You may have thought about having a party, and having some food for your guests, but had you considered all of the different options you have? Creating the right feel to your celebrations is really important, be it relaxed and casual, formal, or just something a bit different, by choosing a style in which the food is served, this can help to set the mood.

Breakfasts

Whether its to start the celebrations with a fabulous breakfast, or to finish off a great evening of partying with a breakfast laid on the next morning, we can provide whatever is required, from an elegant menu of eggs benedict to an all round crowd pleaser of hot bacon sandwiches.

Canapés

The perfect sociable food to provide at a party where you want your guests to mingle and chat. Choose just a few to whet your guests appetite before a meal, or serve more as a meal replacement.

Bowl Foods

Served in the same way as canapés, bowl foods tend to be 3-5 bites, often mini versions of favourite dishes. They work equally well served with canapés as on their own.

Standing Buffets

A great option for a party where you want to serve food, but perhaps don’t have the space for everyone to sit at once. It also helps to create a relaxed, informal atmosphere.

Seated Buffets

Buffets give the flexibility to offer a variety of dishes to ensure there is something for everyone! With this option, tables are laid with a place for each guest, giving a slightly more formal feel to the party.

Seated Meals

With a seated meal, guests sit at pre laid tables, and a bespoke menu is served directly to your guests and cleared away—guests are pampered from start to finish!

Buffet Stalls

If your celebrations have a particular theme, why not have a buffet stall, where we can serve a particular style of food, from a decorated shack /stand. Wok stations, serving hot fresh noodles to order for an asian theme, with giant chillies and fairy lights hanging will make a memorable addition to your party.

Midnight Feasts

What can beat a naughty treat at the end of a party? Choose from a sophisticated late night cheese board, classic bacon sandwiches or roast pork in a bap with apple sauce. You could even go back to your student days with cheesy chips or late night BBQ.

For more information, please give us a call 01494 727807 or email food@seasons-catering.com

Another idea for fantastic party food is a Moroccan menu – plenty of flavour, and a visual feast with all of its colourful elements…

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Antipasti tray

to include flat breads, dipping oils and spices, borek filo pastries, pitta bread, Lavosh, roasted carrot dip, white bean and lemon dip

Buffet dishes – hot

Lamb harissa kebabs, Seasons lamb tagine, chicken bastilla – spiced chicken filo pie, chick pea and date tagine.

Buffet dishes – cold

Cous cous stuffed vegetables with goats cheese

Spanish Moroccon Tilapia

Tomaten Halwa

Salads

Kisr – tabbuleh salad with toasted hazelnuts parsley and lemon

Watermelon, orange and watercress

Carrot beetroot and cumin

Potato salad with a charmoula vinagrette

Desserts

Rosewater and pistachio meringue tower with crystallised rose petals and edible glitter

Citrus polenta cake with orange blossom syrup

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If you have an idea in mind for a party, why not give us a call to see how we can help.

01494 727807 or email food@seasons-catering.com

With many years of experience prior to starting her own company, Christine was running the kitchen for one of the UK’s top cake companies, making cakes for the Royal Family and celebrities such as Cheryl Cole, Pierce Brosnan, Ozzy Osbourne and Sasha Obama to name but a few! Between designing and making her cakes, Christine also offers private tuition on cake decorating techniques and cupcake parties for children. She has held lessons at some of London’s top hotels and currently teaches at Leith’s School of Food and Wine in London.

Christine on cakes and Boo Lee Scrumptious…

I’ve had the nickname ‘Boo’ since I was little, hence Boo Lee Scrumptious!

Trends –

Flavour wise, bride and grooms are still choosing to have sponge flavours over the traditional fruit cake.  A popular choice is to have a chocolate wedding cake and serve it as the dessert at the wedding breakfast.  Another trend at the moment is for some of the cake tiers to be dummy tiers which is great if you want an amazing centrepiece but perhaps only have a small amount of guests to feed.

