5 things to consider when choosing a caterer

For the majority of our clients, contacting us about their big event is the first time they've ever dealt with a caterer.  Not to mention the fact that with the kind of investment a wedding represents, for example, it's always wise to get more then one competitive quote. It's a daunting prospect with all the different types of menus and quotes, so here's a few things to think about.


1) Are they genuinely like for like quotes?

So you've narrowed down your food choices so that in theory your potential suppliers are quoting on a like for like basis.  Before you make a decision based purely on price, arrange a tasting with the chosen short listed caterers, and make sure the food quality and presentation styles are the same.

If the companies you're looking at are of similar size and market area, there will be a reason why one is several hundreds of pounds cheaper and it could well be the standard of the ingredients they use.  Remember, budgets notwithstanding, you get what you pay for.


2) Added value

Once you've worked out the quotes all include the same equipment, staff, and other fixed costs, find out what extras the supplier will be giving you that you're not being 'charged' for.

For instance, when you want a meeting, how flexible are they on times and places, and how many times will they be willing to meet you?

Equally, how willing are they to provide additional advice about elements of the day, particularly if it affects their profit margin.  For example, if you're about to invest time and money in sourcing vintage crockery for your wedding for 150, will they be willing to provide you with a list of what you need, and advise you whether items will be suitable for the use you're planning?

Can they recommend additional suppliers, such as florists, bands, venues etc, and at what stage of the process will they offer that advice - from the beginning or strictly once the contract's signed?


3) Flexibility of menu

Weddings and events are undoubtedly expensive things!  When you're working with the caterer to decide a menu are you getting what YOU want, or are they telling you what you can have?

Obviously there are parameters within which everyone has to work, such as budget, venue restrictions, practicality of producing the finalised menu for 200 guests in a tent in the middle of a field!

But that aside, if you want to incorporate elements into the day, such as the national dish of your fiance's Finnish homeland (yes, we've done that!), how willing are your short list to let you do that?


4) Event Management

Many caterers will say an event manager is included in your quote, but make sure you find out just how broad the service is - is it just where the food service side is related, or will it cover other things?

For instance will they make sure all your other suppliers have their mobile number so if the band gets lost on the way to the venue, none of your wedding party has to interrupt the enjoyment of the speeches to go and deliver directions? 

What happens if someone runs over the cable to the portaloos, and suddenly they stop working?  Will the event manager deal with that discreetly so you never even know about it, or will one of your ushers be crawling through the flower beds in his rented morning suit trying to find the problem...?  


5) References

Tastings are fantastic - we recommend them to all our potential clients as it makes a huge contribution to establishing a warm working relationship.

However, any caterer should be able to produce a menu for two in their production kitchen.  The big question is whether they can do that for 80 in a village hall with no kitchen facilities.

Ask them for contact details for previous clients who have had similar events and menus to yours and do take up the references.  (Bear in mind, of course, they are going to give you the names of clients they know they did a good job for!) 

Recipe of the Month

As promised, here's our first Recipe of the Month - chargrilled breast of chicken stuffed with Boursin and spinach, with a cream and white wine sauce.  

So, to start, and the ingredients you need.  These quantities are for two people:

2 x chicken breasts, preferably skin on 

handful of fresh spinach leaves

150g Boursin - you'll only need about a quarter of the pack

seasoning

for the sauce:

150ml white wine

150ml cream

150ml chicken stock

seasoning

OK, so now you've got all those, let's make a start....

We normally buy our chicken breasts from a catering butcher, but for this exercise, we took them from a whole chicken.  If you feel confident enough filleting the chicken, this is a more cost effective way of buying the breasts, and you can then use the remainder of the carcass to make the stock. 

So, feel along the breastbone to find the ridge in the centre and cut along that. Then, with one hand pulling back the breast as you remove it, run the tip of the knife along the carcass to gently remove the breast meat.  Finally cut though the skin to separate it from the leg and wing.  We leave the skin on for the chargrilled effect later, and it also keeps the meat moist as it's cooked.   You should then be left with two plump chicken breasts like so:

Reserving the legs for making something else, you can then chop up the remaining carcass into smaller pieces to make chicken stock for the sauce.  Here's Patrick's instructions for making the stock:

With the carcass that is remaining, I cut this into 8 pieces, and then brown these off in the oven for about 20 minutes on 180°C.

I will then roughly chop a carrot, onion, some garlic and some herbs such as fresh thyme and rosemary.  Brown these off on the stove top in a saucepan with a little bit of olive oil in the bottom to stop them sticking

Keep stirring these vegetables as you don’t want them to catch, otherwise you will have a bitter sauce. Once the 20 minutes is up on the chicken, add the chicken to the vegetables in the saucepan, including any juices and caramelised bits which may have stuck to the bottom of the roasting pan.

