Westminster Abbey Gardens: Youth Olympics Event: Part 1: The Menu

Here's an example of one of our menus from a high-profile event at Westminster Abbey Gardens held during 2012. As I've mentioned before, Westminster Abbey Gardens is an exclusive venue, open briefly every summer for a few short weeks. Places in the diary are highly sort after.

This particular menu was served to 350 high profile guests at an event to celebrate the success of the Balfour Beatty London Youth Games, Europe's biggest youth sports event. Guests included customers, MPs, Lords, Olympians and members of the London Assembly.

We designed the menu to be a balanced mix of two bite finger food that was passed amoungst guests as they enjoyed archery, badminton and table tennis demonstrations and applauded the award presentations.

Vegetarian 
Cucumber boxes filled with a fresh salad of feta, lemon and parsley, topped with purple shiso cress
Rice paper wraps of mint and palm sugar marinated vegetables and tofu

Sultana bread croute with Dolcelatte, fresh fig and balsamic caramel

Fish
Mini Quails egg Royale
Baked jersey Royals and sour cream

Meat
Wraps of smoked chicken with  mango and spinach
Carpaccio of beef on Truffled crostini with rocket pesto and shoots
Ras el hanout lamb with baba Ganoush caviar 

To find out more about this event see http://www.balfourbeatty.com/index.asp?pageid=43&blogid=42

13 Perfect Canapes for your 2013 Summer Party

Bovingdons help our clients ensure their summer events are "even better than last year".

The tasty menu below works perfectly for a drinks reception with canapés and should be served a lovely Prosecco, with Pimms. Call us for more information 020 8874 8032.

A balanced, delicious menu of bitesize morsels, easy to eat, light yet satisfying.

Vegetarian

Broad bean and pecorino falafel with lemon yoghurt dip

Cucumber cups with feta, mint and parsley

Rosemary shortbreads with goat’s cheese and tomato chutney

Sultana bread croutes with Dolcelatté and balsamic glazed fresh figs

Fish

Wraps of cured salmon with fennel carpaccio

Dukkah crusted, seared tuna loin in smoked paprika

Skewers of lemon grass and chilli marinated king prawns

Meat

Macadamia blini, rare beef, honey and truffle with a rocket pesto

Chicken and lemongrass boudine, toasted jasmine rice and a cucumber relish

Confit duck, savoy cabbage with peach relish

Sweet

Waffle cones of summer sorbets and ice-creams (below)

Spoons of vanilla pannacotta with vanilla infused peaches and lavender syrup

Homemade passion fruit marshmallows

Long Table at The Orangery

Our own snaps of a beautiful long table at The Orangery in Holland Park. Less is so often more.

A Stylish Italian Wedding Part 2: The Menu

Start

English asparagus duo 

Asparagus vichyssoise 

Petite salad with quails eggs

Home made herb bread a wide selection 

of semi dried tomato, rosemary and olive breads

Main

Guinea fowl: breast and confit leg

with smoked garlic mash potato, savoy cabbage, 

French beans and char-grilled courgettes

Baked butternut squash, feta, sage and pinenut strudel

with smoked garlic mash potato, savoy cabbage,

French beans and char-grilled courgettes

Finish

Apple tart tartin with rich vanilla icecream

Espresso coffee, teas and petit fours served to the table

To see other photos, see A Stylish Italian Wedding: Part 1: The Venue

Photos by Kjersten Madden http://www.kjrstenmadsenblog.com/2012/07/francesca-david.html 
For more information on Weddings at The Orangery in Holland Park email us info@bovingdons.co.uk

A Stylish Italian Wedding: Part 1: The Venue

We enjoyed helping this stylish Italian couple organise their wedding from Rome. They had met in London and had lived near Holland Park, so The Orangery was a perfect and meaningful location for them.

Planning from so far away, Francesca and David keenly took advantage of our bespoke wedding planning services, particularly our suggested suppliers many of whom were used on the day including:

Photos: Kjrsten Madsen http://www.kjrstenmadsenblog.com/2012/07/francesca-david.html

Flowers: Mary Jane Vaughan www.maryjanevaughan.co.uk

Cake: The Cake Parlour www.zoeclarkcakes.com

To see the menu we designed for them, read A Stylish Italian Wedding: Part 2: The Menu 

 Wedding at The Orangery in Holland Park, for details please email infor@bovingdons.co.uk

25 years ago today...

