Tea and Cake

A couple of tempting photos from Nonsuch Pantry, The little cafe besides our venue Nonsuch Mansion. You may remember we opened back in July (Nonsuch Pantry reopened) and things continue to go from strength to strength amoungst the cake loving Surrey park visitors. 

The Millionairres Shortbread is particularly popular...

Creative Ways to Serve Coffee

Ensure whatever coffee you serve is freshly ground, gently roasted and served strong.

 * Serve from an Espresso Tricycle

 * Create a tea station, with a tea sommelier ready to offer Teapigs flavours  … teapigs, tisanes and fabulous petit fours

  * Get creative, expand beyond the usual into chai frappe, hot toddys, mulled teas...

  * Build a coffee themed cocktail bar serving iced coffees and fresh coffee martinis

Big Picture

Mushroom duo plate with baked Portabello mushroom and a demi tasse of wild mushroom soup. Hearty, warming, perfect for Winter.

Photo by Lloyd Dobbie http://www.lloyddobbie.com/blog/

Thank you

Dear Julie,
Just to say how absolutely magnificently everything went last night. Maurizio was amazingly supportive to me, and so was everyone else. It was quite clear that each person had been carefully trained, and they all did so much to make the whole evening the success it was. The service was superb, and everyone was full of praise for the food, even one very senior television executive who goes to such things all the time. As someone else with lots of experience of entertainment (ex-head of the Publishers' Association) said to me today, "not only delicious food but stylish as well"... I've been enormously impressed by your grip and attention to detail and willingness to do that bit more ... It's little things like always acknowledging e-mails quickly and giving up time to talk, and coming yourself to check that things would be all right."
All my thanks, Helen

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

Thank you

Dear Tony, We really can't thank you enough for all your hard work last Friday. The set up and management of the entire day was exceptional, and all the staff were fantastic - helpful, friendly and smiling all day.  It far exceeded my expectations, it really was fantastic.  Many guests also commented on the fabulous service and staff.  As to how you got away in the evening, I don't know....those remaining guests looked pretty settled! I can't say how impressed we've been with you, Tony, and Bovingdons generally, you're part of a fantastic organisation, and I won't be able to recommend you enough.... we were made to feel as though it was the most important day for everyone involved.  Thanks again for all your efforts on our behalf - I can honestly say it was the happiest day. Hopefully paths will cross again, one day. Warm regards Alison

VOWS - Get Your Tickets Now! - 11th October 2011

We are delighted to announce that Bovingdons will be the catering experts at a brand new, very exclusive wedding event called VOWS on 11th October 2011 in London.

VOWS - Visualise Our Wedding Secrets

VOWS is the brainchild of Chelsea Bidwill of Beyond Weddings, a bespoke gift list service, who has joined forces with wedding planner Sarah Ducker from SJD Events, to bring together the best of the wedding industry with brides-to-be and couples. The objective and vision is to bring together experts for this exclusive wedding event which offers something completely different. There are no obligations, brides-to-be can share in a wealth of industry knowledge, ask questions and receive advice in a relaxed environment, all without the sales pitches and overwhelming handfuls of fliers often received at traditional wedding fairs.

"We are bringing together experts for this exclusive wedding event which offers something completely different. Where there are no obligations, brides-to-be can share in a wealth of industry knowledge, ask questions and receive advice in a relaxed environment, all without the sales pitches and overwhelming handfuls of fliers often received at traditional wedding fayres."

VOWS is strictly a non selling event, it's an opportunity for brides and couples to meet some of the country's top wedding experts, chat informally and receive exclusive advice and hints.

Tickets at £15.00 are available online at www.vowsblog.co.uk.