Cover these bones and vegetables with cold water, add some salt and pepper, bring to boil, and then let it simmer. Don’t let them boil dry !!!!

What you are looking to do here is reduce the stock right down, this intensifies the flavour, if you don’t reduce it down you get a tasteless stock

After the stock has simmered for 2 hours, sieve into a clean container. You should have around 150ml of lovely, fresh stock.

For those of you who bought the chicken fillets, here's your starting point.

1) remove the inner fillet from the breasts and finely chop to use with the stuffing.


2) pan fry the spinach in a little butter to wilt, and allow to cool.  Once cooled, squeeze to remove any excess liquid and then combine with the Boursin.

3) add in the finely chopped chicken, and mix well

4) Take the chicken breasts and insert a knife through the top edge, to make a pocket for your stuffing.  Make sure you don't push the knife all the way through, but go deep enough to make sure there's room for lots of the lovely garlicky filling.

5) next you need to put the filling mix into a piping bag and push the nozzle into the pocket in the chicken breast.

6) Squeeze the bag until the pocket is full of the filling mix

7) Next is the chargrilling bit.  We use a griddle pan for this, to create the stripes across the skin, but you could use a barbecue grill or even a hot metal skewer to give the same effect.  Remember, this is just for colour and presentation, not to cook through, you'll do that later in the oven.

Once the surface is chargrilled, turning the chicken through 90° to get the criss-cross effect, transfer to a clean tray or plate, lined with baking parchment if you have some, and season with salt and crushed black pepper.  

Once that's done, cover with cling film and put in the fridge till you're ready to finish cooking them.

8) When ready, cook the chicken breasts in the oven at 180°C. for 20-25 minutes depending on their size. 

9) OK, next make the sauce, which should take a few minutes, and again it's over to Patrick for this part... 

Taking 150ml of chicken stock (either the fresh stock you made from the carcass, or make up 150ml using stock cubes), add it to some finely chopped shallot in a frying pan and cook without colour.

Add 150ml of white wine once the onions become transparent, and simmer to reduce again so you have taken the acidity off the wine.

Then add a 150ml of double cream (NOT SINGLE).

Reduce down so it thickens enough to coat the back of a tea spoon. Correct the seasoning. Do not over reduce it otherwise you will end up with a salty sauce

The sauce will be ready to serve now

10) Once the chicken breasts are cooked and the sauce is ready, slice the chicken breasts across, into four pieces, and arrange on your warmed plate.  Pour the sauce over.

11)  Add your potatoes and vegetables of choice, and you're ready to go.

Why not make this for that special someone next Tuesday (Valentine's Day) and really impress them?

So, there it is, the first recipe of the month.  What did you think?  Too long? Enough photos? Too much detail? Not enough?  Please let us have your feedback in the comments section below - but be kind, it's only the first one!

Watch this space......

Tomorrow, we're hoping to launch our 'Recipe of the Month' feature, with either a canape selection, main course dish or yummy dessert from tomorrow's tastings being our first offering.  



Please drop us a comment below and let us know any other recipes you'd like us to feature, especially if it's something you've eaten at one of our events.


Check back tomorrow and see what we decided to showcase this month...!

All the single ladies....

So, it's 2012, and a year that is full of excitement and special occasions... the London Olympics, the Queen's Diamond Jubilee - I've mentioned these before.

But there is something else far more special and wonderful this year - it's a leap year, and custom dictates that all those girls out there whose minds have turned to marriage needn't wait for their fella to do the deed, they can get down on one knee themselves.

There's some dispute as to when exactly this can happen - is it any day this year, Valentine's Day (my favourite), or just on February 29th?

There's also some debate as to the consequences - some folklore would have it that if he turns you down, he has to pay a 'sizeable forfeit' and offer the unlucky girl gifts, such as a new silk gown or a gift of £100.  I'm guessing they were both a lot more valuable when that little lore started.  Also, I'm thinking she'd have preferred it if he'd just bought the flamin' ring in the first place!

In other tales, the bad luck is on the refusing gentleman, unless of course, you forgot to wear your scarlet flannel petticoat while you were asking the question, then he's relieved of any curse.  Quite how he gets to find out the colour and cloth of your petticoat after such a disappointing response, I don't quite know.

Of course times have changed since these beliefs started - back then, when society rules were so strict, it would have been unthinkable for a lady to propose marriage.  However, even now, we girls still prefer to think we'll be asked, and there is still a uniqueness about a girl proposing to her beau.

Unless you're Zsa Zsa Gabor of course, and she proposed to all 9 of her husbands...... but don't let that put you off!

And to get you in the mood, we will extend our current web offer for free reception canapes to any couple who get engaged this year, because the bride to be exercised her ladies' privilege. 

