LIFE OF PIE
Whether it's a hearty option for your wedding breakfast or a belly-filler for your evening reception, Tom's Pies are fast becoming a staple ingredient of the quintessential Devon wedding. Made using the finest and freshest produce, the multi-award winning gourmet pies are a crowd-pleasing and utterly scrumptious choice. Think thin and buttery short-crust pastry spilling with the luscious likes of steak and ale, chicken, ham hock and leek, and butternut squash, mixed bean and cheese - making for fabulously flavoursome party food.
www.toms-pies.co.uk
BLOOMS DAY
Think beyond the bouquets and buttonholes and extend the floral fabulousness to your sweet treats. Meadowsweet Flowers craft crystallised edible flowers on their South Molton farm. Prettify cakes and cupcakes with the dainty blooms or indulge your guests with Belgian chocolates, each decorated with a crystallised flower, for favours that look as divine as they taste.
www.meadowsweetflowers.co.uk
PIZZA PERFECTION
Gourmet pizza with a generous helping of fresh air and garden views anyone? Thanks to the inspired installation of an outdoor wood-fired oven, The Deer Park Country House Hotel in Honiton now offers al fresco pizzas served in a scenic spot of their picture-perfect grounds. A terraced area hugs the rustic structure that houses the oven, allowing wedding guests to get stuck in with building their own pizzas before settling down to feast with a side serving of views across the Italian gardens. It's a particularly magical - not to mention tasty - option for an evening reception, with tea lights twinkling from the tables and spotlights illuminating the gardens.
www.weddingvenueindevon.co.uk
CHINA GIRL
Dress your tabletops with visions of vintage pretty. Purveyors of all things vintage, retro and eclectic, Devon Vintage China houses an extensive range of English bone china, crockery and and accessories ranging from bunting and table linen to restored deckchairs and jam-jars. Whether it's country garden chic, classic glamour or colour-pop cool, enlist their hire or styling service - or both - for a party space, which is a fabulous feast for the eyes.
www.devonvintagechina.co.uk
SOFT TOUCH
The tongue-tingling delights of Luscombe Drinks' range of soft drinks and juices will add a delicious Devon flavour to your celebrations. Perfect for children and non-drinkers, the freshly pressed drinks are chock-full of organically grown fruits and come minus any dastardly additives, colourings or preservatives. The extensive selection of flavours includes Raspberry Lemonade, Elderflower Bubbly, Hot Ginger Beer and Devon Apple Juice, while the drinkers will enjoy the scrumptious Organic Devon Cider.
www.luscombe.co.uk
CHEESE PLEASE!
Fancy a wedding cake with a deliciously cheesy twist? Based in Bovey Tracey, The Cheese Shed creates mouth-watering towers of tiered artisan cheeses, which combine the visual wow factor with a lip-smacking balance of flavours. Use the rather ingenious online cheese cake builder to design the tower of your cheese-loving fantasies and give your melt-in-the-mouth centrepiece an extra personalised twist by decorating it with accessories such as silk flowers, mirrored tiles and pearls to complement your colour scheme.
www.thecheeseshed.com
LOVE BITES
Spoil your guests with the sweetest of treats in the form of these handmade fudge favours from Cherry Blossom Cakes. Complete with cute labels, the little bags and pots of Devon clotted cream, vanilla and dark chocolate bites can double as name cards - making for a tantalising talking point.
www.cherryblossom-cakes.co.uk
TIME FOR A TIPPLE
Wash your wedding breakfast down with a delectable taste of Devon. Based in Topsham, the wines from certified organic vineyard Pebblebed have earned multiple commendations and medals for their quality and flavour. Pay a visit to the wine cellar in Topsham and enjoy a tasting session. The sparkling rose is our tip for a perfect celebratory tipple.
www.pebblebed.co.uk
YOUR PARTY ON A PLATE
Treat your guests to a culinary experience to remember with these top tips from the team at Dartmoor Kitchen...
Consider the location of your wedding and the requirements needed to cater for a large number; a marquee wedding will necessitate the hiring of ovens and kitchen equipment, and you will need access to power and a water supply.
