We’ve been host to a number of dining clubs over the years which is a great pleasure as members are always looking for something a bit more exotic and unusual.  We’re complete cookaholics, so it’s great to have an avenue for our experiments and a willing audience on whom to trial new ideas.  Canapes are often a surprise for guests, often a surprise for the chef depending on what ingredients are around at the time.  We love an element of mystery, so it’s great to slip in something unexpected, a treat which doesn’t always go down well at larger or more formal functions.

Holly decided to get married to Richard locally on New Year’s Eve, how utterly romantic.  They booked us to cater their evening wedding party for 80 guests at their house in Durrington.  Additionally they booked to have their wedding reception here at Longford Farmhouse for 24 friends and family.  They arrived to champagne and canapes in the drawing room, in front of a roaring log fire.  Then packed into the dining room for a fun filled lunch, fine wines and great company.  Finally they repaired back to the drawing room for cheese and port and a light snooze for some, before heading off to the evening party and doing it all again.

Lindsey is not only a great friend, but also a great cook and has been in the business for a lot longer than we have, cooking for notable megastars who we’re not in a position to name.  She’s worked with Bread and Flowers since we started and taught us a few tricks along the way.  So we had to come up with something pretty impressive when her family asked if they could bring her to supper to celebrate her birthday.  We cooked up a storm for 16 of her closest friends at suppertime.  Then we cooked up an additional dish of thick, chestnut and chorizo soup for the 30 additional guests who sneaked in the side door later for a surprise party.