Eight questions to ask your caterer.

When planning a wedding there are a multitude of things to consider, across a range of suppliers.  Most of our clients, especially those planning a wedding, have never used caterers before and so other than the obvious questions such as menu choices, cutlery and china patterns and colour of the tablecloths, many of the more mundane, but still essential, questions go unasked.  Some of these questions may well apply to other suppliers too.

We thought it would be helpful to put together a little checklist of things you ought to know....

1) How many other weddings or events is your caterer involved with on your event date?

Unlike many caterers, we limit the number of events we work on each day so we can be sure only the best and most trusted staff work on your event.  It also means that, in the main, the Thames people you speak to from the start will work with you throughout the process and be there on the day, so you can be sure of a friendly face and know that your event team know all the carefully planned details.  This way you know that your event isn't just another day to us.

2) Who from your caterer's team will be there to manage your event on the day?

Again, because we limit the number of events, you will have ample opportunity to get to know your likely event manager over the planning period, and it will usually be one of the company's directors.  If there is a reason why another event manager will be working on your event, then we will always make sure you have met that person well before the event.  It is this level of personal hands-on service that we believe makes the difference.

putting the final touches to a marquee wedding

3) What is the staff to guest ratio?

We assign staff levels depending on the size of the event and the venue.  We allocate a service team of six waiters per 80-100 guests or 8 -10 tables. If there are more than 100 guests, we repeat the formula, so no team has to deal with more than 100 guests.  If there were 140 guests, for example, there would be 2 teams looking after 70 guests each, 400 guests would be 4 teams, and so on. Each team has at least one chef, depending on the menu type.  Each service team has a team leader and there is an overall Event Manager.  For larger events our Head Chef will oversee the kitchen.

4) Is the food prepared on-site or cooked elsewhere and transported hot or reheated?

temporary kitchen

We want our food to reach you at it's best, and that means freshly cooked for service.  If your venue doesn't have a kitchen, we can provide a temporary facility, including ovens, hot cupboards etc.  Under certain rare circumstances where there is no facility to cook on site, such as Henley Town Hall, and where the venue is within a short distance of our kitchen, we can transport food hot, although we prefer not to do this.

5) Does your caterer use strictly fresh and seasonal ingredients, or do they use frozen and pre-prepared products?

Thames Catering's chefs use the freshest and highest quality ingredients, and where possible we source these from local suppliers.  All meat and eggs are free-range and we will use organic produce if available within the client's budget.  All our dishes are made for you from scratch by our chefs.

6) Does your caterer employ their own staff or use an agency?

We have an excellent team of waiting staff and chefs that we use for our events.  We recruit them ourselves and train them where needed, ensuring high levels of friendly and discreet service.  On larger events, we may supplement these with agency staff, but we have one agency that we work with on a regular basis and who tries to send us a core team of staff for our events, so they all know how we work and what standards we expect.

The team at Henley Boat Races, 2012, Temple Island Meadow

7) What insurance cover and licences does your caterer have?

All caterers must hold food hygiene certification, so make sure you ask to see a copy of the certificate.  We also have public and product liability insurance to the value of £5m and employers liability insurance to the value of £1m.  Lastly, we are personal licence holders for the sale and supply of alcohol, and if your venue doesn't hold a premises licence, we will be happy to obtain a TEN for your event.

8) How will your caterer go above and beyond to provide a unique experience for you and your guests?

With our superb food and professional and efficient event management service, we make sure every event is a day to remember for our clients.  We offer an unparalleled level of flexibility in planning both menus and front of house details with all our clients, giving a genuinely bespoke service.  Our On The Day service means clients can relax and enjoy their event knowing all the other little details are safe in our hands.

A little thank you from one of our clients

Henley Boat Races

This weekend will be a new experience for us - we're providing the catering for the Henley Boat Races being held on the river in.... yes, you've guessed it, Henley-on-Thames.


We're going to be based in a marquee up at Temple Island Meadows, and are providing a range of yummy dishes, including roast pork baps with stuffing and apple sauce, 1/4lb homemade burgers with the works, hot dogs, carrot and sesame burgers for the veggies, and a whole host of fantastic home made cakes.  There's fruit and salads too for those more health-conscious visitors!  

In addition to the lovely food, we've got a full bar, serving draught bitter from Brakspears, who are sponsoring the event, as well as other beers and lagers, cider, wine and a few spirits.


Temple Island Meadows are up at the start of the famous Henley Royal Regatta course, and are an ideal location for any type of event.  We have catered for weddings on the site, with gorgeous marquees being provided by Henley Contracting, and with ample parking or mooring available alongside, you can choose to arrive by car or other vehicle or by boat. The venue lends itself brilliantly to either a formal sit-down meal, or something a little different and more relaxed such as a Thai banquet cooked in giant pans in front of your guests, or a barbecue.  Last year we provided a full Dubai brunch themed wedding reception with a range of Middle Eastern dishes being cooked on barbecues in an open kitchen area and then served to the guests via different buffet stations.