Most of my clients have a definite idea which direction they want to go with their wedding cake although there are some who need a bit of inspiration and guidance.   It all depends on the theme of your wedding, so I do get requests for cakes with bright, bold colours, although the majority of bride and grooms like to stick to the more traditional designs, with whites, ivory’s or subtle taupe colourings.  I am seeing a big rise in people asking for a completely bespoke design. They want something that is personal to them and has never been seen before.  A popular way of doing this is to incorporate the lace from the bride’s wedding dress into the design on the cake.  I recently had the opportunity to design a stunning 5 tier wedding cake around a lace cutting sent to me from Paris by the world famous dress designer Zuhair Murad.  I spent hours fully piping the whole cake to include lace brush embroidery, delicate lustred pearls and glittered diamonds. Fresh flowers on a cake still seems to be preferable to sugar flowers at the moment but I predict a change in the next year due to the Royal Wedding cake!

Choosing a wedding cake

I would advice couples to choose a design that ties in with the theme of their wedding, i.e. if you have bright bold colours in your dress, flowers, table settings etc then go for the same with your cake so the design is carried through the whole wedding. The same goes for weddings with subtle muted colours. I have been to weddings where the cake has been bright and bold to stand out but just ends up looking out of place.

Choose the flavours that you like and don’t worry what the guests might like, you can’t please everyone and after all this is your day!

Inspiration

I have to say that I get my inspiration from just about everything. Fashion, home decor, nature etc.  I’ve even been known to take pictures of plates in restaurants because I like the pattern on them.  If I had to choose a favourite though I would say fashion, particularly dresses.  I can’t watch Downton Abbey without seeing cake designs in some of those wonderful period costumes!

Gluten free

I am a completely bespoke cake company therefore as well as being able to have just about any flavour cake you would like, I also endeavour to cater for any dietary requirements you may have, including gluten free and nut free cakes.

Memorable moment: Indian wedding cake – Bollywood Dreams

I loved working on this cake!  After a meeting and cake tasting with the bride and groom at The Grosvenor House Hotel in Park Lane, London, I decided that to carry the whole wedding theme through, this cake would need to be completely covered in bright, bold cerise pink and gold decoration. Each of the seven tiers of the cake was a different flavour. The pattern around the side of the cake was taken from the beautiful padded materiel wedding invitations and menu cards which I also incorporated in to the cerise pink sugarpaste swag that continues around the cake from the top to the bottom.  The happy couple also requested that the cake be studded with gold Swarovski crystals for added bling!  After discussing the flower choices and colours with the florist I made all the flower sprays you see on the cake from sugar.  As it was such a detailed cake I was interested to see how long it would take me therefore I timed each stage over the period of a month. From buying the ingredients, making the flowers, baking, piping, painting the piping in gold, stacking and then finally delivering, the finished cake took just over 120 man hours.  I had to hire a fellow cake decorator to help for a couple of days and even my Dad joined in, helping to paint the intricate detail around the cake in gold lustre!  I needed to hire a van to get to the venue as the cake was so tall.  Unfortunately there were no windows in the back of the van so I had to sit in the next to the cake in the dark with just a small torch to make sure nothing happened!  My boyfriend Huw then had the task of driving from Chesham to London, missing as many potholes as possible.  We both breathed a sigh of relief when Bollywood Dreams was finally in pride of place in the Ballroom at The Grosvenor.  The reaction from everyone there working for Giles Sherlock Events and decorating the venue was amazing and made all the stress worthwhile.  The bride and groom where also thrilled!

Visit Christine’s website http://www.booleescrumptious.co.uk/ for more information and to view her amazing cakes!

Get your morning off to a headstart with our Bloody Mary, packed full of antixodiant containing tomato juice, this classic cocktail will have you looking forward to the rest of the day and forgetting last night. For the slightly more innocent among us, indulge in a Virgin Mary, all the flavour of its more devilish alter ego without the alcohol.

