Posts Tagged ‘wedding reception’

Yes catering can be done cheaper than most people think or other caterers would
like you to believe.

The world of event catering never ceases to amaze us in terms of the pricing
and how caterers cost their products. Yes, we all have clients with varying
levels of budget and varying levels of expectation. But we do see some crazy
quotes that are often forwarded on from clients, prices that on the face of it
don’t stack up.

With clever menu writing a lot of the lower budgets can achieved with still an acceptable
menu, plus don’t forget it’s also down to how good your chef is and what they
can create with little ingredients.

We have catered for many events recently and as many believe we are still in
recession, the brief has been very similar in terms of a low budget to provide
an acceptable menu. A particular recent event saw us provide a three course
meal with a budget of £16 per person plus vat, I imagine some caterers have
just gasped with horror while others sighed in agreement, but yes it can be
done.

Firstly we agreed that a plated meal wasn’t an option and therefore agreed to serve the
meal as a buffet, not ideal for all guests but as the event was a charity
fundraiser, they got into the spirit of it. Serving the meal as a buffet saved
the need for 8 waiters.

Then the menu, ok I gave my chef £.90p to spend on the starter; he came up with a goat’s
cheese & roasted vine tomato tartlet, served on a bed of mixed herb leaf
with red pesto dressing. Some may say a dated dish but still plenty of positive
comments.

The main course, chicken is the safe bet and once served with leek mash,
crunchy veg topped with a Chablis sauce you’re pretty much there in terms of making
the event a success.

On too dessert to finish off the evening and a classic dish we haven’t seen for
while sticky toffee pudding with vanilla custard’ nice. Simple but also amazing
how many adults enjoy the custard.

Now what makes this evening significant is the fact that this meal was put together
using portable kitchen equipment housed in a room the venue uses as a child’s
play area, basically not a commercial kitchen in site. What is also worthy of a
mention is that the meal was prepared, served and cleared within 90′minutes
using two chefs and five waiters!

What I haven’t mentioned yet and is even more reason for praise is the number
of guests, 197 was the final count on the evening which also included a veggie
option and a couple of dietary requirements.

The reason I published this article was to show that catering can be done a little
cheaper than you may think, although the higher number of guests do make it
possible, the larger the number of guests, the easier the menu versus budget it
becomes. We couldn’t have catered for 50 guests at the same price for a banquet
or other event.

I hope the post was useful and if you have an event coming up and don’t think
your caterer can achieve the budget then email us chef@callthecaterers.co.uk
and we’ll see what menus we can pull together.

Www.callthecaterers.co.uk

It’s never too late to call the caterers, a last minute party or celebration, been let down by a venue or another caterer?

We received a call from a couple planning a last minute wedding reception, we’re not totally sure if it was last minute on their part but with only two weeks notice ahead of the wedding day it was certainly a little last minute from our point of view! To add to this, the couple were based abroad and had hired a venue, namely finsbury town hall as a central location for all guests.

With only two weeks to pull this together, we first needed to take a look at the venue and more importantly the kitchen. Kitchen space will often determine what menu is possible given the facilities available. Absolutely no point gearing up to a three course menu for a wedding if the kitchen can’t accommodate.

Kitchen inspected and venue viewed courtesy of the event manager, we then provided a few sample menus we the clients budget in mind.
Duck and chicken liver parfait with toasted brioche & balsamic onion chutney to start with, followed by a classic roast beef dinner with homemade yorkies and chateux potatoes. For dessert the client opted to serve up the wedding cake which we duly helped tp plate up and present with a plum compote.

112 guests made the trip from as far away as norway & argentina and helped make the day special.

Planning A last minute party or celebration, it’s always worth calling the caterers, it was slightly lucky we were available but as the wedding was in January a relatively quiet month we had two chefs available and could help cater the wedding.