If you'd like further information on catering at Temple Island Meadows, drop us an email and we'll be happy to discuss your event. 

Summer Celebrations 2012

Following on from our last post about ideas for the Jubilee, we've come up with two great special offers to help get your party plans underway.


Both would be fantastic ways of celebrating the event, especially with that long weekend of 2nd - 5th June, stretching ahead of us, just crying out for a social event, whether you're a royalist or not!  Our afternoon tea offer is just the thing to give a bit of style to your weekend get-togethers with friends and family


Of course if the royal events are not your thing, then there's a summer of sporting prowess to either cheer about or cry about! 

Starting with Euro 2012 from 8th June until 1st July when hopefully a new England Manager will lead us into European football glory - will we all be using Shakespeare's immortal words: "The game's afoot: Follow your spirit, and upon this charge Cry 'God for Harry, England, and Saint George!'"

Wimbledon next, starting on the 25th June, and with Andy Murray's recent defeat of Djokovic, dare we pray for English glory in the men's final on 8th July? And what of the ladies? Not much hope of a British victory there I suspect, but could Venus Williams add her 6th victory to edge closer to Navratilova's record of 9 wins?  In true Wimbledon style, strawberries and cream would be the perfect end to either of our offer suggestions.

And then, on 27th July, London 2012 starts with the opening ceremony.  Can we play the home team advantage and come away with a decent clutch of gold medals, and heads held high until the closing ceremony on 12th August? 


Hardly time to draw breath before the Paralympics, from 29th August to 9th September.  From humble beginnings as a rehabilitation programme for injured British servicemen held in Stoke Mandeville in 1948, this has grown into an International spectacle. Traditionally Great Britain does well at these games, and since 1960, we are 3rd on the overall medals table with 1447 in total, behind Germany and the US, although we're joint top of the golds table with 23.


Phew! If that hasn't got you all excited and in the mood for a party, I don't know what will!  So, here's the details of our offers - go on, take us up on them - you know you want to!


1) Save £200 on your summer garden party

Celebrate 2012 in Britain with a party at home, and we will provide a chef and giant pan free of charge.

Choose from dishes such as:

Paella

Fajitas

Indian or Thai curries

Oriental stir fries

Jambalaya

Applies to events held between 1^st April and 30^th August 2012.

Themed disposable partyware also available – ask for details.

  

2) Free vintage china hire on afternoon tea parties for Diamond Jubilee Weekend

Up to 10 guests.

Offer applies to events booked by 30^th April for 2^nd – 5^th June inclusive.

Offer is subject to availability.

Equals a saving of £100.00.

Contact us and quote 'pan2012' or 'tea2012' to take advantage of these great offers.

That's the way to do it!

Further to my recent blog post regarding vintage tea parties and their resurgence in popularity, take a look at this amazing post on The Pretty Blog for some real inspiration!

Quirky Tea Party - pink & turquoise decor inspiration.


Now I'm off to pretty up my plans for tomorrow's market stall decor!

The Queen's Diamond Jubilee

Now, let's face it, how many of us could cope with 60 years in the same job?  


Although there are clearly some perks to being Queen - nice houses, travel for work, extensive clothing allowance.....  


Anyway, celebrating the Jubilee seems like a great excuse for a party, and if you missed out on a street party for last year's big Royal event, the wedding, then maybe you're thinking of getting something organised for this year?  




But you don't know where to start, right?  So go along to www.thebiglunch.com, where there are some great ideas and a pack you can request which includes posters and invitations - everything you need to get the ball rolling. 

And if you want some inspiration for a theme, then why not go Best of British, or do some research and get everyone to bring a dish from each of the 6 decades.  

And don't forget the themeing - disposable bunting, plates, cups, napkins even multi tier cake stand and sandwich stands are all available to really set the mood - how about a union jack printed chocolate bar for each guest? We know just the place for these...






Let us know if you've got anything planned, and we'll keep you up to date with anything else we hear about.  Don't forget to invite us along - we'll bring the best chocolate brownies in the universe!

More tea, Vicar?!

We're very excited to be working on a new collaboration with our friends at Fuschia Design.  Fuschia provide beautiful vintage china hire and also themeing and dressing items for all kinds of events, and we're teaming up to offer beautiful vintage afternoon tea parties.

With scrumptious menus including delicious sandwiches and rolls and homemade cakes, not forgetting of course, scones, jam and cream, there's also a lovely selection of teas.


For that special occasion, or something a little more grown up, why not upgrade and include a glass of Pimms or even Champagne for your guests?


We'll be writing more about this exciting new development over the coming days, and hopefully sharing some lovely images of Fuschia's vintage china, along with some of their themeing ideas.