Feeling the January blues? Perk yourself up with our Bueno Burrito, a toasted tortilla wrap with chorizo, potato, salsa and mature cheddar served with guacamole, sour cream and chilli jam. So tasty you’ll forget you’re in England and think you’re in España!

Now you’re wide awake and fully functioning it would be a shame to leave without sampling some of our delicious Farmhouse Breakfast Week desserts! Treat yourself to our Belgian Waffles with ice cream and hot chocolate sauce, or if you’re more of a savoury sampler than a sweet tooth why  not try our Belgian Waffles with crispy bacon and maple syrup. Either way, it would be a shame not to!

So come on down and join us in celebrating the age old tradition of eating food in the morning. It may sound simple but by gum its delicious! And don’t forget! After you’ve tried our delicious brunch menu, remember to vote for your favourites at the till and you could be in with the chance of winning our Breakfast Week Hamper!

This is exactly what Farmhouse Breakfast Week is aiming to change. Starting on the 22nd January, Farmhouse Breakfast week is returning for its thirteenth year, with its annual campaign to raise awareness of the importance of eating breakfast and the variety of foods there are out there.

Why eat breakfast…

• Breakfast eaters tend to be slimmer than breakfast skippers.
• Eating breakfast can aid concentration and mental performance at work and at school.
• It provides you with the nutrients and energy needed for an active lifestyle.
• Research shows that breakfast eaters are less depressed and have lower levels of stress than breakfast skippers.

Events are going on all over the country to encourage us to get happy and eat breakfast and Seasons is getting involved aswell!

From the 22nd we will be featuring our limited edition breakfast menu designed specifically by our chefs to get our customers enjoying a more varied and tasty breakfast. Featured on the menu are dishes such as our delicious Bubbalicious, warm bubble and squeak patties served with crispy bacon and grilled tomatoes. It was so popular last ye we ran out! For a lighter way to start the day why not try one of our special smoothies, with both the Sunrise smoothie made with papaya and greek yoghurt and the Banana Buzz smoothie, a banana and chocolate milkshake with an added shot of espresso to get the morning off to a quick start, you’ll be spoilt for choice!

To celebrate our special breakfast menu, we will also be doing daily tastings in the cafe of new tasty breakfast products so come on down and have a try! And it doesn’t stop there! We’re so excited about making all of our customers breakfast friendly we’re giving away a free hamper! Stay tuned for more details about the competition to be in with a chance of winning.

Our sister cafe at Rowan Garden Centre will be featuring special breakfast dishes as well. So don’t miss out, come on down for a delicious and healthy breakfast before perusing the lovely products in store.

For more information on Farmhouse Breakfast events happening near you, tips on how to encourage children to eat a healthy breakfast, suggestions for breakfast dishes and much more visit the Farmhouse Breakfast Week website at http://www.shakeupyourwakeup.com/.

Bon appetit!

Office Party? Why not order our very festive platter ….. your staff will love you forever!

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Brimming with yummy party favourites such as our famous honey and herb Cumberland sausages with honey mustard mayo dip, brie and cranberry cups, selection of dips, crudites, crostini, olives and crisps, seasonal sandwiches including turkey with all the trimmings, mini bagels with smoked salmon, horseradish cream cheese, lemon and chives, indulgent chocolate squares and of course our mini mince pies with brandy butter – minimum order for 6 people delivered to your home or office for just £12.50 a head on beautiful recyclable platters – please order by 12pm the day before.

Leaving the party hosting to someone else but still fancy a helping hand for the Christmas feast? Seasons To Go is the perfect ingredient for a stress free Christmas day. Leave us to make those niggling extras that always take longer than you wanted; buffet dishes, quiches, or simply some delicious red cabbage and cranberry for that extra zing with your turkey. Or otherwise, let us prepare some festive treats for your Christmas Eve meal and take the strain off having to cook another meal for all of those extended family members you inconveniently forgot were staying. Dish them up one of our festive puddings and they’ll be so impressed they’ll forget it wasn’t you that made it! We’re here to help you have a fantastic Christmas, so why not do it with Seasons.