Best wishes and congratulations to you both, dave and the team at catered-events

Www.callthecaterers.co.uk
Chef@callthecaterers.co.uk

Best

New wedding menus for the 2011 season are available from the chef@callthecaterers.co.uk ; many of last year’s dishes still remain as they proved ever popular and why change a good thing. The wedding menus have been designed into 3 categories to appeal to a wider audience in terms of costs.

The current economic climate is affecting most people and in particular young couples planning their wedding. We have found that enquiries for our services have increased but budgets still vary as people look at cheaper alternatives without compromising the quality of the food. Yes there will always be cheap caterers out there using packet soup or imported chicken full of water but with some clever menu writing  and talented chefs, acceptable menus can still be produced albeit slightly cheaper.

The menus are posted on the site www.callthecaterers.co.uk as with a few other new ideas, New Barbecue, canapé, bowl food and buffet menus have all been revamped to help with ideas for planning your event.

2011  looks like being a busy year so if you need to reserve a date do it ASAP, some dates are still available through 2011 but we can’t guarantee date availability.

2010 is proving to be a busy year; we have had 3 weddings confirmed since the New Year alone for dates throughout the Summer. People believe we are moving out of recession and with bookings up on last year, I think people are feeling a little more confident about planning their wedding.

Whether you call the caterers or use the services of another caterer, book the date as soon as you can, we have had to refuse two bookings since the turn of the year with the dates already booked and deposits held to secure the date.

All your plans will be in vain if you come to book your wedding caterer and then find out, the date isn’t available!

Email the chef@callthecaterers.co.uk and we’ll happily provide the dates we have left.

Best wishes for your wedding day.

Congratulations to Joe & tricia on your recent wedding, a little belated i know but thanks again for the testimonial.

Tricia you were instrumental with the menu choice, and i know that in particular the sirloin steaks with honey & mustard and  Monkfish & apricot skewers proved very popular with your guests. Joe and Tricia opted for a BBQ menu cooked and served outdoors, the weather held and the day was a great success.

I hope you guys had a great day and the part we played added to the success, we look forward to catering at the christening !

Best wishes, Dave and the team…… www.callthecaterers.co.uk

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www.callthecaterers.co.uk

If your looking for a suitable wedding venue from this winter onwards then take a look at www.hiltonhallbusinesscentre.co.uk/ situated near wolverhampton, from next year its available for marquee wedding receptions held in its grounds. Marquees to be provided by www.eventsimarquees.co.uk complimented with tailored wedding catering packages from www.callthecaterers.co.uk

Currently a prestigeuos business centre located just off the M54,  the owners supported by www.charismaevents.co.uk are marketing Hilton hall as a wedding venue, www.charismaevents.co.uk/hilton-hall/ this link will give you an overview of whats available and contact details should you wish to talk to gloria at charisma.

We have lots of news, photos, tailored menus and stories of weddings and events this past season.

It seems ages ago! but best wishes to Amy & Kofi who were married on the 27th June at st Marys church, Abberley, Worcestershire with the reception held at a private residence in abberley, and to add the host was superb.

100 guests attended the reception, on their arrival they were greated with a glass of summer fruit pimms and a selection of hand-selected canapes, some of the canapes took on a ghanian theme with the special herb, ingriedient  provided by Kofi (groom).

The guests were then treated to a 4 course wedding breakfast meal which started with, cajun dusted prawns on a bed of oriental noodle salad with fresh coriander & rice wine vinegar, exact to the clients spec (as per food taste) served cold on a hot day it was very well recieved. 

The main course took on a more british theme with a choice of three main courses, a herb crusted sirloin of beef , served with home-made yorkie pudding,  chateaux potatoes and pan juices or chicken supreme with a lemon & chorizo farce with a chablis sauce and for the vegetarians, wild mushroom tart with a mediara reduction finished off with champagne & strawberry cheesecake (nice) and Coffee.

A great day was had by all with some guests  travelling across the world to be there, all the best to you both and thanks for the testimonial, honest feedback  makes it all worth while, best of luck Dave.

www.callthecaterers.co.uk