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Fun Wedding Food – Build Your Own Burgers!

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Increasingly, we have seen a demand for more casual and sociable food options at weddings and events.
Many couples are selecting food that they love and feel represents their personal style, over more formal or traditional choices.

We love to help our clients with their special requests, and seeing them and their guests enjoy and delight in their choices makes
us very happy! Last week, we catered for the fantastic wedding of Mark and Amy at the beautiful Heaton House Farm.
They wanted a delicious and fun menu for their guests to enjoy on their special day.

We served up a scrumptious array of canapés to get everyone warmed up –

Heaton House Farm - Feb Wedding Event-31
Image Via: James Jebson Photography

Canapés
Croute of sun dried tomato, caramelized red onion & mozzarella cheese
Fish and chips
Tiger prawn with pak choy, garlic and chilli
Peking duck pancakes with hoi sin sauce
Manchester Egg (a pickled egg coated in black pudding and sausage meat, and deep-fried until golden-brown)

This seemed to get everybody in the mood for more! We encouraged everyone to roll up their sleeves and enjoy some hearty
starter dishes, served on the slate or in bowls for guests to share.

VinA Catering

Starters
Potato skins, with chicken and bbq sauce with Monterey Jack
Pork ribs with a sweet and sour sauce
Buffalo wings with a chilli sauce and blue cheese dressing
Battered tiger prawn with a smokey sauce
Courgette Fritters
Charcoal grilled sweetcorn

After this round, everybody was raring to go for the next course, a ‘build your own burger’. This was really fun and
everybody thoroughly enjoyed creating their burgers (and eating them of course!)

Build-Your-Own-Burger

Build your own Burger
Brioche Bun, 6oz lean beef burger served on a wooden board

To build the burger –
Pulled Pork
Oak smoked Bacon (on the chopping board)

Sides
Coleslaw
Monteray Jack Cheese
Chopped salad, Iceberg lettuce, tomato, red onion
Fresh Guacamole
Deep fried pickles
Hand cut chips, served in baskets
Beer battered onion rings Square soup bowl

Breads
Handmade artisan breads by Bramhall Bakery

bread sml
Image Via: Chelsea Shoesmith Photography

At this point there were a lot of full tummies, but somehow, as usual, everybody seemed just
about able to fit in some delicious desserts!

Dessert
A Miniature trio of puds –
Apple pie with a soft whipped cream
Peanut butter ice cream
Warm chocolate brownie

This menu choice was really fun to prepare and serve, Mark and Amy’s lucky guests absolutely loved it
and everybody enjoyed the carefree and sociable style of service.

Do you have a special menu idea for your own wedding or event? We’d love to hear about it. Feel free to get in touch!

Event Food Trends 2014

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Here at Vanilla in Allseasons, we are always looking ahead. Not only because we are passionate (marginally obsessed) about food,
but also so that we can be sure to offer our clients the latest food ideas and suggestions, should they need them.

Today we share our top event food trend predictions for 2014.

1. Colour

A trend that looks set to stick around this year is one of vibrant, pretty colours. Many people are choosing to move away from
classic white and neutral shades and are opting for a colour scheme that is bold and punchy.

A clever way to add colour to your event is with a stylish dessert table or edible place setting. Macarons are perfect for this!

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Via: belle the magazine

Late last year, we catered for the fabulous wedding of bridal gown queen, Charlotte Balbier. She chose a selection of
pretty macarons which added colour and a chic, classic feel to her event food.

Our friends at Mum’s Macarons
provided a vast selection of these delicate sweet treats in a variety of shades and flavours.

mums macarons
Via: Mum’s Macarons

2. Best of British

As you may know, we love fresh and seasonal food and always try to source the very best ingredients from local suppliers.

With this in mind, we have been very pleased to see a rise in popularity for traditional British dishes. From miniature roast
beef and Yorkshire pud canapes, to tiny cones of fish and chips and full hearty English roasts.

beef
Our miniature roast beef & Yorkshire pud canapés with horseradish cream always go down a treat!

3. Quirky Themes

Although many people love to stick with classic, traditional style, we have seen a huge rise in themed weddings and events.
There are no rules and many of our clients are looking for unique ideas to theme their celebrations.

We love to work with our clients to create unusual and exciting menus that best represent them and their personal style.

