Wet Weather - fail to plan or plan to fail!

As an event planner you can not choose to ignore the unpredictable British weather. Instead you can choose to accept it, embrace it or even to enjoy it!

Take this Fulham Palace wedding for example. Reception drinks were planned for garden but the forecast was looking heavy so we moved the reception to the Chaplains Garden and booked a transparent, clear span marquee. 

The marquee in the photos below is a transparent clear span. We put it on four meter legs which gave it three foot extra height but ten times the visual impact.

Here are ten of the ways that we ensured their wedding marquee stayed pristine and beautiful:

1.  took plenty of absorbent door mattes for set up
2.  ensured all suppliers remove their shoes before entering during set up
3.  asked set-up staff to have slip on shoes and spare pairs
4.  offered guests a box of plastic foot covers at the door 
5.  double-checked (and checked again) the car park for flooding and mud
6.  hid all lighting in the marquee boarders to ensure the ceiling was free of ugly rigging
7.  brought spare carpet and changed the mats throughout the night as they get dirty
8.  provided umbrellas and somewhere for guests to put them 
9.  positioned site loos as close to marquee as we could
10.  added sofas and a chill out zone with a full bar so that guests didn't want to leave!

Photos by Olivia Mann http://www.oliviamann.com 

The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Lunch - A Message on a Plate

To end a weekend full of celebration, Her Majesty The Queen is dining inside the magnificent Westminster Hall with 700 guests.

I wanted to deconstruct the menu for you because as well as being delicious, this menu is clever. The choices show both the sumptuous quality of British ingredients and (more importantly from my perspective) the power of a well presented menu and it's ability to communicate.

Look closely at the ingredients. They have been sourced from each corner of the British Isles from the Outer Hebrides to the Isle of Wight and Jersey. They give a nod to her favourite places and palaces and Royal projects on sustainable farming.

Make no mistake, every single ingredient and flavour has been very, very carefully and purposefully selected to create a "message on a plate".

CANAPES

Served with
 - Nyetimber Classic Cuvée 2007, Sparkling English Wine
 - Sandringham Apple Juice

Nyetimber sparkling wine is from West Sussex and consistently comes top in the world sparkling wine championships. Raising a glass of British fizz is a very symbolic choice.
http://www.nyetimber.com/

START
 - Marinated Uist Island salmon with Lyme Bay crab
 - Fresh Herb Salad with Lemon Soy Dressing

 - Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc, Bué Loire Valley, France 2011

This initial dish instantly brings together the furthest ends of the British Isles, it is as close to "from John O'Groats to Lands End" as ingredients can get. Delicious strong flavours of salmon from the Outer Hebrides combined with the sweet brown crab meat from the cost of Devon and Cornwall.

MAIN
 - Saddle of Welsh Cambrian Mountain lamb with braised shoulder of lamb,
 - grilled Isle of Wight asparagus, Jersey Royal potatoes and Jubilee sauce
 - Château Cap de Faugères, Côte-de-Castillon, France 2007

Lamb is the most used meat on Royal menus, it was served in abundance at both Royal Wedding Menus in 2011 (read what they ate in my earlier article on the Royal Wedding Menu).

The source of the meat is key. At the Royal Wedding the meat was sourced from Prince of Wales estate in Highgrove (Gloucestershire). The breed of lamb chosen for The Queen's Diamond Jubilee lunch has similar Royal connections, Welsh Cambrian Mountain lamb are part of a Prince of Wales co-operative initiative working with farmers. They are reared using traditional and sustainable farming practices on open hills with no fences. Read more here... http://www.cambrianmountains.co.uk/out-produce/cambrian-lamb  

As well as being seasonal and delicious (a vital aspect of any good menu) sweet Isle of Wight asparagus and earthy Jersey Royal potatoes are both native British vegetables that have been grown here for thousands of years. Once again, both of these ingrediants appeared on last years Royal Wedding menus. I am glad they were able to get some asparagus as the recent floods caused rather a shortage of crop this year. Did you know that Jersey Royal is a trademark? They are also covered by an EU Protected Designation of Origin. 

http://www.british-asparagus.co.uk/

http://www.jerseyroyals.co.uk/

I can only guess at what the Jubilee sauce contains, I imagine a light but tart berry based sauce.

DESERT 
The "Symphony of Dessert":

 - chocolate delice

 - bread and butter pudding
 - berry compote and Sandringham apple sauce

Throughout history, it is the Royal desert that presents chefs with the greatest opportunity of creating a meaningful course. Countless deserts and puddings have been named in honour of British Kings and Queens.

