Tag Archives: food

Ideas for a 1920’s evening

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If you’re looking for that knockout concept for your next corporate event, why not take advantage of the popularity of the movie version of The Great Gatsby and people’s love of all things vintage?
Whether it’s a private party, product launch or corporate event, check out these ten event ideas inspired by the 1920s.

1.Cabaret Evening

The roaring twenties was an era full of decadence and entertainment, so a cabaret evening would suit the 1920s theme perfectly, and will be a whole lot of fun for guests! You have a whole range of fantastic entertainment ideas open to you, like lounge singers, aerial acrobats or even risqué burlesque performers.

2.Murder Mystery Night

If your client’s looking for something unusual for a smaller group (ten to twenty guests is ideal), a 1920s themed murder mystery night will definitely fit the bill. This works well for both private and corporate events, but will rely heavily on participation, so your client needs to be sure that their guests will be happy to join in!

3.1920s Canapé Party

If your event needs to be dazzling but on the informal side, work with your caterers to produce a 1920s canapé menu. Canapés really came into their own during the 1920s, as they were perfect for soaking up all that bootleg liquor!

4.Jazz Night

A live jazz band will really let guests get into the swing of things; the 1920s were, after all, known as the Jazz Age. Out of all the event ideas inspired by the 1920s, this is just the thing for music lovers.

5.Dance Event

A 1920s dance with live music is perfect for capitalizing on 1920s fever, and when you’re thinking about the perfect venue for this, don’t just consider the obvious. Maybe there’s a slightly run-down hotel in the area that you wouldn’t usually consider as a venue, but that could be hiding a fantastic art deco ballroom?

6.Cocktail Party

For a glamorous cocktail evening, think decadence and style. 1920s cocktails like Mint Juleps are sure to go down well, and a champagne tower will make attendees feel like they’re in the home of Jay Gatsby himself.

The Origin of Shrove Tuesday

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Pancake Day, or Shrove Tuesday, is the traditional feast day before the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday. Lent – the 40 days leading up to Easter – was traditionally a time of fasting and on Shrove Tuesday, Anglo-Saxon Christians went to confession and were “shriven” (absolved from their sins). A bell would be rung to call people to confession. This came to be called the “Pancake Bell” and is still rung today.

Shrove Tuesday always falls 47 days before Easter Sunday, so the date varies from year to year and falls between February 3 and March 9. In 2019 Shrove Tuesday will fall on March 5th.

Shrove Tuesday was the last opportunity to use up eggs and fats before embarking on the Lenten fast and pancakes are the perfect way of using up these ingredients.

A pancake is a thin, flat cake, made of batter and fried in a frying pan. A traditional English pancake is very thin and is served immediately. Golden syrup or lemon juice and caster sugar are the usual toppings for pancakes.

The pancake has a very long history and featured in cookery books as far back as 1439. The tradition of tossing or flipping them is almost as old: “And every man and maide doe take their turne, and tosse their Pancakes up for feare they burne.” (Pasquil’s Palin, 1619).
The ingredients for pancakes can be seen to symbolise four points of significance at this time of year:

Eggs ~ Creation
Flour ~ The staff of life
Salt ~ Wholesomeness
Milk ~ Purity

In the UK, pancake races form an important part of the Shrove Tuesday celebrations – an opportunity for large numbers of people, often in fancy dress, to race down streets tossing pancakes. The object of the race is to get to the finishing line first, carrying a frying pan with a cooked pancake in it and flipping the pancake as you run.

The most famous pancake race takes place at Olney in Buckinghamshire. According to tradition, in 1445 a woman of Olney heard the shriving bell while she was making pancakes and ran to the church in her apron, still clutching her frying pan. The Olney pancake race is now world famous. Competitors have to be local housewives and they must wear an apron and a hat or scarf.

