Blurred sandwiches

Our most recent event was a funeral, where we provided a (mostly) cold buffet at a charming old-fashioned hall in a nearby village.

We were able to set everything up in plenty of time for the mourners to arrive for a substantial lunch, with plenty of hot tea and coffee, as it was a surprisingly chilly day, despite being mid-May.  We had managed to bring our trademark speciality honey-mustard sausages, and keep them hot in a well-insulated box, so people were greeted with a delicious smell as they walked into the hall.

Jo made her superb fruit tea loaf, which was devoured to the last crumb.

We provided a selection of sandwiches, cold meats, smoked salmon, veggie crudités and home-made dips, including the World's Most Garlicky Hummus, as well as the hot sausages, and barely a scrap of anything remained after the mourners left, which is exactly what you would hope!

 

Smoked salmon with samphire.

Selection of cold meats with sun-dried tomatoes and cornichons.  I love that the spell-checker wants me to use the word "unicorns" there instead.

Veggie crudites with a selection of dips.  The children who attended were very keen to try these, despite the garlic!

Jo's fabulous tea loaf. This was probably the single most popular food item we provided.

I took a picture of the buffet table, but it's a bit blurry due to using my phone (ineptly), but you get the idea.

We uncovered the sandwiches at the last minute and they were, I am happy to report, soft and fresh, not at all dry and miserable.

Feted

Yesterday we were at the Longbridge Deverill Nursing Home summer fete, with a selection of cakes, sweets, preserves, cheese nibbles and quiches for sale.  Oh, and the peanut butter dog biscuits.

Unlike last year, the weather was kind, and they had a coconut shy, a flower stall and a "running through the cones with a football" game in the garden.  We were indoors, sharing a room with the tombola and a couple of other stalls.

I won TWO prizes on the tombola. Last year I also won TWO prizes, a tin of sweetcorn and a set of pit-a-pat bats.  This year I won a pack of plain cards with envelopes, and a twin-pack of Spam.

Spam.

Mmmmm.

Spam aside, we had a pleasant couple of hours chatting to the staff and residents, and selling a selection of tasty goodies.  And, as a bonus, there is some of my delicious mint and dark chocolate bark left over, so I will have some of that after supper tonight.

Old-fashioned charm

This week we delivered a special Chaps-Only lunch for a group of old friends, with a traditional menu of potted shrimps, Coronation chicken and a chocolate mousse cake.  Apparently it all went down a storm, which is great to know!  The host explained that his friends enjoy what he calls "club food" and this menu fitted the bill to perfection.

Of course we always discuss the menu in detail with our clients, as we want to ensure they have exactly the type of food that they prefer.  We're very proud of the fact that we make (almost) everything we serve from scratch, and use as much fresh local produce as possible.

I've been experimenting with some new recipes recently, the most successful being the sort-of chocolate truffles. They're from a South American recipe and are made with condensed milk and cocoa, creating a very soft, sweet, chocolaty mouthful which is perfect with a coffee.  If you add a dash of Tia Maria to them, as I did, they are even better.

I'll have to make another batch and take some photos, as I neglected to do so and now they're all gone.  Oh no!

Spring Birthday

Our most recent event was a splendid dinner party to celebrate a special birthday. As a bonus, it was held right here in the village, so we were able to nip home and pick up anything we might have forgotten. Not that we ever forget anything, of course.

The host created some menu cards, which I thought were fantastic:

So, we arrived in the early afternoon, set the table - a square farmhouse style seating arrangement for the guests - and made sure everything was good to go when we went back for the evening.  As we had plenty of space to set up in the house, as well as a whole separate kitchen for preparation and clearing, we were about as relaxed as you can be in those circumstances. It was helped by the fact that the weather couldn't have been better, and we were trotting back and forth to the house in bright sunshine. That always helps.

The guests were welcomed with a glass or two of fizz and some of our canapes, and then moved across to the main house for dinner.

The starter - a pear, walnut and blue cheese salad:

As we were asked to provide the crockery, there was a slightly eclectic mix, with a vintage/old-fashioned theme which the host and hostess liked.

The main course was a delicious beef daube with dumplings, which I forgot to photograph as we were a bit busy by that point.

The host and hostess provided a selection of cheeses, beautifully arranged by Jo:

The dark pieces on the goats cheese are preserved figs, which looked utterly succulent.

