Clams, mussels, squid and tiger prawns in black bean sauce for a 21st birthday pan asian theme buffet in Minster Lovell near Oxford

Anton,

Please pass on our thanks to James and the rest of the team – the food was fantastic (asparagus tempura and crispy shredded beef were highlights!) and Jessie was really pleased with everything.

Thanks again

Helen

Of all the things we've cooked this year (that's a lot of things) I think this has been my favourite so far! It's all in the sauce, so don't go thinking you can use a brought ready made one. 

Black bean sauce is actually surprisingly easy to make, so much so you kind of wonder why you've never got round to it before. It helps, of course, now being based round the corner from all sorts of different ethnic food shops. I used this black bean sauce recipe and dropped the seafood into it to cook & take on the flavours - wild! This was served in chafing dishes, buffet style in the barn.

Sushi as a canape, made on site, minutes before it went out - can't beat the freshness! Vegetable maki rolls, cooked prawn uramaki rolled in sesame, tuna rolls in (raw) savoy cabbage leaves, salmon nigiri, gunkan maki with keta caviar, and swordfish nigiri. 

It's amazing how often people think you just turn up on the day and that's it. They don't see the 7 day industry that goes behind all the setting up, and clearing away. This party took 10 days in total from beginning to end. The pan asian menus especially take a lot of food preparation, both before and on the day, but it's all worth it for those fresh flavours - you can't get that with ready made sauces etc. It must have made on an impression on the birthday girl's aunt as well - as she has since booked us to cater for her wedding at the same venue next year!

So after a pan-asian style main, the birthday girl had decided on a more english style dessert with lemon & raspberry meringue roulade, chocolate eclair and shotglass of raspberry sorbet. Mix and match the styles - that's what it's all about!

Canapés

Sushi Selection;

including vegetable and avocado, cooked prawn, raw salmon and tuna, keta caviar

Served with Wasabi, Soy Sauce and Pickled Ginger

Catered Buffet Menu

Sharing Platters Starter

Crispy Confit Duck Spring Rolls with Hoi Sin Dip

Stir Fried Salt and Pepper Squid

Asparagus Tempura

Beef Tataki

Prawns in Lemongrass and Coconut

XXX

Selection of 4 main courses

Chicken Katsu Curry

Pad Thai Noodles with Tofu

Crispy Shredded Beef with Honey Chilli Sauce

Mussels, Clams, Squid, Prawns and Edamame in Black Bean Sauce

served with;

Plain Steamed Rice

Pak Choi with Garlic, Ginger and Oyster Sauce

XXX

Trio of desserts;

Mini Chocolate Éclairs

Mini Lemon Meringue Roulade

Shotglass of Homemade Raspberry Mojito Sorbet 

0

Catering for Christmas and New Years Eve parties 2013

Christmas canape party in Broadway, Worcestershire 18th December 

It never feels like Christmas till I have done this canape party. They really go to town on their decorations -I love it!

Christmas canapes in Broadway. This couple live a few doors down from where I started my business 8 years ago - I have been catering for their Christmas canape party every year since. They like the more traditional style - stick with what you know!
On this day we had already done a Christmas lunch buffet, then after setting this up it was off to cook another dinner party - busy day!

Beef and caramelised onion roulade with horseradish on parmesan shortbread
Smoked salmon blinis - classic!
Blue cheese cheesecakes - new improved recipe much better!
Spinach, cream cheese and smoked trout roulade

..and pastrami, gruyere and gherkin on rye bread.

Staff Christmas Party near Stow-on-the-Wold 19th December 

Staff party for a well known fashion designer based nearby.

Mohito's by The Bartender

Homemade Sausage Rolls with Sage 

Yorkshire Pudding with Roast Beef and Horseradish 

Cranberry and Brie Filo Tarts 

Homemade Mini Beef Burgers 

Potato Wedges with Chive and Onion Dip 

Vegetable Sushi Rolls with Wasabi and Soy Sauce 

Tomato and Mozzarella Mini Pizzas 

All made fresh on the day from 5am. 

Boom boom shake the room!

40th Anniversary Christmas dinner family get together nr Stratford-on-Avon, 21st December 

Three generations of the family got together near Stratford on Avon and as it was 4 days before Christmas we cooked up a traditional Christmas dinner - so they could all enjoy the occasion together. 

Pre-Christmas lazy Sunday lunch 22nd December

Loved this house near Malvern!

 I had cooked for this group in Bourton-on-the-Water earlier in the year.

It's called Brook House for a reason. So peaceful - great place to spend Christmas

They went for a fish sharing platter as a starter...

Saffron poached sea bream with cauliflower. 

Poached salmon fillet with coriander puree, beetroot and quail eggs. One of the guests didn't like fish. Or so she thought before that day - she loved this.... simple is often best.

