Wedding Menu Inspiration: English Elegance at Fulham Palace

Canapés:

Wasabi seared beef and watermelon with pickled ginger

Smoked haddock soufflé in mini jacket potato

Brick pastry parcels of artichoke hearts, parsley and lemon

Broad bean falafel with pecorino and a fresh mint dipping sauce

Start:

Asparagus trio, asparagus vichyssoise, petit salad
with quails eggs and asparagus torte and homemade herb bread

Main:

Roast fillet of sea bass on a parsley potato cake
with Frascati lemon broth cassoulet of peas and beans

Desert:

Warm molten chocolate fondant served
with poached pears and vanilla bean ice cream

Menu Inspiration: French Chic

Small is beautiful and this wedding celebration was certainly both. Rachel and Guillaume were looking for a venue that could host twenty close friends and family to celebrate their wedding, the actual ceremony of which was to be held at home in Marrakech the following weekend. They wanted a relaxed meal in a chic, private venue and The Orangery fit the brief perfectly. One long table down the middle provided the perfect intimate platform for their specially chosen menu. The was filled with plenty of speeches and laughter in between every course.

Start

Chermoula red mullet and braised baby fennel
Lemon yoghurt and herbed flat bread

Main

Lavender and garlic roasted lamb rump with potato croquette

with minted pea puree, cardamon carrots and parsnips

Sweet

Vanilla pannacotta with oven roasted peaches in amaretto syrup and almond praline

Menu Inspiration: Wedding Tapas

Brief: how do you turn tapas into an elegent wedding breakfast? This couple yearned for an informal, Mediterranean family feel to their wedding reception but with top service and fine tapas style foods. We made sure that the food flowed from the kitchen, a steady stream of treats straight to each table. Delicioso!

Starter

on tables ready for guests as they take their seats

Char-grilled flat breads

Marinated olives

Baba ganoush

Tomato and pepper salsa

Main

An extension of the starter the food kept coming out until it is all served

Grilled sea bass with green peppercorn sauce

Fabada white beans, chicken, chorizo and black pudding stew with a touch of saffron

Marinated artichoke salad, sweet peppers and olives, with green leaves throughout

Red onion, monchego and parsley tortilla

Arroz verde - green rice with loads of parsley, herbs, garlic and chilli

Steamed green beans with shaved almonds and sultanas

Sweet

Individual puddings to go in the centre of each table

Mini Pistachio flavoured cheesecake on small square plates

Chocolate and raspberry mousse, served in shot glasses

Little lemon posset – delicious!

Cheese

Fresh fig and Dolcelatté on walnut bread

Menu inspiration: Salmon Starter

Salmon Gravlax with wafer thin cured salmon, fennel and radish salad, fresh grapefruit

Menu Inspiration: Fulham Palace Wedding Menu

Something elegent and fresh for Joanne and Tristan's early Spring wedding at Fulham Palace.

Start
Portobello mushroom with parmesan, roasted garlic and thyme
with a demi tasse of wild mushroom soup, truffle oil

Homemade ciabatta, herb bread and butter

Main

Scottish fillet of beef served with dauphinoise potatoes,

wilted spinach, fine French beans, shallot tart tatin and a rich Burgundy jus

Finish
Warm caramelised pear and thyme tarte tatin
with fresh vanilla ice cream

(photo by Lloyd Dobbie)

The Royal Wedding: What they ate, When they ate it and Why

What a wonderful day, it made me so proud to be British! Especially the Royal Wedding menu which said so much about the wealth of incredible food we have in this country.

Unfortunately unlike many of my wedding industry friends who can comment on the dress, the venue, the hair and the flowers, I can only speculate on the look and taste of the food!As I predicted in this previous article, the theme around the food was “seasonal, local and organic”. Clarence House made sure to point out that “All the ingredients were carefully sourced from Royal Warrant holding companies using UK-based ingredients”. Free from French or strawberries - refreshingly unusual given Royal Wedding menus of the past!
Ingredients included: Gressingham duck, English goats cheese from Paxton and Whitfield, English asparagus, Welsh organic celery salt, langoustines from the North West Coast of Scotland, pork from the Cotswolds, English crayfish, Windsor Estate lamb, smoked haddock from the East Coast of Scotland, Beef from the Castle of Mey, selections in the North Highlands of Scotland and English rhubarb