The zeitgeist for local, fresh and seasonal food could not be easier to fulfil than in the South West where there is so much amazing food being produced - choose a caterer that sources from local and ethical suppliers.
Greet your guests with canapes and fizz on arrival. Dartmoor Kitchen's mouth-watering selection will entice the taste buds of your guests in preparation for the wedding breakfast - and stop them getting too merry early on!
Think about space on the tables; for the comfort of your guests, seat no more than six on a trestle table. Round tables are very sociable, comfortably seating eight guests on a five-foot six table, and ten guests on a six-foot round. Remember to keep the centrepieces to a minimum so that your guests can see the person opposite!
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Keep your menu simple: offer no more than three main options (one meat, one fish and one vegetarian dish), and consider having only one option for starters and desserts. Be aware that collecting pre-orders creates more work for you.
Evening guests and happy wedding revellers will be hungry after dark. Remember to provide some evening nibbles such as Tom's Pies or create an artisan cheese board from Topsham's Country Cheeses.
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If you collect your pre-orders early, remember to mark your guests' choices on their name cards. By the time the wedding comes round they will have forgotten, and it will help the caterers to serve smoothly without disturbing your guests. A code - be it a coloured gem or a small image - works well.
Don't forget to add yourself and your fiance to your final numbers for the caterers, or you may go hungry on the day!
Afternoon tea is topping the trend charts this season. Although this makes a quaint alternative to canapes, it really isn't substantial enough to be the only food for your guests all day.
www.dartmoorkitchen.com
TASTY TRENDS
Let these scrumptious ideas whet your appetite for a delicious do...
Personal packages. Serve up your favourite comfort foods in fun and personalised ways. Think chunky chips in paper bags printed with monograms or fish and chips in cartons printed with a montage of comical couple photos.
Home sweet home. Draw inspiration from your home and pepper your menu with the flavours of your roots, whether it's a famed dish from your home county, a beer from your local brewery or a creative fusion of flavours inspired by your heritage.
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Food heaven. Let your favourite foods inspire your wedding menu. "Your menu should be full of the foods you really love," advises Jamie Beetham of Beetham Food. "For example, if you like nothing more than Tex-Mex, then opt for a meaty feast which includes burgers, rack of ribs, tortillas and pulled pork."
Go Gatsby. The 1920s speakeasy vibe is going strong. Wow your guests with spectacular towers of cocktails, dainty sandwiches and cakes, and impossibly glamorous presentation.
Winter warmers. "Serve hearty, wholesome fare such as sausage and mash and navarin of lamb washed down with Winter Pimm's for a wedding in the depths of winter," suggests Jamie Beetham of Beetham Food.
Glam slam. "Glamour is back," says Sarah Wright of The Round Kitchen. "There's a definite trend for sophisticated dinner parties utilising candelabras, platinum-rimmed plates and twinkling lights."
Pizza party. Seeking a crowd-pleasing belly fill for the evening reception? "Serve stone-baked pizzas and chips - they go down a treat," says Jamie Beetham of Beetham Food.
Order of service. Consider giving your guests a running order for the day. "That way, your guests will have an idea of what time reception drinks are served and when they will be eating," suggests Lucy Turner of The Round Kitchen. Think cute booklets or beautiful scrolls given out at the ceremony.
Cocktail hour. Treat your guests to your favourite indulgences during cocktail hour, whether it's mini burgers, Yorkshire puddings or tacos and little chocolate pots and scones oozing with clotted cream and jam.
Late night munchies. Lay on some snacks to fuel the late night party shenanigans or send your guests home with a bedtime treat. Think mini kebabs and slices of pizza or hot chocolate and biscuits.
Meat and greet. Selecting a carver for each table doubles as a great icebreaker and dinner time entertainment. "We provided each carver with an apron, carving knife and fork set that they got to keep as a thank you. It created a great talking point and a real showstopper as each table was presented with their individual rib joint of beef!" comments recent bride Emma Gilbert.
words Rebecca Matthews
Copyright Wed magazine 2013
