these two extremes there will be events held in town and village halls and other local venues.

Enjoy a street party to remember

Street parties are a great British tradition when it comes to celebrating Royal events. They're a brilliant way for all ages to have fun, and for neighbours to get together. Food and drink are an integral part of the experience, and they do take a little forward planning. You may not have a completely accurate idea of how many people are likely to turn up. Good weather and seeing neighbours out enjoying themselves can encourage extra unexpected guests to join in the festivities. With street parties, the catering will usually be a collective affair. Different households might take responsibility for different parts of the catering, or a group of neighbours might get together to prepare food. Either way, street parties require lots of coming together and hopefully having fun in the process.

While the actual food and drink itself might be a shared responsibility, it's important to make sure you have enough crockery, cutlery, glasses and other items for everyone. With lots going on there's an increased likelihood of accidents and breakages, so using disposable tableware is usually the best course of action.

At Cooksmill we supply a wide range of disposable tableware to help you hold a stylish street party. classic gingham table covers will give your street party a nostalgic retro look that will perfectly complement your bunting. They're a great alternative to linen tablecloths and when you've finished with them can be recycled with your paper recycling.

Disposable cutlery is a practical choice for street parties. At Cooksmill, we supply a wide range of disposable cutlery options, from bulk black and white plastic cutlery sets to stylish silver single cutlery items for added elegance. To help combat plastic waste, we even supply disposable cutlery that is completely compostable.

Don't forget that you'll also need something for your hot and cold drinks. Paper cups with colourful designs, like the Cooksmill Star/Ball design are great for parties. And don't forget straws for kids of all ages!

To add the finishing touches to your party you'll need partyware. This helps to create that special family party atmosphere and helps to ensure that your street party is a day to remember for all the right reasons.

Celebrate with a sit-down meal or ticketed event

If you're organising a more formal and ticketed Jubilee event, perhaps in a town hall, restaurant, cafe or another venue, then you may need to invest in non-disposable cutlery and crockery. This will add extra elegance to your Royal celebration and purchasing it wholesale can keep a lid on costs. Porcelite Banquet Lightweight Crockery is a perfect choice for all kinds of events. This superb collection of professional vitrified porcelain is a cost-effective and tough solution, ideal for your Jubilee event. For stylish, luxury crockery, take a look at the Churchill Super Vitrified Crockery range. Super vitrified crockery is designed for use in restaurants, hotels and cafes. It’s super tough and one of the strongest ranges in the world!.

If you're running a bar the extensive range of Cooksmill bar supplies has everything you need, from delicious ingredients to cocktail equipment, coolers and other essentials.

Don’t forget the back of house when you are planning. Bank holidays are often a great boom for catering businesses when people are more likely to go out and treat themselves, it will be double that with a double bank holiday. Do you have enough kitchen equipment to deal with a 2 day rush? Take a look through Cooksmill’s kitchen department for everything from chefs knives to gastronorm containers. Doing as much prep work as possible will be key for keeping things running smoothly on the day. Our great range of storage containers means you can be ready for the rush ahead of time.

Start planning today

If you're hoping to stage a Platinum Jubliee event then it's time to start planning today. With a huge amount of events taking place across the country, some necessary items for your day will be in demand. The sooner you begin making preparations the better. Start thinking about what you might need for your big day and let's make it a weekend to remember!