1.30pm – The Canape Reception

A total 10,000 canapes were served to 650 guests over a two hour reception. Whilst this would have meant about 15 canapes per guest, I do feel a little sorry for those who had been inside Westminster Abbey since 9am and probably up since 6am.As predicted, every choice is an absolute bite-size classic, no spoons, no forks, no skewers or faff. The canapé selection was biased towards vegetarian options, five choices compared with four fish and four meat options. Believe it or not, choosing a lot of vegetarian options is a great way to ensure most guests are kept happy and fed. What did surprise me was that there were eight (eight!) sweet options - four bite sized puddings and four types of chocolate truffles - although I suspect proportionally less of these were served than the savoury options. Someone at the Palace clearly has a sweet tooth! Guests drank non-vintage champagne and soft drinks.

MEAT

Pressed Duck Terrine with Fruit Chutney
Grain Mustard and honey-glazed Chipolatas
Miniature Yorkshire Pudding with Roast Fillet of Beef and Horseradish Mousse
Bubble and Squeak with Confit Shoulder of Lamb

FISH
Cornish Crab Salad on Lemon Blini
Scottish Smoked Salmon Rose on Beetroot Blini
Scottish Langoustines with Lemon Mayonnaise Pressed Confit of Pork Belly with Crayfish and Crackling

Smoked Haddock Fishcake with Pea Guacamole

VEGETARIAN

Roulade of Goats Cheese with Caramelised Walnuts

Assortment of Palmiers and Cheese Straws

Miniature Watercress and Asparagus Tart

Poached Asparagus spears with Hollandaise Sauce for Dipping

Quails Eggs with Celery Salt

Wild Mushroom and Celeriac Chausson

SWEET
Gateau Opera
Blood Orange Pate de Fruit
Raspberry Financier
Rhubarb Crème Brulee Tartlet

CHOCOLATES
Passion Fruit Praline
White Chocolate Ganache Truffle
Milk Chocolate Praline with Nuts
Dark Chocolate Ganache Truffle

3pm-7pm – The Break
Take note if you are getting married earlier than 2pm: by including a “break” in proceedings, Kate and William have avoided two things; they have avoided a “black hole” in the momentum of the day and avoided feeding their guests twice (lunch and dinner). I imagine that guests that went to both the canapé reception and the evening reception appreciated the chance to refresh, recharge and have a small bite to eat to keep them going. I cannot stress enough how flat the atmosphere will be on your Wedding Day if you insist on having an early wedding and then don’t feed your guests properly or leave them hanging around in a black hole of proceedings. 2pm or 3pm remains my ideal time to get married.

7pm – The Black Tie Reception
300 closest friends and family gathered for the “party party” whilst The Queen, Prince Phillip and the young bridesmaids retired to bed. This time, guests were offered vintage pink champagne, peach bellinis and elderflower cocktails as they gathered for the formal meal.

8pm - Dinner in The Palace Ballroom

Decor was kept simple and elegant, tables with white flowers, candles and named after places special to the couple. By all accounts the table plan made sure to mix both Royals and the less regal guests to encourage a relaxed atmosphere. Details on the food are still coming through…

Start: Dressed Welsh crab with mini crab timbale, crayfish and prawns

Main: Highgrove Estate Lamb “done three ways”

Finish: Trio of mini-puddings: trifle, chocolate fondant and homemade ice-cream

11.30pm – Evening Buffet in The Throne Room
After speeches and fireworks, guests headed to a cocktail bar serving champagne, spirits and Mojito cocktails (I doubt it was a cash bar!) Bacon sandwiches and icecreams were served from food trucks in the courtyard for “survivors” before the hardcore party addicts headed back to the Goring for an afterparty.

Menu Inspiration: Champagne Canapes

The brief: to satisfy the equisite palates of a hundred guests who have come to drink rather than eat. Bovingdons recently catered for the French Trade Commission event showcasing the wares of twelve small domain French Champagne producers.

