There are certainly glamorous and less-glamorous sides to what we do! Whilst there is no doubt that we are fortunate enough to travel to some amazing parts of the world and see incredible parties, we do also spend rather a lot of time picking cigarette butts off the floor, hanging out by the venue bins, and managing intense amounts of pressure!
One of my favourite parts of the job are the tastings that we get to do with the extraordinary caterers that work in our industry. Caterers come in all shapes and sizes to suit different budgets and deliver everything from fresh, modern, cuisine to the truly creative and outside the box approaches for the most immersive of parties. Choosing the caterer that is right for you and it’s a big decision! I usually recommend really getting to grips with the type of food and cuisine that you really enjoy. Note down dishes on menus from your favourite restaurants and put together a selection of images which can be a helpful starting point when discussing with caterers.
We recently had the pleasure of catching up with two fantastic London-based caterers to try out their new menus.
Exciting, vibrant, simple food
Kate & Ellie at Rare Food invited us down to the dining room to try some of their new menus and concepts which would be equally at home in a restaurant as they would at an event. It can often be easy to fall into the trap of ‘catered’ food but Rare have a vibrancy and creativity to their menus that truly makes it stand out. Some highlights for us were the pillowy yet crispy potatoes with vegan caviar, sticky rice canapés with a spicy peanut dressing and a whole dover sole with crispy chicken skin. The food was exciting yet, ultimately, simple and as a self-confessed hater of overly fussy food it ticked all the boxes.
Sharing and engaging
I was lucky enough to attend a re-launch event by Dinner Ladies who have unveiled an impactful new brand. Centred around friendship, sharing, and community their approach to food is powerful. This went beyond just serving great food, we were preparing it as well. Led expertly by their Head Chef we started by making our own focaccia and pickles to take home later. Each course then required us to finish off the preparation at the table which was both engaging and a reminder of the work that goes in behind the scenes to get everything to table! I was rather pleased with my presentation of the trout tartare!
We work with a number of caterers across the UK and further afield to suit any brief from the simple and elegant to completely crazy… It’s an integral part to any event or wedding and is always one of my favourites.
Matthew
