Ask any wedding guest what they remember about a wedding and the conversation usually lands on the day as a whole but in particular – THE FOOD! The main wedding meal (or Wedding Breakfast as it’s commonly called) really is the make or break memory of the day (apart from the couple in question both turning up of course)!
We will always remember great food (just as we will always remember terrible food) and if food isn’t a memory then it’s obviously been indifferent or average. Thankfully our happy couples and their guests remember us for great food!
Not just what it tasted like, though that matters enormously, but the whole feeling around it. The moment a sharing platter arrived at the table and six people all reached in at once. The laughter when someone made a beeline for seconds before the plates had even been cleared. The way good food makes people relax, lean in, and actually talk to each other.
That’s not a coincidence. Food does something to people. And at Green Fig Catering Company, it’s something we’ve watched happen at weddings across East Sussex for well over a decade.
Sharing food changes the atmosphere
There’s something about a sharing platter that no formal sit-down starter quite manages. When food arrives at the centre of the table rather than in front of each individual, something shifts. People stop being polite strangers and start being guests at the same party. Most of our menus are sharing style to tables as that’s they way we like to eat these days. Popular choices are our BBQ Menu, Summer Cold Fork Menu, Hot Fork Sharing Menu and of course the Sharing Board Menu that lets you select your favourite cuisine.
We’ve seen it at Montague Farm in Hankham, where the relaxed setting lends itself perfectly to that kind of informal, generous dining. We’ve seen it under the stars at Frickley Lake near Battle, where guests lingered long after they should have moved on to speeches because nobody wanted to stop eating and talking. We’ve seen it at Gildredge Manor in Eastbourne, where even the most formal setting becomes something much warmer the moment the boards come out. A favourite of ours is always Pilgrims Rest in Battle, a 600 year old building where the open fires and chunky candlesticks lend themselves perfectly in the colder months for a medieval style banquet. In fact this is what prompted us to incorporate a traditional roast complete with two meats and all the trimmings onto our Hot Fork Sharing Menu (don’t worry we’ll treat the veggies and vegans to a feast of their own too)!
The right food format for your wedding isn’t just a catering decision. It sets the tone for the whole event.
East Sussex is made for this kind of wedding
We’re genuinely lucky to work where we do. East Sussex has some of the most beautiful and characterful wedding venues in the country and we don’t say that for effect.
Think about Pekes Manor in Chiddingly, a rare estate where guests can actually stay on site, or Michelham Priory near Hailsham, a moated medieval venue that dates back to 1229, and The Cherry Barn on the outskirts of Rye with its sweeping views and total privacy. Horstedpond Farm or Wickerwood Farm are blank canvas – big enough for a wedding breakfast, a band, glamping, and everything else you want to throw at a weekend. Milwards, the Grade II listed house near Laughton, sits in the kind of Sussex countryside that makes you wonder why you’d ever consider anywhere else.
We also love a good village hall. Many are beautiful and in gorgeous settings. And even those that are not much on the outside can be decorated and dressed on the smallest of budgets to look amazing on the inside and that allows you to put a bigger chunk of your budget into other areas such as having memorable food, inviting more guests.
And for couples who want a completely blank canvas, Brightling Park is hard to beat. Marquee, views, camping… and you just leave the rest to us.
It isn’t just about what’s on the plate
The food has to be good. That goes without saying. But what makes a wedding caterer worth choosing is whether they understand that the service is also a key factor. We’re always complimented for how great the team were – how friendly and accommodating and how nothing is too much trouble. We have many highly experienced staff, but we also like to train up those with no experience at all – if they have a kind nature and a smile they will go far in hospitality.
We only ever take on one wedding at a time. That means when we’re with you, we’re entirely with you – from planning the menu and tasting it at our kitchens in Pevensey, through to cooking and serving on the day. You won’t get a team of strangers. You get us.
That might not seem important until something needs to change at short notice – you need to deal with someone that has been in contact with you throughout the whole process, and knows the ins and outs of your day, because each wedding is different.
What people actually remember
We’ve had so many couples tell us afterwards that the food was what their guests talked about. Not in a “the food was nice” way – in a “people are still messaging us about that lamb three weeks later” kind of way. One couple told us their guests couldn’t stop talking about the Moroccan tagine. Another said the sharing boards were what really made the room feel like a celebration rather than a set piece.
We often hear that guests with dietaries have passed on their thanks for the delicious and interesting adaptations to the main options. This is important to us because every guests needs to feel that their meal has been made with the same passion and care.
Those aren’t accidents. They’re the result of genuinely caring about what you put on the table, using quality ingredients, cooking everything ourselves, and understanding that a wedding breakfast isn’t just fuel – it’s part of the memory.
If you’re planning a wedding in East Sussex and thinking about what you want your guests to remember, we’d love to have a chat. The best wedding memories always happen around the food – we know this and love it when we are told it!
Please get in touch via our contact form or why not send us an email!