As you can see from this rather lovely thank you note, the secret to success was in providing great service and ensuring that the champagne flowed and flowed and flowed. The canapes were a mixture of flavours to compliment the champagne in both sight and taste. They were elegant, varied and interesting.

"Our event could only have been as successful as it was  because of your amazing team! Tony and Aini were fantastic! I am sure this was deliberate and that they were hand-picked etc but really they effortlessly ran the show. They were delightful to all of us, charming to our guests, nothing was too much trouble... of course the canapés were also sensational but that we already knew!"

Canapés

Scottish smoked salmon with cream cheese on baby bagel

Quails egg Royale

Fresh asparagus tortes

Blinis of crayfish tail with spaghetti of cucumber

Bruschetta topped with marinated eggplant and Chevre

Chopstick forks of seared magret of duck with honey dipping sauce

Mushroom croquettes

Vegetarian sushi roll with ginger

Lemon shortbread with blueberries
Almond biscotti with caramelised pear and mascarpone

British Asparagus... eating it!

Here are some wonderful ways to enjoy asparagus…

As a trio: asparagus torte, chargilled spears, a quails egg and a shot glass of cool asparagus vichyssoise (see left)

As an incredibly elegant starter…
Saturn bowl filled with a salad of fresh asparagus, artichoke hearts, blistered cherry tomatoes and avocado with chervil and mustard dressing

As a natural way of adding some drama to a salad…
Fresh hand made asparagus ravioli with herb emulsion and micro shoots

Spring take on pasta…
Rare roast Sirloin of beef with wild mushroom jus, chargrilled asparagus and thyme Talegio potatoes

As a perfect partner to some phenomenal centrepiece…
Asparagus bundles tied with chives served with a vanilla and pomegranate mayonnaise

A stylist ingredient in a working brunch…
Fresh asparagus soup with crème fresh and sage parmesan bread

Stand alone stand out soup…
Poussin with fresh asparagus stuffing, lemon risotto and tarragon tus

And two ideas from the British Asparagus Growers website ...
Gizzy Erskine’s British asparagus, broad bean, mint and mozzarella brushetta
Tiffany Goodall’s British asparagus Thai coconut curry

Menu Inspiration: Katherine and William, 29th April 2011

What will Katherine Middleton and Prince William be eating on their wedding day?

Here is what I would suggest serving if I was catering:

The style of the food will be secondary to phenomenal service - an essential to create a relaxed, loving feeling amongst the groom’s Royal family and the bride’s less than regal guests. The style will emphasise love and affection over pomp and circumstance. Think traditional bite size canapes (no shots, spoons or skewers) followed by a light Spring menu.

Canapés

Little minted pea tarts with sour cream and pea shoots

Herb blinis of smoked trout with gooseberry salsa

Cucumber cups of lemon tarragon chicken

Start

Home cured Scottish salmon with fennel Carpaccio

Main

Welsh new season cannon of lamb, new season Jersey Royals and baby vegetables

Sweet

British rhubarb trio

Rhubarb crumble, rhubarb braised with orange and rhubarb with ginger ice cream

Evening

Cornish cheeses

Menu Inspiration: Zara and Michael, 30th July 2011

What will Princess Zara and Mike Tindall be eating on their Wedding day?

Whatever they choose it will be one hell of a ball! I confess Zara is my top Royal and I would love to be a guest alongside the cream of international sport and the more fun loving royals. The style of food will be fun, simple and with plenty of carbohydrates - in short the best of British with lots of robust, masculine choices to sate the needs of hungry Rugby players.

Canapés

Mini bagels of smoked salmon and cream cheese

Potted prawns in melba baskets

Wraps of Norfolk duck with mango and spinach

Slow roasted Isle of Wight tomatoes on ricotta cakes with basil wafers

Start

Asparagus trio: Asparagus tortes, chargrilled asparagus with quail’s eggs and parmesan

beside a shot of asparagus Vichyssoise

Main

Scottish black beef or braised Salt Marsh lamb shanks

Sweet 

Cotswold mess – meringues, strawberries, cream and chocolate shavings

Evening

Bacon butties and mini hot dogs

Menu Inspiration: Brain Boost Menu

A menu to help ward off those post lunch yawns at your next conference.

