Remember when things on wheels represented pure, unadulterated fun? Learning to ride a bike, roller-skating, skateboarding, go-kart racing.... Nowadays, the drive to work or the school run simply doesn't compare, and reliving such childhood antics is only usually reserved for odd holiday activities or humbly getting involved with the kids.
However, a new movement in wedding world sees wheels - and food - at the forefront of what's not only fashionable, but downright fun. And the South West has a top pick of delights that scream pure pleasure, as the retro likes of the ice cream van return to tickle that space in our imagination - and appetites - that demands fulfilment.
Welcome to treats on wheels: the latest craze that's gripping brides and grooms and, since Devon is already something of a crown for the culinary and adventurous, affirms it as one of the tastiest and most exciting destinations to explore the trend. From coffee to cocktails, a mouth-watering array of mobile offerings is available to bring a delightful and delicious twist to your do.
COCKTAIL WOWER
Cute, kitsch and memorable, The Cocktail Caravan (aka Norman) beats the standard bar experience not only by being mobile, al fresco and fitting into the beautiful setting of your choice, but also by providing a creative and quirky menu of delicious drinks for every palate. Using the finest fresh and locally sourced ingredients means that flavour is paramount, and taste buds will most definitely be courted with cocktails such as their Hemingway Daiquiri - a smooth rum combo with maraschino liqueur shaken with fresh pink grapefruit and lime. Alternatively, the essence of a garden party is made liquid with The Saint: a delicate elderflower liqueur with a dash of peach bitters topped with Prosecco.
Not only will the team create a bespoke menu or individual drink to celebrate your day, they can supply a selection of beer, wine, cider, champagne, soft drinks and mocktails, all of which will be served up in style via jam jars, pitchers, punch bowls or traditional glasses. From cocktail hour to toast time, every marital moment is coolly catered for. What's more, their 'reuse, revamp, recycle' ethos is perfect for eco weddings, and you can sign up knowing that this philanthropic little company will continue to support local projects with generous and great-tasting gusto.
www.thecocktailcaravan.co.uk
TEAS 'N' TREATS
Forget greasy spoons on lay-bys: this vintage tea van is a fabulous feature for those who appreciate the soul-soothing wonders of a good cuppa. Driven by their dream of returning 'real' tea to the masses, business partners Rhys and Rhys' 40-year old auto, Cedric - a 1970s Citroen HZ van - delivers a brilliant host of brews, meaning that fine flavours and fine times are guaranteed to all who indulge in one of the nation's favourite pastimes.
Supplying an extensive range of fine, exotic and flavoursome whole leaf teas, the pair also provide the perfect accompaniment to a good ol' cuppa: scrumptious, made to order cakes of the highest, tried-and-tested calibre and, should you desire it, the heady likes of champagne, Pimm's, cider and cocktails.
From drinks receptions to evening bites, and especially suited to tea party, vintage and festival-themed events, the Couple of Mugs van guarantees one endlessly memorable teatime.
www.coupleofmugs.co.uk
THE CANDYMAN CAN
The Candyfloss Man of Cornwall will bring a playful fun factor - not to mention sweet tasting treats - to your wedding. Whether you're staging a funfair or circus style event replete with hot dog stands, entertainers and games, or merely wish to infuse a dose of frivolity and additional flavour into your day - a candyfloss cart will do the tasty trick. Using the finest ingredients to spin sugar into a frothy bundle of deliciousness, the colour and flavour can be selected to suit the theme of your choice, making the cart a tongue-tingling extension of your wedding style. Also providing popcorn for another fun foodstuff, the pretty pink cart is suitable for all venues and spaces to sweeten your day.
www.candyflossmanofcornwall.co.uk
DELISH FISH AND CHIPS!
Get your guests' taste buds tingling with the heady aroma and scrumptious taste of a fish and chips feast. The Cornish Fish and Chips Van serves up scrummy fish and chips, which are cooked and served at your venue for a fresh and fabulously portable feast. Offering a range of portion sizes to suit all budgets and appetites, from delicate goujons to super-sized servings of one of the nation's favourite foodstuffs, the van is fully equipped to fill bellies and celebrate your day in an indulgent and brilliantly British way. Regularly using freshly caught, local fish such as pollock, hake and coley (as well as top staple and MSC accredited cod), the van also serves up homemade chips, battered sausages, curry sauce, homemade mushy peas and tartare sauce for a fabulous fish supper experience with all the frills.
www.cornishfishandchips.co.uk
NICE 'N' ICEY!
