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Have A Hog Roast

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We all know that Weddings are often sophisticated delicate occasions to reflect matters of the heart. Flowers are a beautiful touch and hanging lights are just the cherry on the top to add that romantic atmosphere.

However theres no denying, that we all like to really enjoy ourselves tucking into the food and drink as it’s a great thing to bring people together and share a great day, especially when the Summer sun is willing to poke its head out of the clouds.

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Image via Pinterest.

Here at Vanilla in Allseasons we can provide a delicious hog roast feast, thats great for all the family, especially those who like getting stuck in to tasty meat dishes. It’s a great hearty meal, that looks well presented on the plate, perfect to fill that empty hole after a fun day of dancing and laughing with close friends and family members.

Our Staffordshire Hog Roasts supplied by J.J.J Heathcoats in Bollington are roasted on the spit for 6 hours and you can also choose your own, from a choice of three of our home made juices made by our top chef Simon who has worked in some of the best restaurants of the North West. Our marinades create a unique taste that goes perfectly with the tender meat.

Marquee Weddings

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There are many benefits to holding your Wedding party outdoors, especially in the Summer months. There are many fantastic out accessories which can be added to the outdoors, it allows you to open up possibilities of entertainment and catering that could not be attempted indoors or otherwise.

Outdoor decorations such as bunting will add an element of fun to the festivities & celebrations. Many wedding venues are based on Farms or Stately homes which have access to fields and grass, these venues are fantastic for installing a marquee.

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We can provide rustic hog roasts in an outdoor environment to add an extra special element to your day. It’s a fantastic way to make your guests really feel involved with the food and bring everyone together with an impressive display.

So, if you are considering a marquee Wedding then take a look at some of the many companies that we work with who provide a fabulous marquee service. We work with several fabulous Marquee providers in the Cheshire area such as:

All About Me Marquees & Events
Twitter: @Marquees_Events
Facebook
Find out more about them on our website here.

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Melody Corporation
Twitter: @MelodyCorp
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Melody-Corporation-Marquees/256093828813?fref=ts
Find out more about them on our website here.

The White Marquee Company Ltd
Twitter: @thewhitemarquee
Facebook
Find out more about them on our website here.

Stephen & Michael’s Wedding at Capesthorne Hall

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We visited Capesthorne Hall last weekend for the beautiful Wedding of Stephen and Michael Howell on Saturday the 17th of May. Their story is one of true romance, as they travelled all the way back to Capesthorne Hall from Queensland, Australia to get married where they first met 10 years ago. It’s a beautiful venue and any chance we get to cater there always makes for a wonderful day.

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Image via Lesley Meredith Photography.

We were lucky enough to work with many of the best Wedding suppliers in the North West area at the Wedding such as, Adagio String Quartet, Cakeydora, Lesley Meredith Photography and Shaun Meredith Photography. Be sure to check out all of their websites to take a look at the amazing services they provide.

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Image of the Adagio String Quartet performing at the Wedding from Lesley Meredith Photography.

We were flattered to receive this wonderful thank you note from the lovely couple themselves, it’s always amazing to hear such wonderful feedback, thank you very much! We’re glad to hear that you enjoyed your day – so did we!

“It’s fair to say that Michael and I had a dream day on Sunday. We just wanted to thank you all including Jo, Alex and all of your staff for what was a truly memorable day. The service offered by Vanilla was beyond first class and the food was truly outstanding – we loved it all! The feedback from guests regarding Vanilla was absolutely flawless!”

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Image sent to us from Stephen Howell.

For the full album of Stephen and Michael’s Wedding click here to head over to Lesley Meredith’s Facebook page.

Meet Our Friends at Buttertons Ice Cream

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“Robert and Helen Aspden welcome you to the world of Buttertons products.”

As the Summer is almost here we’d like to introduce you to our friends over at Buttertons Ice Cream. They began crafting their ice creams in 2008 and have a varied mix of flavours to suit each and every tastebud, from panna cotta with wild fruits to Irish cream cheesecake. Head over to the Buttertons Ice Cream website here to see all of the wonderfully tasty products that they offer.

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Image via Buttertons Farm.

The owners Rob and Helen of the farm hold strong environmental values as to protect the British Countryside, “The environment is important to us therefore we enjoy the company of many species of wildlife and are part of the Higher Level Stewardship Scheme through Natural England.” The farm use organic principles to provide the highest quality eggs, sorbets and ice cream products to their customers.

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Image via Buttertons Farm.