Finger Foods

Wraps of avocado, tomato and mozzarella with olive tapenade

Mini bagels of smoked salmon and cream cheese
Freedom chicken goujons with homemade tomato sauce

Skewers of marinated prawns with chilli salsa

Petite sea trout gallette with sage mayonnaise

Salads

Sweet potato salad with spinach, pumpkin seeds and pinenuts

Mixed green salad with seeds and herbs

Sweet
Fresh fruit skewers of blueberries, pineapple and strawberries

Chocolate walnut brownies (using 80% rich cocoa)

Beverages

Iced lemon water

Green tea

Espresso shots

Royal Wedding Menu Ideas

How will our two thoroughly modern, very distinctive royal couples approach choosing their wedding menu?

Royal wedding receptions follow a fairly standard design - a large canapé reception followed by a smaller, more private dinner for around 120 guests, finishing with dancing and further merriment in the evening.

It’s worth remembering that whilst the Royal family are required to follow protocol, they always lead (rather than follow) fashion.

When it comes to choosing their food, I think that both couples have the confidence and maturity to make every aspect their own.

Out will go scripted French menus (so last century) and dishes named in honour of the bride and groom (far too egotistical). Instead, there will be utmost emphasis on provenance of the food. Not just lamb but Welsh Salt Marsh lamb, not just raspberries but Scottish organic raspberries; a selfless showcase of the very best British ingredients.

I will write the next two posts on my thoughts on what each couple will go for.

This article was originally published on The Wedding Community.

Menu Inspiration: Winter Comfort

One of the most popular dishes from the Christmas and winter period.

Start

Chermoula red mullet served with roasted baby fennel,

finished with lemon yoghurt and chive oil

Homemade rustic bread with butter

Main

Pistachio and shallot stuffed duck on a bed of celeriac mash

with confit Savoy cabbage and Marsala jus

Sweet

Mulled wine jelly, spiced winter fruits and cinnamon cream wafers

Photos from our Summer Soiree

Part 2: Food

Photos below (by Lloyd Dobbie) and the full menu can be seen by clicking here on this post: http://bovingdons.blogspot.com/2010/10/end-of-summer-soiree.html

Tapas station of whole hand carved Serrano ham, Manchego cheese, bruschetta and olives.

Quails egg Royale; brioche croutes, smoked salmon, poached quails eggs and hollandaise

 

Confit of duck with foie gras, Savoy cabbage and pickled peach relish

 Wild mushroom and truffle risotto balls

Black pudding gallette with spiced fig puree and serrano ham

Photos from the Summer Soiree

Part 1: People

Fabulous proffesionals from all over Surrey and London, fabulous flowers by Hybrid, fabulous food by Bovingdons, fabulous lighting by Duncan from Effectevent, all captured on film by fabulous Lloyd Dobbie.

Gathering around a bountiful table with a glass of fizz and great company.

Siobhan Craven-Robbins and Lester Gethings

Julie Gray with Michael White

Antonio Sanzari and Helen Carter

Our kitchen team hard at work

Benita

Solenne

End of Summer Soiree

Last week we threw an End of Summer Soiree at Nonsuch Mansion. A few friends, clients, hard working event planners in need of respite after a busy summer and a chance to take a breath before Christmas kicks in. So what to feed such fabulous people (aside from plenty of fizz)?

We started with conversation point centrepiece: a tapas station of whole hand carved Serrano ham, Manchego cheese, bruschetta and olives.

Followed by canapes:

* Confit of duck with foie gras, Savoy cabbage and pickled peach relish
* Black pudding gallette with spiced fig puree and serrano ham
* Mini beef and Autumn vegetable pies
* Quails egg Royale; brioche croutes, smoked salmon, poached quails eggs and hollandaise
* Crab and chickpea cakes with corned crab, spiced tomato chutney
* Spoons of orange cured sword fish with pickled cucumber
* Wild mushroom and truffle risotto balls
* Shots of warm white bean cappuccino topped with a tomato wafer
* Demi tasse of sticky toffee pudding with butterscotch sauce and clotted cream

Photos to follow shortly...

