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shinytoasterGot a crafty day off work tomorrow to go and check out a couple of wedding venues. We've settled on what we want to do and have a couple of things in mind at the moment that I probably shouldn't be blogging about until we've confirmed lest I jinx the whole endeavour - touch MDF - suffice to say it's quite exciting and hopefully it will be a little bit different to yer usual hotel-based options.
You know, I checked out so many hotels online at the weekend, all in the southwest London/northeast Surrey area, and one further away beyond Guildford, and essentially they were identical. Whatever you wanted to do to make your event special, you were going to get lots of round tables, a balloon arrangement and a bored toastmaster thrown in.
The majority of them also charged outlandish prices, topping 10 grand for venue hire, before food, drink and entertainment, which of course has to be done by the in-house caterers, meaning that the wedding breakfast menu looks a little like this:
For your special day choose one dish from each of the following menu which will be served to all your guests.
Starters
Fan of Galia melon served with Tesco Finest Parma ham
Prawn cocktail with sauce Marie Rose (ketchup and low-fat mayo)
Tomato and mozarella hastily thrown together with some basil
Mains
Beef Wellington, done toyour liking a cinder and nuked vegetables
Breast of dry chicken in a non-offensive white sauce and nuked vegetables
Something involving salmon and nuked vegetables and Hollandaise sauce if you're classy
Desserts
Profiteroles with lukewarm chocolate sauce
Apple cobbler with custard
New York Light Industrial Unit in Horsham Cheesecake
This will be served with the house red, a 2009 Dead Wallaby Creek Merlot or the house white, a 2009 Dead Wallaby Creek Chardonnay (allow 1/2 bottle per guest) + a glass of Bucks Fizz or Tropicana on arrival + a glass ofchampagne sparkling wine for the toasts
A stuffed portobello mushroom/attempt at pumpkin risotto will be available for vegetarians.
This generally starts at about £85 per head.
The thing is, I like food a whole lot, have never understood the concept of it being merely fuel, the concept of fussy eating or the concept of serving something unmemorable on a memorable occasion.
I have even been known to make pathetic whimpering noises when faced with something truly magnificent - I hold a recent trip to the Cinnamon Club in London or my reaction to a chicken liver parfait the last time we ate at Browns as evidence.
You see my dilemma, the catering has to be good, and that pretty much cancels out a whole swathe of options.
I think, and hope our solution to this won't be found wanting...
You know, I checked out so many hotels online at the weekend, all in the southwest London/northeast Surrey area, and one further away beyond Guildford, and essentially they were identical. Whatever you wanted to do to make your event special, you were going to get lots of round tables, a balloon arrangement and a bored toastmaster thrown in.
The majority of them also charged outlandish prices, topping 10 grand for venue hire, before food, drink and entertainment, which of course has to be done by the in-house caterers, meaning that the wedding breakfast menu looks a little like this:
For your special day choose one dish from each of the following menu which will be served to all your guests.
Starters
Fan of Galia melon served with Tesco Finest Parma ham
Prawn cocktail with sauce Marie Rose (ketchup and low-fat mayo)
Tomato and mozarella hastily thrown together with some basil
Mains
Beef Wellington, done to
Breast of dry chicken in a non-offensive white sauce and nuked vegetables
Something involving salmon and nuked vegetables and Hollandaise sauce if you're classy
Desserts
Profiteroles with lukewarm chocolate sauce
Apple cobbler with custard
This will be served with the house red, a 2009 Dead Wallaby Creek Merlot or the house white, a 2009 Dead Wallaby Creek Chardonnay (allow 1/2 bottle per guest) + a glass of Bucks Fizz or Tropicana on arrival + a glass of
A stuffed portobello mushroom/attempt at pumpkin risotto will be available for vegetarians.
This generally starts at about £85 per head.
The thing is, I like food a whole lot, have never understood the concept of it being merely fuel, the concept of fussy eating or the concept of serving something unmemorable on a memorable occasion.
I have even been known to make pathetic whimpering noises when faced with something truly magnificent - I hold a recent trip to the Cinnamon Club in London or my reaction to a chicken liver parfait the last time we ate at Browns as evidence.
You see my dilemma, the catering has to be good, and that pretty much cancels out a whole swathe of options.
I think, and hope our solution to this won't be found wanting...
(no subject)
Date: 2009-09-02 08:09 pm (UTC)(Don't mock the Dead Wallaby Creek. It's surprisingly tasty. Oh, and if you want, I would be very happy to drive a large estate car to the vineyard in France where we got the amazing sparkling wine (a Vouvray Petillant) for Alex & Jag's and Audree & Steve's weddings. €5 a bottle.)