What canapés would you suggest for a winter wedding?
We always suggest a little cup of hot soup such as Chestnut & onion with leek & crouton dice & crème fraiche or Sweet potato & mild chilli with shredded pancetta & sour cream drizzle. These are great for encouraging guests to do a few outside photographs on a crisp winter’s day.
Followed of course by warming bites which should be a little more filling to give the comfort factor on a chilly day such as Mini pies of Chicken, leek & tarragon and of course our wonderful little squares of Slow cooked pork belly with apple sauce & crackling crumb. For our vegetarian & vegan guests little tarts of Pulled chipotle jack fruit & Mini baked potatoes with our amazing mushroom & bean chilli
What dishes would you suggest to serve during a traditional winter wedding breakfast?
Although soup is often an immediate first choice for winter weddings, soup is a conversation killer, as everyone is concentrating on not spilling any down their dress or tie! ( which is why we recommend the canape cups) So instead something hot & seasonal such as Wild mushroom & coriander filo baskets or with a slightly festive feel Gin & juniper cured salmon. Whether a starter is hot & cold can also depend on the catering facilities at your venue so discuss with your caterer, they only want your wedding breakfast to be perfect so do take their advice.
For the main course we highly recommend our Kangaroo Hotpot served in a spring pastry basket with a cracked pepper mash , always a winner & of course the wow factor but it comes down to hot & filling and this can also come in the shape of our amazing pies, whether it’s Beef & local ale, Pheasant & mushroom or Sweet potato, roast peppers & blue cheese.
And then desserts, our Date & chocolate pudding with butterscotch sauce or Almond & blueberry sponge again are fabulous winter puddings, though also popular in the Summer too!
Or of course our Mulled wine poached pear has all the fabulous tastes of Christmas and served alongside the blueberry pudding is a a true crowd pleaser
What is your most popular carving dish for winter weddings?
Whilst beef is often most couples obvious choice for carving, once they taste our Slow cooked boned legs of lamb they usually choose that for their guests, the lamb is so succulent after being slow cooked in red wine & mild chilli, and basted in butter.
Usually served with bowls of Dauphinoise potatoes & steaming bowls of seasonal vegetables, with a beautiful rich lamb & wine sauce, Perfect for any wedding but especially a winter one
What new additions to your menu are you introducing for 2020?
We have been developing our vegan to vegetarian menu, with amazing dishes such as the Banana blossom fritters with minted pea dip, and some incredible vegan desserts such as our Marmalade & almond cake
We have also added even more canapes, the list is so long and there are more in development and as we make everything from scratch these canapes can also be made into both starter, mains or evening food dishes.
We love our new Return to the Souk evening food, slow cooked Tagines & sides, Babaganouche, Fattouche etc. And of course we love working with our couples to work on their ideas & fusion menus, this year we created a stunning Saddle of lamb stuffed with Keralan spices & chickpeas served with a Keralan sauce, Roast cauliflower, fondant potato & steamed green vegetables after they tried Duck legs with the stuffing at their tasting day.
A top tip for couples who can’t decide what to serve their guests…
Choose what YOU would like to eat after your tasting, i.e. what was your favourite dish.
We arrange group tasting days for our confirmed couples where we invite 8 couples per day, they all choose 2 dishes from each course and try each other’s choices whilst discussing their preferences with the chefs, often to make their menu unique. And if the couple have different favourites, that’s fine they can have both on the top table, and that’s how they choose for their guests.
We will always look after any dietary requirements & ‘fussy’ guests, we just want our couples to have the perfect day and importantly enjoy the wedding breakfast without having to compromise.
Our couples always say the tasting day was the best part of their entire wedding planning and can they come back for another