Multi-Sensory Eating

For a dish to be truly incredible, it needs to appeal to every sense. Taste, is only one tiny part of the reality of gastronomical enjoyment.

1. Sight - the saying “you eat with your eyes” is no exaggeration. This is the sense that overrides all others. If you don’t believe me, Google psychologist Paul Rozin and read about his experiments with fudge or visit Dans Le Noir restaurant and experience just how challenging it is to eat blindfolded. Our natural instincts draw us to fresh greens, red meats, vibrant fruits, natural colours – choose your dish accordingly. Also think about the size and shape of the plates - does it make the food look plentiful or stingy? If you are doing a lot of styling, how does the meal look on your chosen linen colour?

2. Smell – is biologically connected to taste, in fact smelling the food is in effect the first bite. Don’t make the food fight for attention with other smells. Consider your floral arrangements, lilies might make an incredible centrepiece but ask your florists to remove all bar a few of the stamens. For a more natural, more appetising perfume, ask your florist to use herbs in the displays. At one of our recent weddings, ribboned garlands of rosemary, sage and lavender were tied to the back of each chair releasing a soft scent of English summertime whenever guests moved. Never use scented candles or incense during the meal – it’s just too much. And of course, no smoking!

3. Sounds – one of Heston Blumenthal’s most infamous dishes is “Sound of the Sea” which is served with an iPod so that you can listen to waves crashing on a beach as you eat it. This, he believes, enhances the taste and helps people to take their time whilst savouring every mouthful. What music or sounds will accompany your meal? If you are providing your venue with an iPod for background music, make sure that the playlist avoids anything with a fast or heavy beat – your guests will be finished in seconds! My recommendation is soft jazz, gentle swing or classical guitar. If you’re printing a menu, read the food aloud (perhaps in your best impression of those M&S ads) and check that it sounds irresistible.

4. Touch – the texture of a dish is often overlooked, but it’s important to remember that your palette craves variety. If the main element of a dish is soft and creamy incorporate an element of crunch and vice versa. Think across the courses, for example a soup starter with brulee dessert is a mistake (too much liquid) as would a tomato tarte tatin starter with a lemon tarte dessert (too much pastry). Cream in every course is too much even for the most adamant Francophile. When it comes to styling, good cutlery, crystal glassware and crisp linen will all help to enhance the experience but the most important element of touch? Easy. A comfortable, wobble free chair with a good back and plush seat pad.

5. Taste - of course! In Western cultures, we describe taste in terms of four flavours: sweet, salty, sour and bitter. I prefer to use the Chinese palette philosophy with the added dimensions of spice (piquance) and savoury. This final flavour, known as “unami”, is that xfactor ingredient that makes you crave more and more. 100% natural ingredients, it’s becoming so popular that you can now buy “unami paste” in Waitrose. This is a fabulous product to have at home, it makes something ordinary food taste utterly delicious! I love using it and am thrilled that someone has captured “the fifth flavour” in a squeezy tube. Try it yourself http://www.laurasanttini.com/. Remember that whatever flavours you incorporate in your menu, good caterers will season to perfection, they may not even put condiments out (we don’t).

6. The Sixth Sense – never underestimate the power of intuitive service. Our managers have been called mind readers on more than one occasion and have the magical power to put guests completely at their ease. Meeting this final sense sets the best caterers apart from the rest.

Seven Course Summer Heaven

Every so often I am lucky enough to meet a couple for whom their special day is quite literally all about the food. Here is an example of a seven course degustation menu which I took great delight in creating for Daniel and Frank.

Some course choices are personal to their story, some were inspired by their travels, some were just an excuse for a seasonal treat. Everything was utterly delicicious and enjoyed over the course of a long midsummer's evening by sixty special guests in The Orangery, Holland Park.