Taking their belly-pleasing ice cream to the streets, Mr B's have decked out their classic 1970s' Mk1 transit van with a feast of lip-smacking flavours to serve at weddings. Their award-winning artisan ice cream is deliciously to-die-for and - from waffle cones and tubs to ice cream cakes, desserts and extras such as homemade sauces, fudge sticks and clotted cream - it promises to be a heavenly hit at your event. Visit one of their popular parlours for a taster session and dip into delicious inventions such as Turkish delight, Snickers, Jaffa cake, Bakewell tart and damson plum pie ice creams. Supplying endless servings from your choice of six flavours - including anything else that tickles your fancy - Mr B's is bursting with frozen flavours for a sweetly sensational day.
www.mrbsicecream.co.uk
HAPPY CAMPERS
Caffeine fixes don't come much cooler than this. The Camper Coffee Company's 1964 VW Camper split screen container van is one of only two such vehicles in the world. Manned by owners Paul and Gary dressed in head-to-toe tweed combos, the characterful van lends a coolly rustic vibe to your wedding - not to mention a heavenly selection of beverages.
The top-notch coffee beans are expertly and lovingly roasted in the Devon town of Dunkerswell. With flavour and attention to detail being foremost, the coffee beans are blended with all manner of ingredients and homemade syrups to provide a divine drinking experience: think gingerbread lattes with delicious homemade gingerbread crumbled into them, and white hot chocolate sprinkled with shavings of the creamiest white chocolate. Served with a slab of 'man cake' - flavours include Devon apple cake, passion fruit cake and Belgian chocolate brownie - the duo provide the ultimate coffee and cake experience. And, if it's Pimm's, ciders, local brews or cream teas that tickles your fancy, this marvel of a van can provide the palate-pleasing - and personality-filled - package.
www.campercoffee.co
TASTY TRIKE
Fusing the vintage charm of a 1930s' style trike with scrumptious scoops of Roskilly's ice cream - one of Cornwall's most famous, finger-licking producers of the sweet stuff - the Cornish Ice Cream Trike is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Catering from 50 to 500 guests anywhere across the county, the trike can be decorated with balloons and ribbons to coordinate with the theme of the day - thereby extending the style of your wedding while providing your nearest and dearest with the sweetest of luxury, organic ice cream. Pick from a plethora of flavours, from ginger fairing, Cornish cream tea and Cornish golden fudge to After Eight mint choc, apple crumble and pistachio. Sublime.
www.cornishicetrike.co.uk
DAIRY DELIGHTS
The mere sight of Mabel - a baby pink vintage ice cream van - is enough to warm the cockles and stir the taste buds. Festooned in ditsy floral bunting, and stocked with tubs brimming with retro sweets as well as delectable ice cream, Mabel evokes the nostalgia of dreamy days gone by at the seaside.
Made in North Devon, Dunstaple Farm ice cream is deliciously to-die-for; dip into the delicious likes of raspberry ripple, lemon meringue, double chocolate and strawberry and cream. There's also a choice of ice lollies, such as strawberry splits, cider and screwballs, and a candy bar stocked with old fashioned sweet fancies; think rhubarb and custard, lemon sherbets and jelly beans.
With owner Ruth dressed in her '50s-style frock to complete the perfect vintage picture, Mabel's emporium of tongue-tickling delights promises a sweetly sensational day.
www.mabels-ices.co.uk
TREATS, LOVE AND V-DUBS
Touring the South West in their lovingly restored and fully kitted out 1978 VW camper, Sam's Van is a mobile party promising a winning combination of ambience, beats and drinks that will get tongues wagging and guests grooving for as long as it adorns your venue. Replete with slick-looking interiors and a variety of mod-cons, Sam's Van features a bottle green tuck and roll bench seat, cocktail lounge booth seat and a champagne 'n' cocktail bar complete with a sound system, presenting oodles of comfort and class for the very best of good times.
Catering for a maximum capacity of 70, the camper also boasts built-in commercial catering options for a barbecue, paella and other hearty belly-fillers. With an external sound system, DJ decks or i-connection to play either your or Sam's tunes, the van is a veritable party-starting phenomenon that will be talked about long after the bubbly and beats are devoured.
www.samsfowey.co.uk
words Hannah May
Copyright Wed magazine 2013
.jpg)
.jpg)