The desserts were our (by now famous!) chocolate mousse cake, and a seasonal apple meringue with home-made caramel sauce, both of which were thoroughly enjoyed by the guests.

To finish, we made some petits fours to go with the coffee - dark chocolate brandy truffles, Seville Orange candied peel (in chocolate) and a dark chocolate and orange bark.

As we left, the party was still going strong!

Having a party?

2014 is off to a really wet and wild start. Perfect dinner party weather!

If you'd like to host a party to remember, why not get in touch and speak to us about the kind of event you'd like.

We can provide food - hot or cold, a buffet or more a formal sit-down meal - and canapés, help with drinks, and best of all, clear everything up at the end of the evening so all you have to do is relax and enjoy a quiet glass of wine!

We pride ourselves on having the flexibility to provide you with exactly the kind of party you'd like, which is why we don't have a "standard" menu.  We will discuss your requirements, suggest options and tailor the whole experience around what you want.

Our ethos is that we will deliver your event exactly as you would like it, and we are happy to ensure that anyone with specific dietary preferences or needs is catered to, whether it's a simple preference for chicken over fish, or an entirely gluten-free birthday party!

Hopefully (given the area where we are based) nobody is flooded, and the weather will pick up soon. Roll on Spring.

Here's to...

Happy New Year!

We'd like to start 2014 with a huge THANK YOU to all the clients, friends and family who have supported us over our first year.  We have had a fantastic time, and couldn't have done it without you all.

It's been a bit quiet on here for a few months, partly because I'm very bad at remembering to update, and partly because we've had a rather tumultuous time.  One of the events we provided food for was the funeral of my poor old father-in-law, so things have been a bit sad and busy as a result of all the attendant paperwork.  However, it was a comfort to know that on such a solemn day we were able to provide a lovely tea, and (I hope) one which he would have enjoyed himself.

We held it in the village hall, which is a beautiful old-fashioned venue, and it perfectly suited the event.The village hall has seen a fair few parties over the last 12 months, and I hope we are at a lot more, either catering or partying. Or both.

Other events have included a few parties over the Christmas season, mostly canapés and sweet bites, which are great fun to do.  We took part in the pre-Christmas East Knoyle Fair, the first time that has taken place.  Several small businesses in East Knoyle got together and decided that it would be a good idea to hold a Christmas shopping event over a weekend, and we were invited to take up some space in the excellent Valley Forge showroom.  It was eclectic, a mixture of mulled wine, cakes, preserves and gorgeous hand-made ironmongery, but it seemed to work.

I particularly like the Iron Angel there.

Here are a few pictures taken whilst we were preparing for one of the canape parties:

I do like the massive trays of spicy chicken cakes and sesame honey sausages.  The Cheshire cheese/Christmas Cake cubes were a success, once people got used to the idea.

So, here's to a happy, peaceful and prosperous New Year to you all, and I hope everyone has lots of parties.

Lucy

Twosome

We had a bit of a first earlier this month.

We had two parties to cater on the same day, so Jo went to Mere and did one, and I went to Shrewton and did the other.

Fortunately, we have a few extremely capable and hard-working helpers we can call on in such circumstances, so neither Jo or I had to do everything alone.

I arrived at "my" party venue earlier than originally arranged - I did confirm with the hostess that it was ok! - and spent a very sociable couple of hours preparing platters of canapés, whilst the doorbell rang constantly and huge bouquets, gifts and cards were delivered.

It was fun getting the food ready whilst watching and hearing the musician setting up (he was excellent), and seeing all the various guests, friends and family arrive.  The traffic on the A303 was apparently appalling, so some people were a little late, but we were able to make sure everyone was properly fed when they got to the party.

Both of the parties were for significant birthdays, both hostesses wanted canapés, so Jo and I had been able to make larger batches of a selection of tasty bite-sized goodies, and then serve more or less the same food at both parties, which certainly made life simpler for us.  Luckily, both hostesses liked the sound of the menu!

The absolute hit of the party (for my part of the day, anyway) was the dessert canapé we made of rosewater meringues with Turkish delight.  We garnished the platters with pink rose petals and it looked fresh, summery and very girlie, which was perfect.  Some of the guests were astonished to learn that rose petals are edible (please note, we did wash them first.)

There were a lot of positive comments about the food and the "unobtrusiveness" of the service, which we are very proud of.

It's a joy to feel that we've helped make someone's special day that bit more special.  Roll on the next birthday!