Planning a picnic event

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‘Picnic’ began life as a 17th-century French word — it wasn’t even close to being an American invention. A 1692 edition of Origines de la Langue Françoise de Ménage mentions ‘piquenique’ as being of recent origin marks the first appearance of the word in print. As for how the French came by this new term, it was likely invented by joining the common form of the verb ‘piquer’ (meaning “to pick” or “peck”) and a nonsense rhyming syllable coined to fit the first half of this new palate-pleaser.

The first documented appearance of the term outside the French language occurred in 1748, but it was 1800 or thereabouts before anyone can prove it made it into the English language. Even then, it still wasn’t in America, it was in England.

Originally, the term described the element of individual contribution each guest was supposed to make towards the repast, as everyone who had been invited to social events styled as “picnics” was expected to turn up bearing a dish to add to the common feast. This element was picked up in other ‘picnic’ terms, such as ‘picnic society,’ which described gatherings of the intelligentsia where everyone was expected to perform or in some other way contribute to the success of the evening.

Over time, the meaning of the word shifted to emphasize an alfresco element that had crept into the evolving concept of what such gatherings were supposed to be. Nowadays one thinks of a picnic as a casual meal partaken in a pastoral setting, not as a repast enjoyed either indoors or outdoors but which was contributed to by everybody. Modern picnic baskets can be provisioned by only one cook, and no one would think anything of it — what matters now is the food be eaten outdoors.

By the 19th century, ‘picnic’ had successfully made this linguistic shift in meaning. Its history (and that of every other word in the English language) is documented in the Oxford English Dictionary.

The year of the Pig

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This is how to throw a Chinese New Year party for one night only

Crispy Duck, spring rolls, lettuce wraps, sweet and sour pork, crispy orange beef and chicken chow Mein are just a few dishes you can serve at Chinese New Year. If you’re not up for cooking, hire a Caterer to make up delicious traditional Chinese dishes for you and your guests. Your desserts should be orange based or otherwise relate to your Chinese New Year theme. When it comes to alcohol, you should talk to your Bartender about serving drinks that involve oranges. Do not serve anything with cream or that is white in colour, as white represents death and mourning.

Buy Chinese take-out boxes and fill them with party favours for each of your guests. Some great favours to celebrate Chinese New Year are chocolate gold coins, fortune cookies, oriental fans, Chinese opera masks, character bead bracelets, mini paper lanterns or dragons, and other traditional Chinese sweets or gifts. If your budget allows, you may also consider booking a Photobooth for your corporate event and laying out themed props. You and your guests can pose with paper dragons, red boas, and other fun props.

It’s customary to ask your guests to remove their shoes at the door. All of this is said to lead to good luck and a smooth transition into the new year. Once your home is spotless, it’s time to decorate.
Red and gold – that’s your colour scheme. In many Asian cultures, red envelopes symbolize a monetary gift for a special occasion. So, you may consider sending your invitations in red envelopes to go along with your theme (you can include chocolate coins to replace the money). You’ll want to hang beautiful Chinese lanterns throughout your home (and outside, too, so that new guests can easily identify your home). Cover your table with a rich, red table cloth and use gold-trimmed plates or gold napkins, placemats, or other finishing touches. Many choose to adorn their tables with Chinese dragons as centrepieces. However, you can also decorate by placing bowls of mandarin oranges (which represent wealth, luck, and happiness) out for your guests to enjoy.

You can also hire party suppliers and have some music playing, which adds to the ambiance. Consider instrumental, western, pop, or ethnic music to add to your event.

Chinese New Year is all about new beginnings, luck, and happiness. So celebrate with your loved ones and have a happy new year!

British Bake Off Party

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It’s back! Yes, it’s the Great British Bake Off. Hooray! So it’s time to dig out the Union Jack bunting, take another visit to the cake aisle in Sainsburys and relax in the comforting glow of Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith lightly critiquing soggy bottoms and questionable flavours. In our excitement, here are a few party acts to hire were you wanting to host a Bake Off inspired party for the big finale in a few months time. Three, two, one… BAKE!