Please contact Buttertons Farm by telephone on 01270 873 252 or 07784 598 229, via email buttertonslanefarm@gmail.com.

Their address is as follows:
Buttertons Lane Farm
Buttertons Lane
Haslington
Crewe
CW1 5UT

You can also purchase their home farmed produce from several places throughout the North West, including the Farmers Market at Rode Hall on the 1st Saturday of each month. follow the link here to find out more.

Scrumptious Smoothies

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With Summer on the way we all like to eat healthily to feel refreshed, one of the best ways to do this is by utilising all of the fresh ingredients available to us at this time of year, such as fruit.

We’re sharing some of our favourite smoothie recipes with you, to help you through those Summer mornings. From fruit based recipes, to green smoothies with spinach, we’ve brought together a smoothie selection to suit everyone.

Mango & Passionfruit Smoothie (BBC Good Food):

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Image via BBC Good Food.

‘A tropical fruit blend to start the day the nutritious way – full of vitamin C and low in fat.’

Directions:
‘Whizz the mango, yogurt and milk together in a blender until smooth. Stir in the lime juice, then pour into 4 glasses. Scoop the pulp of a passion fruit into each one, and swirl before serving.’

Ingredients:
400g peeled and chopped ripe mango
250g fat free mango yogurt
Juice of 1 lime
4 passion fruits

Banana-Peanut Butter Smoothies (Good Housekeeping):

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Image via Good Housekeeping.

‘For a thicker, colder smoothie, cut peeled banana into chunks and freeze up to a week in a self-sealing bag.’

Directions:
‘In a blender, combine banana, milk, peanut butter and ice cubes; blend until mixture is smooth and frothy.’

Ingredients:
1 banana
0.50c. milk
1tsp creamy peanut butter
3 ice cubes

Apple, Cucumber and Mint Refresher (Fitness Magazine):

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Image via Pinterest.

This smoothie is a healthy option, to help you boost your greens.

Directions:
‘Pour all ingredients in a high-powered blender, and process until completely smooth’

Ingredients:
1/4 cup peeled and chopped cucumber
1/2 cup fat free Greek yogurt
1/2 lime, juiced
1/4 cup fresh baby spinach
1 small green apple, cored and sliced
1/2 teaspoon fresh mint
1/4 unsweetened coconut milk
2 cups of ice

We have grouped these smoothies together to include a range of different fruits and flavours. However, there are so many different variations of smoothies for you to create. Simply pick your favourite fruits, add yogurt & ice and there you have it!

You can even freeze these recipes into ice lollies for a cooling & healthy snack on those hot Summer days.

So go on, get creative! Don’t forget to share with your favourite recipes & inventions with us.

Spring Wedding Inspiration Part II

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This week we bring you the second instalment of our Spring Wedding Inspiration pieces. We love this time of year, as the Wedding seasons really falls into full swing! Which decisions will you make about your special day? Here’s some tips…

Venue

Outdoor events are also available, taking advantage of the changing weather is not only great for your Wedding day, but it creates a feeling of coming out of the Winter months and into the sun. Spring is a time of change, this is even more of a great time to get married, marking a new beginning. So, holding your ceremony outdoors can be a really beautiful experience for Bride, Groom and guests alike. Candles and lanterns are a great way to create atmosphere in the evening when outdoors.

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Flowers

There are many different flowers which are fabulous for Spring Weddings. One of our favourites is herbaceous peonies, these work brilliantly with roses and create a vintage look. Other great choices are hydrangeas, ranunculus to which you can add fresh greenery. By adding green into your bouquet you are adding to the natural surroundings around you, which also looks brilliant in photo shoots. If you want to be a bit more daring then you can add brooches to your bouquet, this is a fantastic option and unlike real flowers will be something which you can keep fully intact for years to come, maybe even pass it down the family over time. Lovely.

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Transport

Open top transport is available, so you can again make the most of the nice and sunny weather (fingers crossed).

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Spring Wedding Inspiration, Part I

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There are many reasons why people choose to have their Wedding in Spring. There are plenty of advantages to holding your special day around Easter and Spring, the weather just starts to become lovely. Also, as we are coming out of Winter and the days are getting longer and brighter, people are generally in better moods. It’s great to invite someone to an event that’s a few months away, so that they have something to look forward to! Here we have collected lots of fantastic reasons, ideas and advice on why to hold your Wedding in the Spring:

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Food
There’s lots of wonderful foods which are at their peak right now, such as lamb, pork, salmon, crab, potatoes, purple sprouting broccoli, spinach, spring onion and many more. So why not take advantage of this? Create a feast with all of the finest ingredients and let us arrange all of this tastiness for you. Click here to contact us. You can also add ice cream to the afternoon of your Wedding and help your guests see that Summer is truly on its way.

