One of the big advantages of running a catering company is having the arduous job of  being the Guinea pig for testing new dishes!

Apple tarte tatin with vanilla sauce and calvados ice cream

What a wonderful way to spend a chilly Friday,  tasting the yummy food Nicholas, our new Head Chef has been cooking today.

Here are some of the dishes which we plan to have at our Food tasting open day.

Rhubarb trio

Food Tasting Open Day

Saturday 31st March and Sunday 1st April

10am-2pm both days

Not only will you be able to indulge in canapes and mini plates of our signature dishes but my team of Event Managers and I  will be on hand to chat about your entertaining plans for the year ahead.

We would love to see you on either day for a glass of fizz and nibbles and if you can let us know before hand you will be registered into a prize draw.

Also on the day

Special Open Day offers on your future events

Contact us here

or

call Shelly or Jo in the office

01962 849396

I am delighted to announce the first viewing of our new

Client reception and studio food tasting kitchen area.

New client reception area at Creative Catering catering & Marquees

studio kitchen food tasting area

Nicholas Ruthven-Stuart the new Head Chef at Creative Catering

We have known Nicholas for many years, and if you  live in Hampshire and are interested in food, you will have undoubtably heard of his fine reputation as a chef.

Our charms have at last worked and we have wooed him into our team! Chef Nicholas Ruthven-Stuart, who has been cooking at the top end of the culinary world for many years, from fine dining restaurants and the smartest London catering companies right through to being in constant demand for his food from many private households and even the lady from “The Top House” itself!

Nicholas will be putting his style on some of our classic Creative dishes and introducing delicious menus for the new season.

Our doors are open on

Saturday 31st march and Sunday 1st April

10am – 2pm

whizz over to our website and click on the link which will show you where we are and allow us to get an idea of how many people will be popping in.

The Creative team will be on hand to chat to you about events you may have in mind for this year, offer tips and advice, chat about marquees, if you were thinking of this for a party.

There will also be some very tempting offers for booking your party on the day.

Special offers for events booked on the day

I’m really looking forward to meeeting you all over the two days.

Here is a taster of what is in store for you!

New season lamb with tian of ratatouille and a red wine jus

 

Assiete of puddings designed by Nicholas Ruthven-StuartNew season lamb with tian of ratatouille and a red wine jus

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

Please feel free to telephone us if you require further information 01962 849396

marquee linked to house in garden of a house in central Winchester

The warmer weather this week has made people remember that spring and summer is on its way and are phones are busy with clients wanting to find about a marquee option for their party, as there is no point kidding ourselves, we live in the UK with its unpredictable climate, always best to have a ‘wet weather option’!

Having a marquee in your own garden is the ultimate in bespoke parties, you can have what you want, decorated and styled to your taste and no time restrictions which applies with venues.

From a simple ‘bare’ pvc marquee for rain cover to a more elaborate fully lined and carpeted structure, there are lots of choices.

So if you are mulling over having a ‘bash’ in the future do give us a call and we can talk you through the options.

Also never think “my garden is too small” you will be amazed where we can sneak a tent in!

marquee linked to a house to cover the decking

marquee to cover a terrace of a house in central Winchester

All marquees are supplied by our sister company Creative Marquees Hampshire our central office will handle all enquiries for both catering and marquees, which makes your life so much easier when you know one call to us and everything is sorted!

Charlotte and Robert’s winter wedding.

The first dance

Winter wedding wonderland with Ivory night sky

Guests enjoyed delicious canapes including seared scallops with a ginger hollandaise, Thai prawn tails with a sweet chilli sauce, poppy seed filo tarts with warm camembert and grape salsa and lobster tempura. Plated dinner followed of Hampshire pork fillet with wild mushrooms, dauphinoise potatoes and honey roasted winter root vegetables.  The pudding, a trio, lemon posset served in a tall shot glass, gooey chocolate browine with contreau mascapone cream and vanilla pavlova with winter posset of berries with mulled wine syrup.  Dancing until the early hours, bolstered by bacon butties.

Whizz over to our web-site and take a look at our 2011 Christmas food brochure.  Everything from the essential homemade mince pies and canapes, right through to the complete Christmas day lunch, ready for you to cook.

I am delighted to report that we have been shortlisted for the National Wedding Awards (catering category)

We have been shortlisted for the National Weddin gIndustry Awards 2012

I have to say a HUGE thank you to all of our lovely Brides and Grooms who kindly voted for us and it is down to testimonials such as this, which  I think is one of the reasons we are  on the list….

Wedding in Abbotsbury Dorset

 ”Kaye and her team catered our wedding and the attention to detail and level of service was fantastic – how many caterers would travel 70 miles to your favourite restaurant in order to taste your favourite Spanish dish and, on the day, match it and serve it to an entire wedding party having never cooked it before?

 The CC staff were delightful and we are still receiving fantastic comments from the guests 6 weeks later – even had 3 recipe requests! Thank you for making the day perfect”

Ben Biswell and Becky Clarke

We were recently asked by Twinings Teas based in Andover to provide the hospitality for a ProAm charity cycle race they were co-sponsoring with British Cycling in Salisbury. 

The initial enquiry came through to us two weeks before the event was due to take place and initially the enquiry was only for food.

