THE FOOD OF LOVE

The latest catering trends

We love our food in South Wales, and rightly so! Our fabulous region is packed with delectable delights from Welsh cakes through to delicious hog roasts. To help give you heaps of inspiration, we’ve focused on three key trends.

Boho wonders

www.pickledpumpkincatering.co.uk www.pickledpumpkincatering.co.uk www.pickledpumpkincatering.co.uk

“A boho-themed wedding is a very relaxed setting compared to a formal sit down meal. We would recommend swapping your traditional canapés for a creative charcuterie station where your guests can graze whilst wandering around the magical setup you have created.” – Joshua Currall from Pickled Pumpkin Catering. “For your main, we would recommend setting up several food stations that consist of cuisines from all around the world from traditional pies and mashed potatoes to vibrant Lebanese street food. An ice cream stand with fresh churros and dips would go down as a real treat too!” – Joshua from Pickled Pumpkin Catering. “If you’re going for a street food vibe, then opt for small individual handcrafted pies such as chicken, leek and wild mushroom. Alternatively, look at beef, marmite and local ale or smoked cheddar and caramelised onion. Top the pie with homemade minted mushy peas and smoked bacon mashed potato.” – Joshua from Pickled Pumpkin Catering.

“Alternatively, a Lebanese-inspired menu would be perfect. Go for chicken and roasted pepper shish kebabs with bazlama bread and chilli ketchup or Adana kebabs and oversized sumac flatbread with pickled chillis, cucumber, rosewater yoghurt and fresh coriander. Smashed falafel flatbread, mint, hummus, tomato and pickled cucumbers would taste great, as would twice-cooked organic toum and smoked jalapeño tahini dip.” – Joshua from Pickled Pumpkin Catering. “You want your caterer to be bursting at the seams with ideas, energy and knowledge. Although you may have your perfect vision for your wedding breakfast, often there are logistical battles behind the scenes, so you need to be given the best advice on what will work for your day, not just a yes to everything you ask for. This is where the caterer’s experience plays a pivotal role.” – Joshua from Pickled Pumpkin Catering.

“Make sure you request a tasting. This is paramount to making sure couples know exactly what to expect on their big day.” – Joshua from Pickled Pumpkin Catering.

“For a couple who have booked a grand stately home wedding, opt for traditional options starting with some amazing canapés! These could consist of a few favourites like steak and chips with truffled béarnaise, little chicken kiev bonbons with garlic emulsion, beetroot cured salmon tartlet and miniature Yorkshire puddings with beef fillet filled with a sticky onion jam.” – Joshua from Pickled Pumpkin Catering.

“Ibrahim and I had a Mediterranean style grazing table and a beautiful barbecue in the evening provided by Cobbles Kitchen.” – Real couple Sara and Ibrahim. “For your starter, you could opt for a crowdpleaser of whipped chicken liver pate on a savoury waffle with caramelised fig chutney and herby granola.” – Joshua from Pickled Pumpkin Catering.

www.sophiecollinsphotography.co.uk and www.thatfishguy.co.uk

“That Fish Guy went above and beyond our expectations. We originally had them booked as a second caterer for the evening, but as we had to reduce guest numbers we moved them to do the daytime catering. We didn’t get to do a tasting, so we didn’t know what to expect, but everything was perfect. The canapés were delicious, and the afternoon tea was just wow!” – Real couple Verity and Oliver. “For your pudding, you should finish light and citrusy with something simple like a freestanding lemon posset, lemon curd sorbet, sherbet, raspberry macaroon and white chocolate granola.” – Joshua from Pickled Pumpkin Catering.

www.pickledpumpkincatering.co.uk

www.pickledpumpkincatering.co.uk

“A favourite main course of ours would be our signature chicken dish; local corn fed chicken breast, chicken fat fondant potato, little chicken kiev bonbon, British peas and chicken jus.” – Joshua from Pickled Pumpkin Catering.

www.eyes2me.photography info@eyes2me.uk | 07808 151716

www.pickledpumpkincatering.co.uk

“For a rustic barn wedding, choose something interactive such as a barbecue or paella, these could go with rustic seasonal sides and salads or a sharing table set up with your favourite main courses. The food will run down the long rustic tables beautifully, and your guests can help themselves to what they please, and eat as little or as much as they wish!” – Joshua from Pickled Pumpkin Catering.

www.pickledpumpkincatering.co.uk

“You want flexibility, after all, it’s your big day, and it should be just yours! If you don’t like the choices you are given by your supplier, and they won’t change their menus to suit you and your guests, then they’re not your perfect caterer.” – Joshua from Pickled Pumpkin Catering.

www.pickledpumpkincatering.co.uk

“Be sure to provide allergies and dietary requirements along with your table plan. Planning is key to success in catering, and you want the best quality meals and choices for your guests who have allergies and intolerances.” – Joshua from Pickled Pumpkin Catering.

www.megan-sianphotography.com and www.vegantoyou.co.uk www.owenhowellsphotography.co.uk

“Our love for animals was forced upon our guests as we opted for a vegan caterer. Vegan To You were fantastic and helped provide different options due to the COVID-19 restrictions. The food was so fresh and packed full of flavour. She tailored the menu to suit our guests and then left us with a cold buffet for the evening. There wasn’t any left to waste.” – Real couple Sara and Ollie. These canapés were created for a styled shoot at The Olde Barns at Penygraig.

Dessert is just as important as the main. Try and think outside the box and go for something a bit different such as an ice cream cart or coffee truck for guests who don’t drink alcohol.

If you’re going for spicy food, try and provide an alternative for your friends and family who don’t like the heat.

LOCAL CATERERS Pickled Pumpkin Catering, www.pickledpumpkincatering.co.uk Cobbles Kitchen, www.cobbleskitchen.co.uk | That Fish Guy, www.thatfishguy.co.uk Vegan To You, www.vegantoyou.co.uk Create a relaxed environment for your evening food with a pizza or fish and chips truck.