So, get in touch and tell us your stories

Wuthering Heights

Now, I admit, the idea of a deep winter wedding on the edge of Saddleworth Moor in Lancashire might not be everyone's idea of romance.  Bleak landscape, horizontal rain and gale force winds..... and the bride in wellies!

But.....  if this photo doesn't instantly scream Cathy & Heathcliff, then there is no romance in your soul.



photo courtesy of http://www.jennymartinphotography.co.uk/

 Jenny Martin is a very talented photographer who took some of what are possibly the best wedding photo's I've ever seen. 

OK, so I admit to a degree of bias, the subjects being my sister and new husband and our families and friends, but that said, having gone through the online album, and seen the images on her facebook page, there are some stunning shots amongst them.  If nothing else, Jenny and her partner have cleverly captured the total happiness that just shone from C & J on their big day. 

But more than just the images, Jenny managed the bridal party and guests brilliantly, whilst working around some truly awful weather. At all times, we were 100% clear on what she and her partner needed us to do before each photo or grouping were assembled, especially when the photo was to be taken outdoors.

Jenny is based in Lancashire, but has assured me she would be more than happy to travel down to our coverage area, so I am really looking forward to recommending her to some of our brides for this year, and hopefully working with her soon.

www.facebook.com/JennyMartinPhotographyUK

http://www.jennymartinphotography.co.uk/

A family occasion?

When drawing up that guest list for your event, usually in the case of a wedding, one question that comes up is whether to invite children. There is no doubt they can add to the enjoyment of the day.... when they are having a great time.

At our recent family wedding my six year old niece challenged the photographer to a 'shoot out', and spent the wedding breakfast touring the tables with a disposable camera snapping away various (probably headless) images. Another client of ours drew up a photo competition for the older children, giving each a polaroid camera and a list of clues to the people they had to find and photograph during the day.

If you are expecting your guests to bring their families, we believe it's important to make sure the children feel welcome and looked after.

photo courtesy of http://www.rebeccajudge.com/

In May last year we worked on a wedding for Jamie and Ceri, and they had a relatively large number of children in attendance.  They were able to provide a separate children's marquee, and asked us for advice on how to best look after their young guests. 

So, out came a tried and tested recipe - some sort of entertainment and a special children's menu to help keep them happy and contented throughout the day.

Busy Living Ltd were brought on-board to provide a creche for the younger children, along with a magician for later in the day.  Before the event, they met Jamie on-site and together they carried out a comprehensive risk assessment, confirming several changes that were made in the garden to ensure it was a safe environment for the children. 

We provided a dedicated team for the children's food to make sure they were consistently looked after whilst we also took care of the grown-ups. We made sure the children were given several small meals throughout the afternoon, ensuring they didn't get chance to get hungry or thirsty.

On the day, the children's tent was well-stocked with toys, and qualified nannies. 

As one guest commented 'No-one heard a single child crying all day' so our task to keep the children happy was clearly successful!

photo courtesy of  http://www.rebeccajudge.com/

We appreciate not everyone has the luxury of separate space for their young guests, are can afford a children's entertainer or creche.  But the principle remains the same and it doesn't cost much to make sure that the menu is right and there is entertainment for them, even if it just takes the form of a party bag on the table with colouring books or games for them to keep themselves occupied. 

Not only will they then add to the enjoyment, but the parents will thank you for the opportunity to share in your day without worrying about their little ones.

Best of British

One theme we're seeing a lot of this year in all sorts of ways, is the Best of British.  With the Olympics and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, it looks like red, white and blue will be popular colours.

We've already had a few enquiries from clients looking for a traditional British 'knees up' for want of a better word!  Plans for bunting, village fete-style food stalls and themed food as well as decor are abundant, and we're enjoying stepping up to the challenge.

How about the following canape ideas for a summer bash.....

miniature cottage pies topped with cheesy mash
traditional yorkshire puddings with rare roast beef and horseradish cream
sausage and mash in porcelain spoons
fish and chips in bamboo cones

ham hock terrine on miniature toasts with gherkin and piccalilli

prawn cocktails in filo cups

..... and many more.  For a full drinks party, you could even serve them in 'courses' finishing off with some beautiful sweet canapes such as passion fruit tartlets or hazelnut meringue kisses with chocolate cream filling.....

Alternatively, add finger sandwiches and miniature homemade victoria sponges, and serve with Pimms and Early Grey for a traditional English tea.  Why not go the whole hog and serve on delicate vintage china?

If any of these ideas have whetted your appetite, do give us a call on 01491 575357 or drop us an email to pennie@thamescatering.co.uk, and we'll be happy to expand on the theme.  We'll make sure there's a little surprise too, if you mention you found us from this blog.