For those last minute Christmas presents, pop into the cafe for our great selection of wines. With spicy black pepper complimented by juicy ripe black fruits, the Broken Shackle 2010 Classic Red is a great Shiraz to give to any wine lover. Ask one of our assistants to put it in one of our lovely gift bags and you’ve got a dinner favour anyone would be happy to receive.

Or for those of you with slightly more mature taste, why not indulge in a bottle of Barros port, we’ve got a variety of vintages and with 20% off throughout December there’s no reason to miss out!  Why not try the 1991 vintage, normally priced at £37.50 but with 20% off you can get your very own bottle for just £30, now that’s what  I call drinking in the new year in style! Compliment yours with some Colsten Bassett Stilton found in our very own deli, or to shake things up a bit, why not try this delicious port cocktail, it’s our favourite for dinner parties and Christmas soirees!

Season’s Champagne Velvet
Serves 6
175g blackberries
50g caster sugar, plus 1tbsp
6tbsp Barros port (your choice of vintage)
1 bottle chilled champagne

-Reserve 6 of the blackberries and put to one side for decoration.

-Place the remaining blackberries with 50g caster sugar in a saucepan. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved then simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sauce has thickened slightly and is syrupy.

-Sieve the blackberry syrup over a bowl, gently pressing with the back of a spoon. Discard the fruit pulp. Chill the syrup.

-Place a little of the syrup on a saucer and the remaining caster sugar on another saucer. Dip the rim of each of six champagne glasses first in the blackberry syrup, then in the caster sugar.

-Blend the port with the remaining blackberry syrup and pour a couple of tablespoons into six champagne flutes. Top with chilled champagne.

-Skewer a blackberry with a cocktail stick and place on top of each glass. Serve immediately. Et voila!

Lastly, but by no means least, everyone at Seasons wants to say a big thankyou to June for making the beautiful Christmas bunting that’s hanging in the cafe. Thankyou!

Singapore is home to the ‘hawker’ centre, street vendors collected up into food courts, some resembling multi-storey car parks, with each vendor or hawker specialising in a different dish. This is my idea of foodie heaven. A melting pot of food cultures, Chinese, Malay (combined to make ‘nonya cuisine), Indian, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese are all represented here, as well as many michelin starred fine dining restaurants.

My must-eat here is Roti chanai, a flakey, layered bread of Indian origin, delicious on it’s own or used to mop-up some chicken curry. They flip and fold the dough with great dexterity, gained from years of experience, and they make it look easy. I really am going to try this, just need to have a large hot flat griddle pan first (and a lot of time on my hands). We have also sampled Singapore’s signature dish, fresh chilli crab. We were provided with a protective bib, as its a messy business, cracking the crab to exude all the huge lumps of juicy crabmeat within, bathed in a sweet, unctuous, spicy sauce.

I have eaten some weird stuff so far. An authentic Singaporean breakfast of pandan butter toast with soft boiled eggs. Pandan is a fragrant leaf native to the Asia, used to wrap and fragrance foods, unfortunately with the toast, it looked like snot – tasty though. Singaporean food challenges conceptions: avocado doughnuts, spinach toast, iced coffee with jelly pieces, green tea and cheese ice cream, (my favourite ice cream flavour is sweetcorn, complete with little frozen kernels) pork floss (think candy floss, but like bacon), beetroot custard pudding, you have to take a deep breath and dive in…your taste buds will be rewarded. Yes, of course you can have your steak and chips – but, hey – when in Rome?!

I have tasted a kaleidoscope of flavours on this Asian trip, which have both intriguing and inspiring……..that said – I can’t deny that I am really looking forward to returning to good old blighty…..and having a Sunday roast!