Today is a very special date here at Bovingdons - it is 25 years to the day since Andrew and I started the business. 1987 feels like yesterday!

Although my motto has always been "we're only as good as our last job", this seemed like a prime opportunity for me to share a little of the past with you.

See below - I've compiled a list of 25 things you might not know about Bovingdons. I've included the big milestones, a little nostalgia, some impressive figures and some fond (and not so fond) memories of some of our more notable jobs. I really could write a book!

I've also found a photo of one of our first plates of canapes - I hope it makes you chuckle as much as I did! Thank goodness us caterers left the doilies in the 1980s.

My thanks to all our loyal clients, our fabulous suppliers and my trusted team; the last 25 years have flown by and everyday has been different. One thing that remains the same; the team and I absolutely love the challenges that being an event caterer brings.

2013 is guaranteed to be another vintage year for Bovingdons, you can expect exiting new venue contracts (more details soon), growth, awards and plenty of foodie inspiration from the Bovingdons team. Onwards and upwards!

25 years - 25 facts, figures and memories

1. Bovingdons was incorporated on Sunday 29th November 1987.

2. Our first office was in Esterbrooke Street, SW1 - we're now in our own unit in Wandsworth.

3. We shared our first office with another small foodie start-up called Pret-a-Manger. We supplied their first three shops from 1982 and I think we stopped at 18 shops in 1992.

4. Our first contracted client was Christies. Lunch for eight, three times a week.

5. It only used to cost 20p to park at the meter outside their offices - no congestion charge in the 1980s!

6. Five of our first clients are still our clients today.

7. We feed over 40,000 guests every year, not just in London but at events across the south of England.

8. Most challenging brief - a chocolate menu for a beauty launch held on a 40 degree day in a greenhouse. Mission accomplished.

9. Most expensive menu - £620 a head plus wine and service. Seven spectacular courses for seven very happy diners. Email me if you'd like to know what they ate!

10. Proudest "show must go on" moment - convincing six local restaurants to let us use their ovens to cook a saddle of lamb for 80 when the venue ovens blew.

11. Most stressful moment - running up Victoria High Street to pick up Noilly Prat and gin for HM The Queen Mother (her office had told us "she will not be drinking" - ma'am was not amused!)

12. Worst nightmare - making 500 bowls of jelly for Noel Edmond's Late, Late, Breakfast Show. Urgh.

13. Biggest event - a corporate Christmas party for 3,000 in a marquee in Isleworth. Three courses served to over 3,000 in 1.5 hours, military precision!

14. Quickest main course service - our record is 660 covers in 11 minutes at Vinopolis - the organisers thought it was impossible but we proved them wrong! It was all caught on camera too.

15. Most canapes served in a single night - 12,000, even more impressive when you consider that some of them were made to order!

16. We still make our own bread and stocks - always have, always will.

17. There have only ever been five Head Chefs at Bovingdons.

18. Our longest serving member of staff is our trusted Kitchen Porter Mickey who's been with us for 16 years.

19. We have one of the lowest staff turnovers in the industry with the average stay of 4.5 years.

20. Andrew and I still work on and in the business everyday.

21. The oldest piece of equipment in our kitchen is the radio - it is on every day from 5am until late. Yes the chefs are often singing.

22. We won our first venue contract in 1993 for The Orangery, Holland Park and Leighton House and still cater there today.

23. In 2009 we launched our first venue, Nonsuch Mansion in Cheam, Surrey.

24. We celebrated our 15th birthday in 2003 by rebranding and building ourselves a new thing called a "website" http://www.bovingdons.co.uk.

25. One of the only menu items that's stood the test of time is smoked salmon and leeks nests with quails eggs - a faultless classic.

Thank you for reading! Do stay in touch.

1987 canapes vs 2012 canapes - as you can see, quite a difference!

Private Dinners - Less is More

Here's a photo of our latest private dinner. Less is definitely more.