You may wish to select a traditional menu from your home country, or from a place you visited on holiday.
Last year we created menus for an American party, a Caribbean theme and traditional west African food
to name but a few!

burgers

Perhaps you want a particular theme for your event, such as a fun fair or circus theme. An era such as 70’s is ideal for an anniversary party.
It’s completely up to you!

Whatever you choose in 2014 – we can help. Please feel free to contact our team to discuss your ideas.

George & Seans Winter Wedding

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On December 11th we catered for George and Sean’s Civil Partnership.
Heaton House Farm was dressed to festive perfection and guests enjoyed winter
Pimms and Christmas songs.

George and Sean’s adorable Spaniels joined them for the day and added to the fun
Christmas vibes with cute festive jumpers!

wedding

We received this lovely thank you note…

“Hi Adam and Simon

Well what can I say apart from a MASSIVE thanks!!!!

Everyone was saying how stunning the food was, the size of the portions and
also the quality was outstanding!!

Your staff was truly amazing and we couldn’t fault anything, us two are hard
to please too. Once again THANK YOU!!!

Have a lovely christmas and we wish you all the best for the future

Cheers
George & Sean
Xx”

Thanks so much guys, we loved being a part of your special day.

Hearty Dishes at a Wonderful Winter Wedding

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On Friday 8th November we catered for a fantastic wedding at Peover Golf Club

The cold and crisp November day called for warming, hearty food. Our lovely bride and groom, Edward and Emily,
asked us to keep their guests warm and happy with a selection of robust and tasty dishes.

We started with a selection of good sturdy Canapés, or ‘Manapés’ as we have termed them!
nothing too delicate or dainty here!…

Miniature Fish and Chips
Croute of sun dried tomato, caramelized red onion & mozzarella cheese
Peking duck pancakes with hoi sin sauce
Moroccan Lamb skewers with a hummus dip

croute copy

We followed with a hearty main…

Roast slipper of beef with Yorkshire pudding and a Merlot sauce accompanied by
Roasted potatoes with rosemary and thyme,
Panache of green seasonal vegetables and
Roasted root vegetables

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Steaming jugs of gravy were served to each table, no one wants to run out!
We also served fresh handmade artisan breads made by the fantastic folk at Bramhall Bakery.

For dessert, we offered up a ‘his and hers’ option.
For the ladies – Raspberry crème brulee with a citrus shortbread
and for the gents -Sticky toffee apple pudding with toffee sauce and warm custard.

Yesterday, we received this lovely thank you note…

Thank-You-Card-2-600x332

“Just wanted to thank you and your staff for looking after us so wonderfully
well yesterday evening at Edward and Emily’s Wedding celebration. The food
was absolutely delicious and our guests were extremely happy! As for the
canapés- well, what can I say? Next time perhaps it will just be all about
those!

With all the planning involved and the hope that all goes right at the end
of the day, it is wonderful to have the confidence in knowing that Vanilla
will always come up trumps, no matter what is going on behind the scenes! We
can never sing your praises enough.

Thank you again on behalf of our guests and ourselves. A wonderful memory.

With best wishes to you and your staff”

We thoroughly enjoyed this event and it was fantastic to be part of such a special day.

Shades of Gold

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This weekend we catered for a fantastic wedding at the very beautiful country venue, Heaton House Farm. We certainly seemed to have the Midas touch. One colour kept popping up throughout the day – glorious gold!

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Heaton House Farm looked stunning surrounded by a blanket of rich seasonal colours and inside, the venue looked spectacular! From the stylish gold charger plates to the gold trimmed glasses provided by our friends at Whitehouse Crockery, the tables looked the epitome of Autumn style.

gold

gold plates
Gold Charger Plates by Whitehouse Crockery

We served a delicious pork belly dish and a crisp and golden crackling.

pork belly

Add to that some gold star service and you have an event that is simply dazzling!

Tasting room at Vanilla HQ

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Did you know that here at the Vanilla in Alseasons HQ, we have a dedicated tasting room? Here you are able to relax and enjoy sampling our delicious food, whilst we work with you to plan your perfect event menu.

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As well as sampling your menu choices, you will be able to peruse our wine selection, crockery and glassware options. These are all on display so you can take a look at them up close, not just in a picture.