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Style
There are many different styles of Wedding dress, as every woman knows! But at this time of year you have room to experiment with many fun and different options. Knee length dresses are a popular choice in the Spring time. This cute and playful look is growing more and more popular amongst Brides. The Groom can also make the most of the weather, light weight suits are a great choice as feeling too hot can really make the day difficult, you don’t want to be uncomfortable. For the Bridesmaids, pale colours are a great option, these soft colours create a wonderful soft look for the Easter, light weight chiffon is a brilliant choice of material.

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Whitehouse Event Crockery

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Here at Vanilla In Allseasons, we love making food taste and look its very best. As a catering company with a strong focus on fresh and local produce, we provide a high quality service which makes people excited about food. There are many other ways in which this can be achieved, other than just food and presentation alone. We are lucky to work with so many fantastic suppliers and companies across the North West and the UK as a whole. Yet, some businesses really do stand out. This week we are exploring Whitehouse Event Crockery, who supply magnificent glassware and crockery to really bring the wow factor to food and events alike.

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Image via Heaton House Events.

By working with Whitehouse Event Crockery you can be sure that your meal will be served on beautiful ceramics and porcelain. Make sure that you take a look at The Whitehouse Event Crockery through their large online presence across a range of platforms such as:

Whitehouse Event Crockery on Facebook
Whitehouse Event Crockery on Google+
Whitehouse Event Crockery on Instagram

Whitehouse Event Crockery on Twitter

You can also get in touch with them by giving them a call on 0161 491 5209, or by dropping an email to them at info@whitehousecrockery.co.uk. They are based in Manchester and offer, “A wide range of contemporary and modern crockery and glassware including coloured charger plates, a wide range of coloured water glasses, a stylish collection of glassware and a modern range of porcelain tableware.” – Whitehouse Event Crockery.

We’ve had the pleasure of working with them at many events across several venues and we highly recommend them, if you wish to make your event extra special then get in touch.

Spring has Sprung!

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The good old Great British weather has had us on our toes for months but, with the passing of Easter brings sunny days and long walks through the countryside. And of course, there are the many romantic Spring Weddings on the horizon! We’ve been busy meeting many couples for tasting sessions and discussions on how to create the perfect menu for each couple that we work with.

There are many foods which are in season at this time of year and are also at the height of tastiness. We love to use fresh local produce to combine the finest food with the highest quality service.

beef fillet and shin pie

A selection of these foods are as follows:

Spring lamb
Salmon
Crab
Radish
Spring Greens
Purple Sprouting Broccoli
Cauliflower
Spinach
New Potatoes
Onion
Celeriac

We have several scrumptious solutions for you to make the most of this wonderful food at it’s peak. Why not take advantage of this food when it tastes best? We love working with the freshest ingredients and creating amazing flavours. What would you make from this group of foods? This time of year is great for creating mouth watering roast dinners. With both beef and lamb at their best, it’s a great excuse to invite the friends and family over for a meaty feast.

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Here are more seasonal feasts from BBC Good Food:

Crab and salmon fishcakes with homemade tartare sauce.

Roast loin of lamb, peas, lettuce and bacon.

Seafood pasta with garlic bread.

For more recipes from us here at Vanilla In Allseasons click here and for a more in depth look at our menus then please click here.

Have a Happy Easter with Easter Breads!

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We’ve discussed Easter all week across our social media, this is because Easter is an important date in the food calendar. it’s a fantastic time of year for cooking, baking and eating! So whether you are having all of the family round or a small celebration with friends, be sure to put the effort in to create a fabulous feast.

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Image via The Kitchn.

There are many different ways in which you can prep food, vegetables & meat which will have great effect on the flavour. We think it is a good idea to stock up your spice rack, so that when it comes to cooking you always have a selection of herbs and additional spices to make your meals as interesting as possible. This week however, we have found a selection of delightful Easter breads from around the world for you to cook and really put your baking skills to the test.

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Image via The Kitchn.

You could choose to bake the British Classic of hot cross buns to keep within the Easter theme or go for something a little more adventurous like this tasty Russian Kulich.

Find the original article from The Kitchn here. With all of the full recipes and instructions on how to create your Easter breads throughout the piece.

Happy Easter!

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