Music is the chosen theme here, apt for a day after the big concert at Buckingham Palace and perhaps even a nod to the National Children's Orchestra of Great Britain who will be playing during this special lunch.
http://www.nccgb.com/

Bread and butter pudding is very British, a sweet dish in this country since the 1700's. This is also a very nostalgic choice, again an aptly chosen theme for the weekend.

Rich, decadent chocolate speaks for itself! I like to think it has been sourced within the Commonwealth countries, perhaps St Lucia where Prince Charles recently visited a plantation http://www.hotelchocolat.co.uk/chocolate-factory-Aroyalvisit/ then again perhaps I am taking my foodie analysis too far.

It is no surprise that the desert includes fruit from The Queen's Sandringham estate. As well as being her private country retreat since her 1952 Coronation, the estate produces an incredibly diverse array of produce on its 6,400 hectares of farmland and 80 hectares of orchards and soft fruit (she even grows blackcurrants for Ribena!) http://www.sandringhamestate.co.uk/

These apples complete the compass of British ingredients:

North - Uist island salmon (Outer Hebrides)

South - Lyme Bay Crab (Dorset coast)

East - Sandringham apples (Norfolk)

West - Cambrian Mountain Lamb (Aberystwth)

TO FINISH

 - Ceylon Tea, Fairtrade Coffee and Petit Fours

In a menu of this enormity, even the tea has a special meaning. The Ceylon Bush Tea was planted by the Duke of Edinburgh during a state visit to Sri Lanka in 1954. 

Birthday Dinner at The Orangery

The Brief

A relaxed summer party in the park, laid back Italian sophistication meets high class West London style. A warm, friendly greeting and champagne reception, a seated dinner with informal and impromptu toasts throughout, coffee, cake, cheese and digestives in the marquee on the lawn and cocktails  and conversation into the night.
The Menu
Canapes
  - Rare roast fillet of beef on watermelon cubes with pickled ginger and coriander
  - Chorizo and Cumberland sausages with roasted red pepper ketchup
  - Ricotta cakes with slow roasted vine tomatoes and basil wafers
  - Smoked salmon, poached quails egg on brioche croute with hollandaise
  - Mini bagels of smoked salmon and cream cheese

Start 

Home cured salmon, fennel carpaccio, pink grapefruit with purple shiso and radish salad

Great seeded granary sour dough bread

Main

Breast of guinea fowl filled with spinach and ricotta, confit of leg, smoked garlic mash, wilted greens and tarragon jus

Desert 

Retro Trio of chocolate profiteroles, strawberry and blueberry pavlova and a Sicilian lemon cheesecake

Cheese

An elegant grazing station full of delicious and yummy cheeses

Drinks

  - Champagne

  - Peroni

  - Apple Fez (soft cocktail)

  - Bottles of Russian Vodka at the table for shots

  - Gavi di Gavi http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cortese_di_Gavi

Late Evening Cocktails 

  - Express Martini

  - Amaretto Sour

  - Lemoncello fizz

Here is the thank you from the grateful ospite...

"Well it is now one month since the big event at The Orangery and I have been travelling quite a lot since then so I have not had the chance to email you, but I do want to say that it really was the most FANTASTIC evening.  It took me at least two weeks to recover from all the fun.

The tent worked brilliantly for pre and post dinner drinks, so glad we had it.  The food was wonderful...everyone has commented on this, and the late evening cocktails were VERY popular.  And the beer and champagne were COLD. And there were no olives or capers to be seen anywhere !!!

The organiser for the evening, Tony, was excellent and so accommodating...

Thanks again for everything...Bovingtons are THE BEST"

BW

12 London Venues for 2012

Our choices to reflect the essence of what makes London great – individuality, achievement and diversity.  

Leighton House: a magical house in Kensington with an Arab Hall and a walled garden

www.rbkc.gov.uk/museums

45 Millbank: Right on the river Thames

www.45millbank.com

The Magic Circle: mysterious Euston based steeped in history 

www.magiccirclevenue.co.uk

St Catherine’s Gardens: A beautiful space within tranquil Westminster Abby, calm and tranquil.

www.westminster-abbey.org

LSO St Lukes - High-tech versatility inside the home of the world famous symphony orchestra.

www.lso.co.uk

Kew Steam Museum - power, strength and industry - great for team building.

www.kbsm.org

Fulham Palace - historic setting with courtyard, marquee and a maze of rooms to hire

www.fulhampalace.org

Trinity House - Stunning and right opposite the Tower of London

www.thetrinityhouse.org

Flamsteed House, Royal Observatory Greenwich - Octagon Room perfect for small, dinners

www.rmg.co.uk

The Cloisters at Westminster Abbey - for soirées up to 250

www.westminster-abbey.org

The Orangery Holland Park - party amongst the peacocks in this versatile garden space

www.rbkc.co.uk

The Queens House - part of the National Maritime Museum, grand and elegant. 