Splitting Images
What on earth does a lookalike Kim Kardashian have to do with baking? Well, since you asked, she doesn’t really. But who better to have jumping out of an oversized Victoria Sponge for someone’s birthday? If your Birthday Boy or Girl is a fan of Kim then that’s perfect, if however they love David Beckham then Splitting Images have many lookalikes on their books guaranteed to make your guests swoon.

It’s always a fab photo opportunity and is sure to surprise the birthday boy or girl and the lookalike would be a delightful cherry on top to any private event.

Bolli Darling
If you need someone to serve canapés and want it to be as close to the Great British Bake Off as possible, you may not want someone in the cake, you may want them to be the cake. Thank goodness then for the existence of the Bolli Darling, an act who specialise in providing living tables to entertain guests. Be it a good old British bake or perhaps a Florentine from France (though many think they’re originally from Italy – nope), your guests will adore this Great British slice of
eccentricity.

If it’s authenticity you’re after, why not hire all four of the main team that make the Great British Bake Off such a draw? It may be a little more costly than simply having your Dad host proceedings but you will get to brag to all your friends that you and Sandi are totally besties.

The All American Barbeque

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Thinking of having a Barbeque at your event? Here’s how it all started…

Pork or beef? Kansas or Memphis? Texan or North Carolina? The evolution of America’s four most distinct barbecue styles has come a long way since Christopher Columbus.

While the never ending battle for barbecue supremacy will continue to rage, the history of American barbecue is as diverse as the traditions themselves, moving through a path that begins in the Caribbean – and even involves help from the British.

Spanning across the famous ‘barbecue belt’ that runs from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico, arguably no nation on Earth takes the primitive form of cooking as seriously as the United States of America.

Indeed, it was over five hundred years ago that Columbus first witnessed native tribes on the island of Hispaniola cooking meat over an indirect flame using green wood to keep the food from burning.

Historical records indicated that the Spanish explorers named this cooking style, ‘barbacoa’ – and eventually the technique made it onto the mainland – where it kept its traditional attachment to pork.

This historical accuracy is very important in the arguments that rage between Texas, who use beef, Memphis who use mutton and the Carolina’s who use pork.

Purists argue that the meat used in BBQ must always be pork, because the tradition of southern cooks having to use the cheap, low maintenance hog as the meat in their barbecue pits.

This is because cows are expensive and need large amounts of food and land, unlike pigs who can be left to fend for themselves.

In pre-Civil War times, this meant that because the pig wasn’t cared for like a cow would be the meat would not be as fat and would need to be cooked slowly to tenderize.

Prior to 1861, Southerners ate an average of five pounds of pork for every one pound of cattle – and their reliance on this cheaper method of food lead to a form of patriotism that separated the richer north from south.

Despite the south’s historical attachment to the BBQ, primitive forms of cooking originated in the easternmost colonies.

The vinegar-based ‘whole hog’ barbecue that was started in Virginia made its way down to North Carolina and the technique of adding sauce to the meat as it cooks – is said to have originated with the British, despite their inglorious culinary history.

In South Carolina, where a large portion of French and German immigrants lived, mustard based sauces were created – both sweet and tart.

As the Carolina BBQ’s grew in popularity, the fashion for slow cooking spread to Texas – where the rich German immigrants who lived their used the meat from the cattle they were herding.

Up the Mississippi River in Memphis, the sweet, tomato based sauces used were created by mixing molasses to get the unique taste.

And once BBQ had moved along to Kansas City, he mixed everything up, allowing not only pork to be used, but beef as well.

A barbeque is a delicious and sociable way to feed your guests at your private party or corporate event. What could be better than the smell of a BBQ on a hot summer’s evening?

Plan a Fireworks event

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Fireworks Night, otherwise known as Guy Fawkes’ Night or Bonfire Night, is a quintessentially UK celebration, marking the time that Guy Fawkes and his co-conspirators didn’t blow up the Houses of Parliament on the 5th November.