On discovering that we could handle all their requirements, the Marketing director’s P.A. was delighted that she had found a “one stop shop”.

We provided the main hospitality tent with casual seating and a buffet area, complete with all necessary display fridges for drinks and snacks etc.

Creative Marquees provided all the tents for Twinings Teas hospitality event

A Tea tasting tent.  Where their tea tasting specialist gave talks on the different varieties of teas produced.

A marquee for a cafe, selling homemade cakes for the charity.

We also organised the AV equipment.

At short notice they were let down by a trader to provide food to the general public, so we provided our own mobile food bar selling morning breakfast and  roast pork rolls.

All the marquees were provided by Creative Marquees Hampshire our sister company

It is always advisable to contact us to check availability, even if you think you have left your booking very late, we will do our best to accomodate.

This was the entrance to the barn, which was to be used as the venue for a 21st birthday party, back in September. 

Our client had requested an entrance leading from the car parking area in the sheep field with the mobile loos also linked onto the barn.

marquee entrance into barn after the makeover

Marquee provided by Creative Marquees Hampshire, building an impressive entrance on the front of the barn

The marquee team from our sister company Creative Marquees Hampshire built a raised suspended floor leading from the field, up to the barn, with a spur off to accommodate a mobile loo unit.

Mobile loo unit being positioned to align to floor height of entrance marquee

The mobile toilet unit, was fork-lifted into position and the result was the raised suspended floor was lined to the same height as the entrance to the loos. seamless work!

And here is the result after a make-over. The raised suspended flooring structure enabled guests to walk straight into the loos as the flooring was built to the same height as the trailer unit.  The whole cloakroom area, both for boys and girls, was lined with ivory lining, and a pink carpet fitted throughout.

entrance to the mobile loos after suspended floor fitted to same height as loo entrance

A contemporary cocktail bar was fitted into one of the bays in the barn

Steps led down from this entrance into the barn. The wooden floored entrance, like the barn was fitted with a wonderfully shocking pink carpet.

Empty barn after the party

Annoyingly I did not take a photo of the barn before the pink carpet was fitted.  So imagine if you can, at my site visit two months previous, the barn was undergoing some final restoration, with part of the roof missing and the floor was a building site.

We fitted the pink carpet throughout, arranged for lighting to be fitted throughout, fitted a chequerboard black and white dance floor, provided the cocktail bar structure.  We provided white cube soft seating, a chocolate fountain and nibbles for breakfast at 6am.

12 5’6″ round tables were set up for dining.

Cocktails and canapes were served on arrival followed by dinner of herb crusted lamb fillet on a rosti potato with creamed garden spinach and leeks (grown from our kitchen garden).  Pudding was a delicious trio of elderflower sorbet, chocolate truffle and white chocolte and ginger cheesecake.

A great party and I finally got to bed at 8am!

Catching up on some belated blogging, so you may have a surge of reporting on the events we have covered over the last few weeks, feast or famine comes to mind with my blogging!

   Our second year of providing the marquee and catering for the annual Canine partners Charity Clay shoot, held at the stunning Holywell Estate,  home of the Earl and Countess of Clarendon and their family

Holywell house, venue for the Canine Partners Charity Clay shoot

  The weather, as per 2010 looked dubious at 6am so the plan for “Al-fresco” bacon butties and coffee in front of the house was abandoned for the safer venue of inside the marquee, which proved a wise move as the heavens opened during the safety speech.  Then, as if by magic, out came the sun for the start of the event.

The guns and their guests were back at lunchtime for pimms and canapes, outside in the sunshine, followed by a delicious cold lunch of Thai chicken salad, followed by summer pudding and coffee.

Lunch at the Canine Partners charity clay shoot lunch at Holywell House

Peter Sonkson gave a very informative, although, moving talk about his life before and after his skiing accident and the role Canine Partner Yarra has played in heping him to retain as much independence as possible.

James serving Pimms at Canine charity lunch

Last year Canine Partners created 39 new partnerships, this year the generosity of the people who support this wonderful charity will enable them to place more dogs than in any previous year.

I am delighted to say the auction prize we donated of a drinks party raised over £800 for the charity.

tempura lobster

“Creative Catering’s service and attention to detail was wonderful.  They helped us through selecting just the right food and quantities needed for our Wedding reception at our venue for 185 guests at our garden marquee.  We have since received endless compliments on the quality of  the food supplied and the service during the day.  We initially had a Champagne/Pimms and Canape reception followed by theatre style wok cooking and a spit roast pig, followed by beautiful puddings and cheese.  The added touch of sweeties with the coffee was not lost on our guests.  Kaye and her staff were kept very busy during the evening and they provided a very high standard of service to all our guests.  Whilst their costs are not one of the cheaper options, I believe that you get what you pay for and we certainly did – worth every penny. 

 I would highly recommend Kaye and her team.

cheese wedding cake

Quality and reputation were high on our list.  I had met with other catering companies but all were either determined to do what they wanted or were rude and pushed the more expensive options.  Kaye’s team listened to what we wanted, added their thoughts and we worked together to produce what we and our guests considered to be a perfect catering selection based on service and quality”.

Julie Lewis August 2011

A divine chocolate torte with summer berries