www.rmg.co.uk/queens-house

Mondrian Inspired Menu

Canapés
- smart and stylish, easy to eat, hard to forget
- served with Pink Moet and Chandon, Campari, Martini Rosso, Vodka Martinis
* Poached organic salmon in cucumber cups with lemon mayonnaise
* Ricotta cakes with oven roasted plum tomatoes and basil
* Quails egg Benedict
* Mini Lobster Thermidor

Dinner
- retro nostalgia meets millennial chic served with perfectly matched Australian wines

Start - ‘Prawn Cocktail’
Main - Beef Wellington with Dauphinoise potatoes and fresh spring vegetables
Desert - Molten Black Forrest Dessert
Finish - Espresso coffees, freshly made tea, tisanes and assorted biscotti

After Dinner Reception
– retro and colourful cocktails mixed and served from the cocktail bar

* Vodka Martini – vodka, vermouth, olives (martini glass)
* Blue Hawaiian – blue curacao, white rum, pineapple juice (hurricane glass)
* Tom Collins – Gin, lemon juice sugar and soda (hi-ball)
* Sloe Gin Fizz – Sloe gin, fresh lemon and soda (blue glasses)

Mondrian Inspired Party at Kew Bridge Steam Museum

A birthday party for a high flying, distinguished Australian gentleman inspired by The Swinging Sixties - chiefly the distinctive block colours of Mondrian prints.

Styling included menus created from Beatles inspired album covers using photos from of the birthday boys life. We also helped to arranged some show stopping Sixties entertainment with a singer popping out of a cake to serenade the crowd with a medley of 1960s hits. Everyone up of their chairs and dancing.

After dinner, guests were treated to ‘Blue Lagoon’ cocktails in hurricane glasses (complete with paper cocktail parasols of course) whilst the room was transformed into a kitch black and white dance floor. A classic rock 'n' roll band took the stage and the guests then danced the night away to the Beatles, Rolling Stones, the Kinks and The Monkees.

All photos c/o the ever amazing Mark Columbus  http://www.markcolombus.com/

 

If you would like to hold an event at the Kew Bridge Steam Museum, call us for more information 020 8874 8032.

Fulham Palace Fabulous Wedding

The wedding was amazing; people are still talking about how nice the pork was!

Tony was a blessing on the day and all the staff worked really hard and made it a perfect day. The cocktails were very popular as was the cheese (although neither M nor I had any cheese!)

Here are some pictures; there are some great carving action shots!

Thanks for all your hard work and advice we really do appreciate it.

C&M

Big Picture: Lemon Posset

Guests enjoying shots of lemon posset with raspberries in The Orangery, Holland Park. Photo by Paul Archer www.paularcher-uk.com

The Orangery Photos

Some photos from a celebration at The Orangery, Holland Park, taken by Paul Archer of http://www.paularcher-uk.com.

Thank you!

Dear Julie,

Ted and I want to say a huge thank you to you, Tony and the rest of the team at Bovingdons for making Saturday such a wonderful day for us.

Everything was absolutely perfect: the food was delicious, The Orangery Holland Park looked magical and the up-lighters created a wonderful warm glow for the photographs.  Above all you and Tony ensured that the day went so smoothly and the professional attentiveness of Tony and the team on the day was hugely appreciated. 

Nothing was too much trouble, our guests were looked after extremely well and every detail was executed beautifully!  Words cannot capture just how fantastic a day Ted and I had, and Bovingdons played the leading role in ensuring that was the case. 

It was also such fun organising it with you and I want to say a really heartfelt thank you for that - never has a control freak felt so relaxed both in the run up to the day and on the day itself!

with grateful thanks and best wishes

Hilary and Ted Tuppen

The Sergeant Pepper

A simple recipe for a cocktail that's guaranteed to raise a smile this weekend!

Muddle gin, chilli, basil and elderflower together in a glass, fill the glass with crushed ice, then top with cloudy apple juice
No need for a garnish as the chilli and basil are colourful enough.
Enjoy and have a wonderful Christmas!

Exclusive Director's Event: Part 3: The Thank you

We just got this lovely follow up and photos from the Exclusive Director's Event (see Part 1: The Brief and Part 2: The Menu) at the Kew Bridge Steam Museum.

“I would rate Bovingdons as 5* for customer service as they truly go above and beyond.

It is not often we find a supplier who fits so well with our approach to achieve high quality results. Quick to understand from a limited brief, good fun and great to work with.”

Emily, Account Director, Glass Page Events www.glass-page.com