Rose Kentish Kitchen: Wedding Party

Wednesday, 6 October 2010

Wedding Party

This was the first wedding reception I have ever catered for and such a great event to be part of. Held at the beginning of last month it was a really lovely day that went without a hitch and I am very proud of the work we did, especially my sous chef and friend Harriet, my sister Alice and my lovely serving staff and cooks on the day, Elsie and Julia!

I wont lie and say I didn't feel slightly more pressure, not because the food was more difficult or the numbers more daunting (I have catered larger events with more dishes in the past) or that i was under any pressure by the bride and groom or their families (they were all a dream to cook for) but simply because it was a wedding...: there is a tension in the run up to a wedding that is greater than at any other celebration; everything really must, must, must be absolutely, Really Totaly Perfect!

The menu for 90 people was chosen by the lovely bride Letty and was as follows:

A selection of dips: Tzatziki, Homous & Baba Ganoush with breads and warmed pita breads

Greek Salad

Rice salad with fresh herds and a lemon dressing

Chicken thigh fillets with Saffron and Hazelnuts

Sucuk (spicy Turkish sausage) and Vegan sausages with roasted vegetables and sesame seeds

Homemade Falafel

Tea & coffee with cakes provided by the wedding guests

Food preparation began on the Thursday before and involved a whole lot of rinsing, peeling, chopping and frying...

(Beautiful kitchen provided by the lovely Kylie and Bharat! Thanks)

The day was a real success and the food went down very well. I'm afraid there are not that many photos of the food as I was more involved in getting the food to the tables than documenting everything as it left the kitchen...

(chicken thighs with saffron and hazelnuts, recipe from the Ottolenghi cookbook, so very tasty! He does it with a whole chicken but for the wedding it was better to have smaller portions and chicken thighs were an obvious choice)

It was a lot of work and I enjoyed every minute of it.!

I will be posting up some more of the recipes shortly... Especially the recipe for Sucuk which I had never tried before this event. It is a really delicious, spicy, garlicky, red Turkish sausage and well worth a taste...

1 comment:

Unknown13 October 2010 at 09:03
Nice one Rose, looks really good, been to a few Czech weddings recently, wish you did the catering! :)
ReplyDelete
Replies

Add comment

How It Began

I started out cooking at a very early age. My parents are both very accomplished in the kitchen; my mother is master of pastries, cakes and desserts and my father (although he could ruin even a simple trifle) is a real savory gourmet. At every possible opportunity I shadowed them in the kitchen, helping stir mixtures, taste sauces and plan menues. It was a real moment of achievement when, at the age of 9 my dad let me make and season the gravy for the Sunday lunch.
My very first job was at a French restaurant in my local town. Every saturday I peeled the langoustines and helped prep salads before being pot-wash for the evening. The close environment, the heat, the freshly prepared dishes so beautifully presented, and the colourful language used by Fabrice, (owner and head chef now running this restaurant and hotel in the south of france), was both exciting and intense. I loved being a part of that machine.
Since then I have worked in many restaurants both front and back of house, from chef to barmaid. Having completed my degree in opera and vocal studies I moved to Florence for a month to continue my singing and stayed two years. Working in local Italian kitchens and bars I immersed myself in the Italian passion for food. Their appetite for fresh, local, seasonal produce and simple, uncomplicated dishes really inspired me and forms a huge part of the way I cook today.

The Catering

It had long been my desire to start catering privately for people in their own homes so two years ago I set up my own catering company.

Based primarily in London and Oxfordshire I provide fine food for canapé & bowl food receptions, large party buffets, gourmet barbecues, weddings, private dinner parties

wine & food tasting events

Each event uses seasonal and ethically sourced ingredients. I work closely with customers when devising menus to make sure I offer a unique and bespoke service, as well as organising all waiting staff and equipment hire.

Working in collaboration with Jack Chaddock, of MARC Fine Wines I am also able to offer a wine matching service.

For more information about the catering including menu options, canape lists, testimonials, and online inquiry forms please visit my website www.rosekentishkitchen.com. Alternatively please email me at rosekentish@gmail.com.