Canapés

Wasabi seared beef and watermelon with pickled ginger and coriander

Ricotta cakes with oven roasted plum tomatoes and basil

Fresh herb blinis simply topped with crayfish tails and a spaghetti of cucumber

First Wine:

Lugana Doc Trentino, Tenuta Rovegelia, Italy

Amuse Bouche

Demi tasse of chilled grape and white almond soup

Starter

Ham hock ravioli with pea veloute and truffle oil

served in a saturn bowl

Second Wine:

Chablis, Henri La Fontaine, France

Fish

Stuffed sardine

filled with pine nuts, brioche, chervil and raisins

Sorbet

Lemon, parsley and gin sorbet

served in saucer champagne glass with lemon slices

Third Wine:

Gigondas Domaine de la haute Marone, France

Main

Guinea fowl filled with spinach and ricotta

on smoked garlic mash, wilted spring greens and tarragon jus

Cheese

Trio of European cheese

with membrillo, grapes and walnut bread

Dessert

Sicilian lemon cheesecake with macadamia crust,

lime mousse with frosted berries and glazed tarte au citron.

Aperitif

White sambuca shots with coffee beans

To Finish

Fine tea, cafetiere coffee and fresh mint tea

Hand made petits four

In Season - British Asparagus

Be quick! You've not got long to enjoy this superfood delicacy. Asparagus has a teasingly short and notoriously unpredictable season which falls sometime between May and June depending on the fickle British weather. I am reliably informed by the British Asparagus Growers Association website that the 2010 season is well and truly here.

Appropriately perhaps for an aphrodisiac, the key to ensuring the best flavour is tenderness rather than length or girth. Colour is a good indicator, seek light green with closed tips and a hint of purple. British Asparagus is a hand grown crop which requires a huge investment of time and patience for a relatively low yield. Cooking it however, is almost totally the opposite case!

 - Simple: Steamed with a splash of olive oil, black pepper and parmesan

 - Hot: Fresh asparagus soup with crème fraiche and sage and parmesan bread

 - Brunch: Asparagus bundles tied with chives served with a vanilla and pomegranate mayonnaise

 - Fish: Asparagus icecream with salmon toasts - recipe here!

 - Main: Pan roast asparagus with rare roast beef, wild mushroom jus, thyme and talegio potatoes

 - Summer Buffet: Prosciutto or Parma ham involtini of chargrilled asparagus

 - Stuffed: Baby Pousin with fresh asparagus stuffing, lemon risotto, French beans and tarragon jus

 - Vegetarian: Fresh handmade asparagus ravioli with herb emulsion and micro shoots

Westminster's Vote Winning BBQ

What do you think of when you think of Westminster? Politics? The election? When I think of Westminster I immediately think of prime Scottish beef.

No, not the PM! I mean delicious meat sizzling on a barbeque. Why? Because for the last eight years, summer at Westminster Abbey Gardens for Bovingdons means the privilege of catering at the annual Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board event (formerly the Meat and Livestock Commission).

As you can imagine, this showcase offers the biggest variety and best possible quality of this country's meat - Scottish beef, Welsh lamb, English sausages... every single ingredient (including the sauces) must be of British origin, the meat must be labelled and fully traceable almost right to the animals name. My yearly challenge as appointed caterer is to surpass my last menu.  It's an irresistible brief for Chef David and I. We have just pitched our ideas for 2010 but my lips are sealed! Instead, here are just some of the items from the 2009 barbeque to tempt the carnivore in you.

Canapes

Seared fillet of British beef in little Yorkshire puddings with horseradish cream

Crisp new potatoes filled with dry cure smoked bacon and English blue cheese

Little spiced lamb and aubergine falafel

BBQ

Conisbees Cumberland pork sausages

Home and hand made beef burgers with chilli and fresh parsley

Shoulder of lamb, marinated in garlic and lavender yoghurt

British pork shoulder steaks with apricot glaze
Sticky BBQ lamb slices

Salads

Minted new potato mayonnaise

Roasted vegetable with red onions, purple basil and barley

Garden leaf and herb salad with rape seed oil dressing

Tomato and cucumber salad with Bovingdons honey dressing

Condiments

Good grain mustard

Home made mayonnaise

Good horseradish sauce

Bovingdons Famous BBQ sauce

Dessert

Mini waffle cones of assorted sorbets

Bowls of delicious Eton Mess with strawberries and cream

Cheese

English, Scottish and Welsh Cows cheese

with crostini fingers and oatcakes 

Breads

A selection of rustic country breads made with Doves flour

(and yes, of course the full menu includes a fair proportion of vegetarian, Halal and special diet considerations)