Party food

A Traditional Christmas Menu

Over Christmas we served up a whole host of fantastic dishes, for a variety of events.
We always enjoy experimenting with new ideas and special menus, but we also love to serve traditional cuisine.

One client wanted a very classical menu for their Christmas party. They asked, so we delivered, all of course,
with a little Vanilla in Allseasons twist!

Starters included Pate with toasted brioche and Clippys jam and a scrumptious bacon, black pudding and poached egg salad.

pate

salad

A turkey dinner with all the trimmings made up the main and we finished it all off with everyone’s favourite, a trio of desserts.
The trio included a trifle shot, profiteroles with Baileys mousse and of course, Christmas pudding!

xmas pud trio

A fantastic time was had by all and we thoroughly enjoyed getting everyone in the Christmas spirit.

A Little Indulgence

Everyone knows that good things come in small packages. Somehow, any dish introduced in miniature form becomes twice as irresistible. Desserts are something that particularly benefit from this.

Some dessert recipes can leave you feeling too full but these smaller versions of classics are a great way to complete a meal or include in a buffet at events. Ranging from dinky pies to tiny tarts and bite-size cakes, why not bring these mini dessert dishes to the table?

We’ve rounded up five petite plates – including peanut butter and chocolate cheese cake, golden Victoria sponges and pear, vanilla and smoke cakes – that are sure to take your fancy as well satisfy that sweet tooth.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cheesecakes

Mini Cakes - Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cheesecakes

Chocolate can be quite overwhelming (but very, very enjoyable!) in dessert recipes. This cheesecake recipe – combining roasted peanuts, caramel, peanut butter and chocolate – provides a mouthwatering idea for desserts that just melts in the mouth.

Golden Victoria Sponges

Mini Cakes - Victoria Sponges

This British favourite looks even more appetising with the cream and jam bursting from the sides. What a great idea to accompany your afternoon tea, don’t you agree?

Mini Guinness Desserts

Mini Cakes - Guinness Desserts

A healthy twist on the Italian Tiramisu, this delectable coffee and chocolate dessert is accompanied with a fresh, creamy yoghurt top.

Pear, Vanilla and Smoke Cakes

Mini Cakes - Pear, Vanilla and Smoke Cakes

Another small indulgence, that will tantalise those tastebuds: “The smokiness is balanced by the aromatic freshness of the pear, and the nutty dark chocolate pulls these contrasting flavours together”.

Trio of Desserts

Mini Cakes - Dessert Trio

Why not indulge in more than one dessert? Here, at Vanilla in Allseasons, we offer three miniature versions of your favourite dishes, including lemon tart, meringue with fruit and chocolate brownie.

If these don’t tickle those tastebuds, we can tailor make to match your preferences. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any queries.

Burns Night Celebrations

Burns night is just around the corner on Friday 25th January. Are you thinking of hosting a party?

We can provide an array of traditional foods for your celebration, whether you want Haggis, Neeps and tatties or something a little simpler, we can arrange it for you.

Recently, we catered for a fantastic 18th birthday party where the food had a Scottish theme. It was very well received, especially the deep fried mini Mars bars! This is what we served –

Large wholesome Canapés
Haggis, neeps and tatties with a whiskey gravy
Yorkshire pudding with rare roast beef
Croute of sun dried tomato, caramelized red onion & mozzarella cheese
Arbroth Smokie tarts
Chicken, Bury black pudding and chorizo sausage

Dessert Canapés
Cranachan Shots
Deep fried mini Mars bar
Lemon Tart

If you are hosting a party, wedding or special event and you would like a special theme for your menu, we can help.

Please feel free to get in touch with any inquiries, we’ll be more than happy to discuss your ideas.

Festive Party Food – Reasons to Bring in the Experts!

The festive season is the perfect time to host a party. Bringing friends and family together to catch up, indulge, let their hair down and see the year out in style.

At this time of year, any party is all about the food and drink and ensuring guests are suitably well catered for can be a challenge.

If you are thinking of throwing a festive party, it is well worth considering a catering service. Here’s why…

Less Stress, more Fun!