Crab and mango salad
Prawns in cocktail sauce
Potato salad
There were also rollmops as another dish

Then just as I was plating this up the heaviest hail ever fell outside. Nice.

60th Birthday dinner in Brockhampton, Cheltenham Monday 23rd December

Clever people at this event! We had cooked at this house on Christmas Day 2010. This time the family we had cooked for then had swapped houses for the Christmas holidays with a family in Australia! Christmas down under. This birthday was for the incoming family which brought together family from 3 different countries. I was cooking and serving that one on my own - no time for food pics.....

The owners have a great sense of humour.

Love the aga there. Looks like we might be back there in a few weeks. 

Christmas lunch deliveries, Christmas Eve, Tuesday 24th December

Among all the Christmas lunch deliveries to Burford, Stow on the Wold and Chipping Campden areas was this.....

Gluten free Christmas pudding.
The gluten free Christmas pudding request had come in quite late - so it went on when I got back from the Sunday lunch party. Used this recipe with a few variations. 8 hours steaming - so it was done by 4am.......

Christmas Day Wednesday 25th December 

4:15 am and it's go go go in the kitchen! Events to organise and some step by step instructions to email to the host of one of the Christmas lunch deliveries the night before. Then it was off to Southrop Manor.

Had the entire run of the cookery school kitchen to myself. Only problem - the more space you have the more space you have to clean! Fell in love with their Wolf oven ranges - the best I've used in years..... maybe ever! 

Such a stunning venue! Airy and spacious.

Kitchen with a view! You look out on to the courtyard knot garden full of fresh herbs which I cut to use in the Christmas lunch for 32 guests.  

Pan Asian Menu, Boxing Day Thursday 26th December

"I thought we'd got for something completely different after a traditional Christmas Day" said the the hosts son. The host himself was en route to hospital in Banbury when we arrived after slipping on the wet decking outside. What a way to spend a birthday. Gave us a bit more time to get ready, and everyone was sure ready to eat once they got back.
Served family style on large platters for guests to share. These pan asian events are my favourite to cook - it's the flavours!

Homemade Asian Milk Bread Rolls

XXX

Crispy Spring Rolls

Selection of Satay;

chicken, pork and duck

Salt and pepper stir fried squid - simple and tasty; it all disappeared

Asian Crab Cakes

XXX

Roast duck with Pomegranate and Chilli Sauce

Marinaded overnight and roasted on the bone, then carved into portions 

Malaysian Lamb Rendang

Blackened Cod

served with;

Tom Yum Fried Rice

Yaki Soba Vegetable Stir Fried Noodles

Mixed Bean Salad

XXX

Apple Wontons

Mango Sorbet

Lychee and Pomegranate Panna Cotta

Friday 27th December.

Phew - after all that it was time for a morning off. Then back to the kitchen for the clear up operation and to get ready for the next event the following day.
The Sunday it was time to get moving on New Year's Eve preparations.
Monday - a wedding meeting and a delivery dinner party to someone testing out our food before booking our services for his birthday party which we did a couple of weeks afterwards.


New Year's Eve  Tuesday 31st December

After a couple of delivery menus and setting up another event near Tetbury it was off to Winchester.

We had cooked 3 events over the last few years for the host of this event - at her friends' hen parties and her own in the Cotswolds. Now she and her husband were hosting their friends at their house with a ski theme going on - as they were organising a ski trip the next year - the year which was just about be welcomed in.

Complete with ski hats/ ear muffs
'Gone skiing' plaque in the background

Skis on the table - the finishing touch......

"Woosh!"
That was the sound of Christmas and New Year rushing past.....

0

Hen party pan-asian theme menu cookery event in Stratford (the Warwickshire one)

Who needs chef whites when you can wear a pink feather boa in the kitchen like the hen did at this hen party we did a cookery event for in Stratford-on-Avon a few weeks ago.

Mr. Burns' dodgy iphone pics
Top left - the hen herself (resplendent in feather boa) finishes her lamb massaman curry
Top right - Putting together the pan-asian chicken lettuce wraps
Middle left  and right - plating caramel pork (so popular each time we have served it)
Bottom right - trio of desserts - the tup tim grob is one of those marmite things - love it or hate it. I love it! Actually it turned out to be the best version I had seen/ tasted.

What fun these hen party cookery events are! It's amazing how hesitant everyone is at the beginning. It seems so many people think they can't cook. But give them recipes, ingredients, guidance and encouragement and it's amazing what they can achieve! I've seen that at every single cookery event we have done and this one was no different. 

With the cook-your-own-dinner-party events we split the group in to 3 and each team takes charge of preparing one course - starter, main course and dessert. Then later in the evening, after time to change and time for pre-dinner drinks, each team is back in the kitchen to plate up their course and see how it runs behind the scenes!

When I got back to base after midnight the computer had frozen from too many days use without being shutdown (so busy!) and when I re-booted it - all the recipes we had used that day had been lost. So I will have to re-do them for everyone at that event - they all want to try everything again - never a bad sign!