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It is always our aim and ethos to help you to develop menu choices that are personal and unique as well as being something that you and your guests will simply love. This personal service allows us to get to know you better, and understand your taste, style and requirments. If you would like to talk to us about your own event food, and perhaps arrange a visit to our tasting room, please get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.

Marvellous Macarons

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In recent years, we have seen a rise in the popularity of macarons (macaroons) for special events, weddings and parties. These colourful sweet treats make for wonderful favours, canapes or even piled high as wedding cakes. Here at Vanilla in Allseasons, we just can’t get enough of them!

macoroons

One of our favourite new suppliers is local company, Mum’s Macarons. Owner Ruth creates the most delicious and delicate homemade macarons in a vast array of colours and styles from her kitchen in Gawsworth, just a few miles from Vanilla HQ.

macarons 2

macarons

These beautiful, dainty delights make wonderful gifts, stylish wedding favours and elegant event food. They can be made to order in your choice of colour, flavour and filling.

macarons 3

You can find out more about Mum’s Macarons at her Facebook Page and twitter feed.

We can include macaron’s as part of your event food package should you so wish, feel free to contact us for more details

Afternoon Tea

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There is something ultimately decadent about a luxurious afternoon tea. Cucumber sandwiches, delicate cakes, scones with clotted cream and jam, fine teas and an icy glass of fizz, high tea is truly a British institution.

Afternoon tea tiered plates

A high tea works perfectly as a food option for a wedding, hen party or baby shower and adds a special touch to any event.

Afternoon tea Vanilla teacup cake

Afternoon tea sourdough bites

Here at Vanilla in Allseasons, we provide afternoon tea for all manner of occasions. We can adapt the menu to suit your tastes and requirements.

afternoon tea stacked teacups

afternoon tea - scones

Just imagine it, elegant tiered plates filled with delicate delights. What could be more chic?

Please feel free to contact us for more details.

Unusual Wedding Food – African Style Canapés

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Here at Vanilla in Allseasons we love to roll up our sleeves and try something new so we are always excited when our clients make unusual food requests for us to try.

It’s not often that we get to create African inspired menus but that is just what we have been asked to do for a fantastic wedding next year. These canapes will be exciting, unique and absolutely delicious!

We’ve knocked up these menu suggestions. What do you think?

African style Canapés
Hand Made Boerewors sausage with a BBQ dipping sauce
Chicken livers with a peri peri sauce on a croute
Mafeking Biltong (for guest to chew on)
Mini jerk chicken & Pineapple on skewers
Curried goat on a pancake
Sosaties, Marinated lamb with a spicy sauce

Rib Eye steak and chips
Yorkshire pudding with roast Buffalo
Croute of sun dried tomato, caramelized red onion & mozzarella cheese
Grilled squid with a pumpkin seed pesto
Roast sweet potato with a peanut sauce
Akara Fritters with a dipping sauce

The style of food you choose to serve at your event can be a great way to bring something different to your guests and express a bit of your own style and personality.

If you are hosting a wedding, party or special event and would like something a little different, feel free to contact us. We’d love to discuss your ideas.

A Beautiful Orchard Wedding

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On Saturday we catered for a beautiful, unusual wedding in Nantwich for a fantastic couple, Hannah and Andy.

Hannah and Andy chose to hold their ceremony in their own family orchard before dining in a fabulous marquee, provided by Purple Rain Weddings.

The weather was absolutely perfect! warm and gloriously sunny without being too hot. The ceremony was laid back and relaxed with an elegant, country feel.



After the ceremony, we served a selection of canapes so guests could chat and enjoy the gorgeous weather and lovely surroundings. Later, a relaxed sit down meal was served ‘family style’ from large bowls placed centrally on the tables. Lucky guests were able to help themselves to-

12 hour braised shin of beef in red wine with roasted root vegetables
Chicken roasted with and wild mushroom and white wine sauce
and Sweet potato and aubergine gratin in a tomato fondu

All served with a panache of seasonal vegetables with Maldon sea salt and cracked black pepper and crushed new potatoes with herbs and spring onions.

For dessert we served hand made individual apple crumble using apples from the very same orchard where the service was held. What a lovely, personal touch!

Evening guests were treated to a Staffordshire Hog roasted on the spit for over 6 hours, with natural pork jus, handmade apple sauce and a sage & roast onion stuffing.

A fantastic day was had by all and we thoroughly enjoyed being a part of it.

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