A taster of other suppliers attending the event, to just name a few:
* Caterer ~ Bovingdons Catering
* Photographer David Burgess from Blink Weddings
* Wedding stylist Lynn Crean ~ London Wedding Dress Finder
* Cake Designer ~ Hall of Cakes
* Champagne House ~ French Bubbles
* Calligraphy / Stationery ~ Paul Antonio Scribe
* Pre-Nuptials ~ Fisher Meredith
* Wedding Coordinator ~ Siobhan Craven-Robins
* Photographer Julia Boggio ~ Julia Boggio Photography
* Lighting expert Duncan Owen ~ Effect Event Lighting
* Florists Jaqui and Fiona ~ Lifebloom Floristry 
* Jeweler Patrick Wyatt ~ Patrick Wyatt 

What a team you all make...

What a team you all make...

We had the BEST day ever thanks to you and we’ve included some of the comments below but none of it would have been possible without your support throughout.

Julie, you were totally my rock from start to finish...  I loved your honesty! Tony, you were a tremendous support on the day and you seemed completely calm from the start and it was a great relief to know that Laura and Benita were always at the end of a phone line.

from Mr and Mrs Baldwin

http://www.captureit.co.uk/blog/

Political Event at Leighton House

Dear Julie,
I just wanted to write to say a BIG THANK YOU for last night. Everything went perfectly – and your whole team was exceptionally friendly and efficient.
I also really appreciated your complete flexibility right up until the last minute – it made everything so much easier.
Thanks again, and best wishes,
Head of Events, Policy Exchange

Menu
* Ricotta cakes with slow roasted vine tomatoes and basil wafers
* Fresh pea tarts with minted crème fraiche and pea shoots
* Cucumber boxes filled with a feta, mint with purple shiso cress
* Mini bagels of smoked salmon and cream cheese
* Quails egg Royale – brioche, smoked salmon and hollandaise
* Baby new potatoes with smoked haddock soufflé
* Rare roast beef served on watermelon cubes with pickled ginger
* Bowls of hot Cumberland sausages with honey and mustard
* Wraps of spring chicken with fresh mango and spinach
* Waffles cones of lemon and raspberry mousse

Fabulous London Marquee Wedding Part 2: The Menu

Amuse Bouche: Bloody Mary shots

Start: Vodka cured salmon tian with avocado, mascarpone and micro shoots

Homemade herb, lemon and wholemeal bread 

Carved at the TableRoast Loin of Pork, stuffed with apricots and sage, rich cider jus, apple sauce, mustard and crackling 

Shared: Dauphinoise, Roasted beets, carrots, fennel, red onion and zucchini, Fine French beans, shallots and garlic

Desert for the Girls: Sicilian lemon Cheesecake, shots of passion fruit jelly

Passion fruit marshmallows and chocolate dipped strawberries

Desert for the Boys: Molten chocolate fondan, Harrow mess

Chocolate dipped strawberries

London Marquee Wedding Part 1: The Style

This wedding was an absolute delight to cater for. Essential to its success was an incredibly fun, relaxed couple, their lovely (seriously lovely) guests, a fabulous marquee in a London square and a very well behaved Jack Russell.

To get a sense of how wonderful it was, you really should watch this video: (by DreamCatchers) http://vimeo.com/25966691

Let me set the scene: the couple were owners of the most adorable Jack Russell and in his honour, each of the tables was named after a breed of dog (Labrador, Spaniel, Dalmatian) and decorated with a canine topiary master piece – I have never seen anything like it, it shouldn’t have worked but it really did.

The couple wanted a “interactive and fun but still formal” menu so we opted to create stuffed pork loins that could be carved at each table by a specially chosen guest. This was kept a surprise from the “chief carvers” until they found a personalised chefs hat, apron and a knife at their place setting. The couple also wanted an element of tongue-in-cheek (lots of vodka) and to finish with a separate desert for girls and boys: dark and masculine vs light and fruity.

Venue: a Marquee in St Peters Square, London

Photographer: Capture It http://www.captureit.co.uk/

Videographer: Dream Catchers http://www.thedreamcatchers.co.uk/

The Pantry - Nonsuch Mansion Cafe

Some photos of our latest venture, The Pantry, a little cafe besides Nonsuch Mansion. Fresh food, good company and delicious coffee.

Our famous Millionaires Shortbread.