Starter

Wild mushroom ravioli
served with a light herb emulsion, micro shoots

Main

Loin of monkfish wrapped in pancetta
with olive oil mash, wilted spinach, crispy sage and a natural jus

Dessert

Fresh Vanilla panna cotta, Roasted peach, amaretto syrup and praline wafers

To Finish

Espresso coffee

Biscotti and homemade truffles

The Queen's House - Gold!

We have loved seeing one of our favourite venues, The Queen's House, Greenwich, starring on our screens throughout the equestrian events of these Olympic Games.

If you would like to hold an event at The Queen's House, email us info@bovingdons.co.uk

More photographs here... http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/gallery/2012/jul/31/team-gb-silver-olympics-equestrian-in-pictures#/?picture=393889973&index=0

A Wet, Heartfelt Thank you

A heartfelt thank you from a corporate client whose high profile, outdoor event at Westminster Abbey Gardens was threatened by terrible weather (and a late vote) yet we ensured that 350 guests still had a wonderful time.


Dear Julie,

I know I said it last night but I just wanted to re-iterate the hugest of thank yous to you and your fantastic team for helping to make our event the huge success it turned out to be.

Despite the weather, the votes... you absolutely were integral in making the evening and going beyond the call of duty to help us in other areas outside of your direct remit!

It was the hugest of pleasures to meet and work with you and I could go on for days about the food and cocktails!  But hopefully, suffice to say that I would look to work with you again at the drop of a hat and only hope, firstly that we get the occasion soon, and secondly that you would infact work with us again.

The feedback from the client has already been superlative - I think he may still be under the influence of the gin cocktail, but I'm not going to quibble about that!

I am just beginning to dry out and am not in the least annoyed that the sun has come out today!

Warmest Regards

K

The Orangery, Holland Park

The most beautiful photo shoot arranged and styled by The Ebury Collection and taken by Sarah Gawler.
See more here...
http://www.theeburycollection.com/wedding-blog/A-styled-wedding-shoot-at-The-Orangery-Holland-Park-367/

Dresses: Claire Pettibone, Amanda Garrett, Cymbeline and veil all Blackburn Bridal / Venue: The Orangery, Holland Park / Photographer: Sarah Gawler / Model: Zsanett from MOT / Stylist: Hannah Gooch / Styist Assistant: Emily Nicholson / Florist: LK Lily / Hair and Make-up: Daniel K Palmer / Stationery: Artcadia / Cakes: Victoria Made / Table linen: The Linen Works / Jewellery: Alex Monroe / Plates: John Lewis / Bell Jar: Ebury Home and Garden / Cutlery: Zara Home

The Wedding Planners Wedding - The Menu

Here is the menu from our wedding planner Jade's Cotswold marquee wedding.

Selected Menu

CANAPES 
  - Pancetta rolls of celeriac remoulade with marinated red grapes 
  - Chef David's vegetarian sushi rolls 
  - Little bagels of smoked salmon, cream cheese and chive
  - Ricotta cakes of slow roasted tomato and basil wafers
  - Watermelon cubes of seared beef, wasabi and pickled ginger
START

Tomato Trio: tomato tatin, cherry tomato petit salad and gazpacho shot 
Home made herb bread
MAIN
Lavender and yoghurt marinated leg of English lamb
Served on an individual chopping board, served with big bowls of:
  - Dauphinoise potatos
  - Roasted  summer vegetables
  - Asparagus spears
Condiments of smoked sea salt aioli and redcurrant jelly




DESSERT

For the ladies 
- Fresh vanilla bean panna cotta, lemoncello tapioca and macerated summer berries with mint and Cointreau

For the gents 
- Rich chocolate pave, passion fruit mousse, tropical fruits, chocolate wafers

The Wedding Planners Wedding - The Marquee

One of our team, the wonderful Jade, was married recently and of course the Bovingdons team went with her to the Cotswolds to provide the food. Menu to follow, in the mean time here are some photos of the pristine marquee and incredible dance floor. Photos by Lloyd Dobbie, more here http://www.lloyddobbie.com/2012/07/photographs-from-wedding-cotswolds/