It’s an obvious one of course, but if you’re hosting a Fireworks Night event, fireworks are a must! If
you don’t think you’ll feel safe running the display yourself, you could hire a company to come in and do it for you.

If you do tackle the display yourself, make sure you do so responsibly and safely, and adhere to Government safety rules. And with fireworks, must come sparklers too, so make sure you get plenty of these, as people do love them!

If you’re not looking to be as traditional as this, you could always have some of the masks of Guy Fawkes, that feature in the film V for Vendetta, or why not make a bonfire cake with a little Guy Fawkes on top?

Catering at events is important; mainly because it’s a great way of warming up the crowds with some hearty food. Serving jacket potatoes has always been a classic, but why not take this further with these shepherd’s pies, cooked in a baked potato shell?

Cooking a large dish of chilli is always a crowd pleaser and is easy to make in a big batch. Or why not consider cooking up some bangers with a bit of fire (keeping it on theme) by adding some chilli for chilli sausages?

Whilst hearty food may keep everyone warm, it’s worth making some visually pleasing treats that fit in with the theme of the night, like bonfire cakes, firework cookies and chocolate sparkle

There are different ways to approach Fireworks Night, whether you decide to go for something traditional, with traditional food and drink; or decide to go all-out and add a few twists and turns to surprise your guests, creating more of a spectacle. Whatever you do, make sure everyone is warm, cosy, safe and enjoying some of that autumnal fresh air!

Make your office party the greatest

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The office party can be looked upon with dread or with happiness. Of course it all depends on what the office party will include. Office parties have a few main principles; these include food, entertainment and drink. We are going to give you a couple of unique extra ideas on these areas and they are sure to keep you onto an office party winner.

Your party entertainment depends on your budget and also party style. In most cases office parties have quite refined budgets which can make it quite tricky to find top class entertainment.

Do not cut corners when it comes to your entertainment. Research what others office parties have and shop around your area for the best. You could hire a DJ to come into your office to really get the party going. Most DJ’s will also know various party games, so again this is an extra bonus.

Another unique idea would be to hire a fun casino. The fun casino will come into your office venue and set up various casino tables for you and your fellow employees to play. Games include Blackjack, Roulette and Poker. Each casino table will have a trained croupier dealing the cards who will also explain each game to your team. This is fun source of entertainment and also a great ice breaker.

Jazz your office party catering up by hiring outside catering. Your food should taste amazing and memorable so why not hire a fish and chip van. The fish and chip van could arrive at your venue and serve all your lovely team with scrumptious traditional fish and chip food. This is a fun twist on office party catering and nothing creates positive talk than good food.

Your drinks will depend on whether your office party is consuming alcohol or not. But whether your drinks or alcoholic or non-alcoholic a perfect source of beverages is to hire a cocktail artist. The artist will set up your personal bar in your venue and make fresh and unique drinks and even serve them to your guests. This is the perfect idea to make your drinks really stand out from the crowd.

St George’s Day fundraising

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Saint George – that renowned slayer of dragons is the patron saint of England. His day falls on the 23rd April and is a great excuse to come up with some fantastic fun fundraising entertainment with a very English feel.

Decorations for St George’s Day should consist of:
Cross of St George bunting and flags
Pictures of Bobby Moore holding aloft The World Cup
Pictures of London landmarks

Start the day just right by offering a Full English Breakfast in your local hall, school diner, works canteen, a typical Full English will include:

Bacon, eggs, sausages, black pudding, baked beans, tomatoes and mushrooms. Followed by toast and marmalade. All washed down with a few cups of tea.

Menu examples to serve on the day:

St George’s Day Special – Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding

Roast Beef the very stuff of Olde England.
Find a venue where you could serve this traditional English Roast Dinner. With lovely roast beef, yorkshires, roast potatoes, parsnips, carrots and peas with a beautiful thick gravy.

For afters it’s got to be a classic English Pudding:

Spotted Dick, Apple Crumble, Treacle Tart, Bakewell Tart, Bread and Butter Pudding. All smothered in lovely golden yellow custard.