You may be a whizz in the kitchen, you may have long lists of all the fabulous dishes you are going to prepare, but have you considered how much you may have to do on the day/week of the party?

Cleaning the house or preparing the venue, organising lifts, sorting out any sleeping arrangements for guests staying over, putting up decorations and planning your outfit are just a few of the things that will undoubtedly crop up. Do you want to add shopping and cooking for a large number of guests into that mix?

Remember, there is not a lot of point in throwing a fabulous party if you are not able to enjoy it. A stressed and snappy host is not a recipe for a fun event.

Instead, you could leave that side of things to the experts. Spend the day prepping the house and taking the inevitable party phone calls. Then, pour yourself a hot bath and a glass of fizz. Preen and prep, greet your guests with a serene smile and enjoy yourself!

Here at Vanilla in Allseasons, we cater for all manner of events and are able to meet almost any requirement when it comes to catering. We can cater for dinner parties, Jewish celebrations, large scale events and much, much more.

So, before you plan your perfect festive party, why not give us a call? We will be happy to discuss your ideas.

Bacon Wrapped Potatoes

These delicious n and easy to make bacon wrapped potatoes make a perfect nibble for an Autumn party.

Alternatively, you can remove the securing cocktail stick after cooking and serve them as a side, great with roast chicken.

Ingredients

8 bacon slices, cut in half crosswise
16 small potatoes

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wrap each bacon piece around a potato and secure with a toothpick. Place in a baking dish and bake until bacon is crisp and potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, 40 to 50 minutes.

Recipe and image via www.marthastewart.com

Shepherds Pie Bites

Another of our favourite comfort foods is that classic British dish, the humble shepherds pie.

This clever idea is great for individual, party size portions.

Bake some large potatoes until the skins are crisp and make up your shepherds pie mix. When the potatoes are crisp, carefully halve each one scoop out the soft innards to create little ‘boats’

Place the scooped potato innards into a bowl, using a fork or potato masher, mix in a pinch of salt, some butter and black pepper.

Fill the emptied potato shells with your meaty mix and top each one with a scoop of your seasoned potato mix.

Sprinkle with cheese and pop under the grill for just a few minutes until the cheese has melted. Scatter with a few finely sliced spring onions.

Viola! Mini shepherds pie bites.

Classic Crêpe Dessert

Crepes make a fantastic sweet option for a wedding or event. They are not only delicious but their presentation is quite theatrical!

We love to flambe them and serve them in a traditional French style with Grand Marnier and fresh orange. Party guests love to watch them being prepared.




Why not consider Crepes for your event? Get in touch for more information.

Photography thanks to Jonny Draper Photography.

Happy Yorkshire Day!

Today is officially Yorkshire Day! The classic Yorkshire pud is one of our favourite British dishes.

Did you know that originally they were traditionally served as a sweet with jam? We prefer them with a classic rare roast beef and gravy. mmmmm maybe a touch of horseradish, ooh my mouth watering just writing this!

Mini Yorkshire puddings make a fantastic canapé or starter for a party, wedding or event. This recipe with roast beef and horseradish cream is excellent.

You could try it yourself or, alternatively speak to us about including it on a served menu for your next event.

See the full recipe here.

That’s a Wrap!

Last week we provided a corporate working lunch for a company in Handforth, who were rewarding their staff with a party.

The casual and fun nature of the party called for easy grazing food. We put on a wrap bar so that guests could help themselves and choose from a varied selection of delicious hot fillings. Chicken satay, Beef with mushrooms and horseradish and a vegetarian option of Tomato, Mozzarella and pesto were perfectly complimented with a selection of fresh and crunchy salads and tasty cheeses.

These sort of grazing food options are excellent for more relaxed parties. They can be dressed up or down with signs and decorations and make it easy to please everyone – healthy eaters, picky eaters, big eaters, slimmers & vegetarians alike.

Food stations work well for all manner of events and can incorporate a wide variety of food, depending on your preference. Fruit, nibbles, salads and cold meats can be picked at throughout a party and can also add colour and a stylish look. Here are some great food station ideas to inspire you –

Example Menus