Another big gig for us – this time a charity fundraising lunch in aid for St Wilfrid’s Hospice – for a whopping 340 guests, over 33 tables!
behind the scenes
The venue was Birling Manor, a venue we are very familiar with but this time it was in a huge marquee to the rear of the manor, with stunning views over the countryside and Belle Tout.
To help get plates to tables we were given 40 or so college students, some of which enjoyed the experience, some of which decided that this is definitely not the trade for them….too much like hard work!
With these sorts of numbers it’s best to keep it simple – but delicious. Guests were greeted with drinks and canape – which included Mediterranean Vegetable Bruschetta, Thai Crab & Chilli Crostini, and bite-size Toad in the Hole with English Mustard & Thyme Batter.
trio of desserts
Behind the scenes it was all hands on deck to make sure that once the guests were all seated (that can take a bit of time with huge numbers like that!) we would be ready to go! There’s a lot of leg work for the waiting staff in a marquee of that size.
The starter was the ever-popular Asian Lamb Fillet Salad (or Sun-Blushed Tomato & Mozzarella Salad with home-made Pesto for the Vegetarians). With 340 plates in it was time to get going again with the main course which was a trio of classic fork buffet items consisting of Salmon, Asparagus & Parmesan Frittata, Maple Syrup and Wholegrain Mustard Gammon, and Lightly spiced and glazed Chicken Breast. The Vegetarian option was a home-made Mushroom & Thyme Tartlet.
Accompaniments included bowls of Mixed Leaves, home-made Pink Coleslaw and Butternut Squash & Rocket Salad with Toasted Seeds as well as baskets of home-made Breads. The dessert was a trio consisting of Mini Strawberry Meringue, Chocolate Brownie and Clementine Cake.
340 hungry punters
Although we had a relatively large kitchen area to work from it was tricky finding enough space to lay the plates out (which is essential for a speedy service as the food is plated a late on as possible for freshness). Obviously with a group of this size there are several dietary requests that have to be catered for, so we had a separate table set aside in the kitchen area to accommodate this to make sure that everybody got the right meal.
All in all it was a huge success. The guests were very happy, the service was swift and organised and more importantly they raised a spectacular £35,000 on the day for St Wilfrid’s Hospice.
Days like this go so quickly because there’s always the next thing to be getting on with it. The key is all in the planning – but that being said – we were glad when it was all over! A pretty exhausting day but all worth it. We de-briefed our team in the Eight Bells just down the road – and that was the best pint of beer ever!