Menu

Homemade pan de sal bread rolls + GLUTEN/ WHEAT FREE VERSION

XXX

Homemade crispy duck spring rolls with suitable dips + GLUTEN FREE

Sesame prawn toasts + GLUTEN FREE

Black sesame salmon balls + GLUTEN FREE

Asian chicken in lettuce wraps

Caramel pork

XXX

Blackened cod

Massman lamb curry

Vegetable pad thai + GLUTEN FREE

Coconut and lime pilaf

Homemade lime pickle

XXX

Trio of pan Asian desserts

Chocolate and mango mousse

Lychee and pomegranate panna cotta

Shotglass of tup tim grob

XXX

Coffee, tea and homemade pistachio barfi

0

Pan Asian theme meal near Shipston on Stour

These Pan Asian meals are quickly turning into my favourite events to do - it's the flavours!

Pan de sal bread rolls - turned out better than last time's. You roll them in breadcrumbs on the sides which gives an interesting texture.

Spring rolls with beef and duck

Asian chicken and lettuce wraps (pictured here just before rolling them up. Flavours!

Sesame prawn toast - staple

Main courses

Volcano chicken - pictured here before cooking. so called because the marinade turns it rather dark, then you pour whisky over and flame it as it goes to the table. Pretty impressive - they all sang happy birthday as we took it in. Quite an amusing dish - you sit it on an empty drinks can half filled with stock which steam-cooks it from the inside. While picturing this I must have smudged the lens - hence the rest of the pics, but the view finder's broken so there was no way of knowing till later..... c'est la vie (le sigh)

Salt and pepper squid with szechuan pepper - amazing! The simple things are often the best. 

Blackened cod - with spiralized carrots - vegetable spiralizer gives endless fun!

Crispy shredded beef from this recipe - wow tasted so good. The whole lot went - they loved it.  After frying it  you toss it in a dressing of rice wine vinegar, chilli sauce and soy.

Dessert

Coconut cheesecake adapted from this recipe with mango sorbet - use Nice biscuits for the  base to keep the coconut flavours going. 

2

Pan Asian theme meal

"Had a good Christmas?" Everyone asks when they get back to work in January. Makes you laugh - do they not think that in the hospitality world things carry on as normal during Christmas and New Year, just much busier? The guests I served on Christmas Day actually had to remind me that it was Christmas Day - one day was blending into another.

Served this Pan Asian meal the day before New Years eve. Of all the theme meals I have done I think this one was the most involved - so much preparation - but so worth it.

Homemade pan de sal

From this recipe - you roll it into a rope, roll that in breadcrumbs and then cut with a blunt pastry scraper so you get a rustic top.

 XXX

Starters served on platters on the table for guests to serve themselves

Black sesame salmon balls

From this recipe - so delicious! Steamed them over boiling water in batches. Found the black sesame seeds in East and West - a great find of a shop in Cheltenham.

 Red bean paste sesame balls (v) - made the same way as the salmon version above but with red beans.

Vegetable tempura (v) (never got a photo of that - in the rush it almost flew from the fryer to the table)

Tuna tataki with ponzu

 Tilapia larb - based on this recipe. More usually larb is made with ground pork - it is possibly one of the best tasting things - this was a fish verison and equally as good! I topped it with toased rice - an interesting texture & flavour. "Ooh - I've never seen that" said one of the guests as I was preparing things.

 Avocado and vegetable rice paper wraps with peanut dipping sauce(v)

 Main course

Blackened cod

Red thai seabass baked in banana leaf
Had to wait in the rain outside the Rannee supermarket in Cheltenham to pick up these leaves. Love this place - if you need to go out for a few minutes you just close up the shop: a refreshing change. 

Sesame crusted tofu with broccoli and shiitake mushrooms

Indonesian (vegetarian) fried rice - with some of the red curry paste from the seabass

Stir fried bok choi, sprouts, snow peas and onion

Soy bean and sesame noodle salad

XXX

Trio of desserts

Mini coconut pancakes - used this recipe. Also sprinkled with a dusting of mango powder

Lychee and pomegranate panna cotta - used this recipe

Shotglass of mango sorbet - a variation on the orange sorbet recipe

Coconut pancakes must have been good - one of the guests said they didn'tnormally do desserts. But then she came back for another of the coconut pancakes.... and then another!

XXX

Coffee, tea and homemade pistachio barfi (was I really peeling pistachio nuts at 1am or was it my imagination?)

Dear James

Thank you so much for the wonderful evening you created for us all at Oak House and Stables on Sunday 30 December.  We had a really memorable evening and your food was delicious.

We are looking forward to more trips to the Cotswolds and will definitely ask you to cater for us again.

With best wishes for good health and happiness in 2013.

MS

2