As the cooking for this is a bit more involved you may like to team up with a local pub, bar or restaurant. You organise the event, publicise it and sell tickets. They provide the party venue and the catering for an agreed split of the profits. For them this is a great marketing opportunity. They will love the publicity, and having their place full of potential new customers. You get the chance to raise some easy money.

St George’s Day Special – A Classic English Cream Tea
The best venue for this one is someone’s garden or the local village green. Serve up delicious home-made scones with butter, clotted cream, strawberry jam and a lovely pot of tea.

Event Games Ideas
St George’s Day Special – Cockney Knees Up
That’s right we are all off to London Town for a night of pie and mash. A pint or two of best bitter. And a right good sing song around the old piano. Partnering with a pub is again a good idea for this one, but the bar of a social or sports club would also work well.
Fundraising Quiz Night – All About England
Fundraising quizzes can be good fun and St George’s Day is the perfect excuse for a quiz night all about England. Just give all your rounds an English slant.
Question rounds could be things like:

English history
English sport
The geography of England
English TV shows
English pop and rock music
This would be perfect combined with a meal such as a curry or fish and chips.

Throwing a Cocktail Party

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Hosting a cocktail party for your next corporate event is a great way to switch it up from the usual mingling at the water cooler. Not sure where to start?

If you have a proper space, like a big hall of some sort, it’s ideal to throw your cocktail party at work. However, if you don’t, it’s time to search for an alternative party venue. How many guests are you expecting? Ask yourself how many people work for your company and double that number, so that each person gets a +1. Now, it’s important to keep in mind that not everyone will attend. But, this will give you an idea of the maximum number of people you can expect to attend, so that you can plan accordingly.

When you’re choosing your event venue, it’s also important to consider how formal you would like this event to be and if you’ll be having a theme. Granted, you can decorate most spaces to dress them up as much as you’d like. But if, for instance, you’re hosting a saloon-themed cocktail party, you might opt for renting out a bar or other rustic space over a sleek, modern ballroom.

It’s important to let the party-goers know if this event is formal or themed. That way, each guest can come dressed to the nines, in character, or business casual – however you see fit! Customised invitations are a great way to introduce your event’s theme or dress and ask for an RSVP.

Chances are, your chosen party venue for the event will need a decorative touch to set the mood or fit your party’s theme. You can ask for volunteers to help decorate prior to the event, or rely on a Party Decorator to put their expertise to work.

You can’t have a cocktail party without the cocktails! This is a crucial part to throwing a successful cocktail party. Decide if you’ll be having a full bar or a cocktail menu with limited selections.

Obviously a limited selection makes purchasing alcohol much easier, as you can plan your cocktail menu, determine how many drinks can be made from each bottle, and stock up accordingly. Hire a Professional Bartender and talk to them about your guest list and your preferences. They should be able to help you get a better idea of what to purchase. If you’re hosting a themed cocktail party, or want to have company-centric cocktails, ask your bartender to help create a special menu just for your party! Together, you can create the perfect list of cocktails to celebrate all of the hard work your company does.

Hire a Caterer to make and pass out hors d’oeuvres, or to set up a buffet table at your party. That way, guests will be able to eat as little or as much as they’d like throughout the event, while they mix and mingle with their co-workers.

Whether or not you’re planning on having entertainment, chances are you’ll need to rely on rentals to pull off your party. Whether it’s tables, chairs, glassware, or other practical goods, make sure you have plenty of places for your guests to sit and chat, eat delicious hors d’oeuvres, and set down their drinks. Most catering teams will provide waiters to circle the room and collect empty glasses and plates. But it’s important to make sure your bases are covered so that your event is as clean and professional as possible.

Live entertainment is a great addition to any cocktail party. Depending on the nature or theme of your event, you might consider a String Quartet, Jazz Band, Cover Band, DJ, or other musical entertainment. Think about what types of musical entertainment would complement your party’s theme and keep spirits high!