12 London Venues for 2012

Our choices to reflect the essence of what makes London great – individuality, achievement and diversity.  

Leighton House: a magical house in Kensington with an Arab Hall and a walled garden

www.rbkc.gov.uk/museums

45 Millbank: Right on the river Thames

www.45millbank.com

The Magic Circle: mysterious Euston based steeped in history 

www.magiccirclevenue.co.uk

St Catherine’s Gardens: A beautiful space within tranquil Westminster Abby, calm and tranquil.

www.westminster-abbey.org

LSO St Lukes - High-tech versatility inside the home of the world famous symphony orchestra.

www.lso.co.uk

Kew Steam Museum - power, strength and industry - great for team building.

www.kbsm.org

Fulham Palace - historic setting with courtyard, marquee and a maze of rooms to hire

www.fulhampalace.org

Trinity House - Stunning and right opposite the Tower of London

www.thetrinityhouse.org

Flamsteed House, Royal Observatory Greenwich - Octagon Room perfect for small, dinners

www.rmg.co.uk

The Cloisters at Westminster Abbey - for soirées up to 250

www.westminster-abbey.org

The Orangery Holland Park - party amongst the peacocks in this versatile garden space

www.rbkc.co.uk

The Queens House - part of the National Maritime Museum, grand and elegant. 

www.rmg.co.uk/queens-house

Mondrian Inspired Menu

Canapés
- smart and stylish, easy to eat, hard to forget
- served with Pink Moet and Chandon, Campari, Martini Rosso, Vodka Martinis
* Poached organic salmon in cucumber cups with lemon mayonnaise
* Ricotta cakes with oven roasted plum tomatoes and basil
* Quails egg Benedict
* Mini Lobster Thermidor

Dinner
- retro nostalgia meets millennial chic served with perfectly matched Australian wines

Start - ‘Prawn Cocktail’
Main - Beef Wellington with Dauphinoise potatoes and fresh spring vegetables
Desert - Molten Black Forrest Dessert
Finish - Espresso coffees, freshly made tea, tisanes and assorted biscotti

After Dinner Reception
– retro and colourful cocktails mixed and served from the cocktail bar

* Vodka Martini – vodka, vermouth, olives (martini glass)
* Blue Hawaiian – blue curacao, white rum, pineapple juice (hurricane glass)
* Tom Collins – Gin, lemon juice sugar and soda (hi-ball)
* Sloe Gin Fizz – Sloe gin, fresh lemon and soda (blue glasses)

Big Picture: Lemon Posset

Guests enjoying shots of lemon posset with raspberries in The Orangery, Holland Park. Photo by Paul Archer www.paularcher-uk.com

The Orangery Photos

Some photos from a celebration at The Orangery, Holland Park, taken by Paul Archer of http://www.paularcher-uk.com.

Thank you!

Dear Julie,

Ted and I want to say a huge thank you to you, Tony and the rest of the team at Bovingdons for making Saturday such a wonderful day for us.

Everything was absolutely perfect: the food was delicious, The Orangery Holland Park looked magical and the up-lighters created a wonderful warm glow for the photographs.  Above all you and Tony ensured that the day went so smoothly and the professional attentiveness of Tony and the team on the day was hugely appreciated. 

Nothing was too much trouble, our guests were looked after extremely well and every detail was executed beautifully!  Words cannot capture just how fantastic a day Ted and I had, and Bovingdons played the leading role in ensuring that was the case. 

It was also such fun organising it with you and I want to say a really heartfelt thank you for that - never has a control freak felt so relaxed both in the run up to the day and on the day itself!

with grateful thanks and best wishes

Hilary and Ted Tuppen

The Sergeant Pepper

A simple recipe for a cocktail that's guaranteed to raise a smile this weekend!

Muddle gin, chilli, basil and elderflower together in a glass, fill the glass with crushed ice, then top with cloudy apple juice
No need for a garnish as the chilli and basil are colourful enough.
Enjoy and have a wonderful Christmas!

Exclusive Director's Event: Part 3: The Thank you

We just got this lovely follow up and photos from the Exclusive Director's Event (see Part 1: The Brief and Part 2: The Menu) at the Kew Bridge Steam Museum.

“I would rate Bovingdons as 5* for customer service as they truly go above and beyond.

It is not often we find a supplier who fits so well with our approach to achieve high quality results. Quick to understand from a limited brief, good fun and great to work with.”

Emily, Account Director, Glass Page Events www.glass-page.com

Game on: Using Wild Meat in Your Menu

Morton the black labrador catches dinner!

If you are holding an event between September and February I can highly recommend including some seasonal British wild meats and game into your menu.
The term 'game' refers to the species of birds and animals listed in the Game Act 1871, which include pheasant, partridge and grouse. These birds are legally protected and have an enforced ‘open season’ dictating where and when they can be shot. Deer are covered under separate but similar laws which vary depending on the breed. Other birds and wild meats such as rabbit, duck, goose and pigeon are ‘non-game’ because they have no legally determined season, however they are often at their best during the same time of year as their protected peers. (Fish are protected by similar laws but have a spring / summer based season). Here is a quick guide to what to eat, when and how.

GAME BIRDS
Pheasant
Always serve off the bone. Pheasant tastes lovely served in a classic way with game chips or served with apple and calvados. It’s also a great choice as a canapé such as pheasant goujons with roasted garlic aioli.
Open season: October – February
Partridge
A delicious meat; the epitome of rich, gamey taste and perfect for an elegant winter British countryside wedding. I would only serve partridge for a small wedding, and only if you know everyone will love it. If you’re having a buffet, try partridge sausages with smoky bacon and prunes – amazing!
Open season: September – February
Grouse
This is expensive and always in high demand. I long to serve it on ‘the Glorious 12th’or for a September wedding with a Scottish groom with great connections!
Open season: August – September 

NON-GAME BIRDS
Duck
Wonderful and very, very versatile across all courses. I like it simple; roasted breast or stuffed wild duck.
Canapé idea: Duck breast, carved very thinly and wrapped around a chopstick with fresh mango.
Main idea: Pistachio and shallot stuffed duck on a bed of celeriac mash, with confit Savoy cabbage and Marsala jus.
At its best: September – January
Goose
Suitable for a feast!  A big bird which needs a big table, I would insist it is carved in front of guests. A medieval themed wedding perhaps?
At its best: September – January
Wood Pigeon
Great as a starter. Keep it simple, for example sautéed with wild mushrooms and crème de cassis.
At its best: January – March
Guinea-Fowl
I refer to guinea-fowl as “how chicken used to taste” it’s mild, tasty and I think a perfect choice for any wedding. We stuff the breasts off the bone and then confit the leg so the meat just falls off – serve with some roasted garlic mash, wilted greens and tarragon jus and I guarantee clean plates.
At its best: September – December 

DEER and WILD BOAR
Venison
A fabulous meat and so under used. It’s rich, easy to cook and gets beautifully pink. There are an abundance of ways to use venison – Carpaccio, sausages, roast saddle. It costs about as much as good Scotch fillet of beef and I think makes a really good alternative.
Season dependent on the breed, generally August – March
Wild Boar
Use wild boar and apple sausages for an inspired winter take on sausage and mash. Serve with winter root mash and confit of Savoy with a rich jus.
At its best: throughout winter 

NON-GAME MEATS
Rabbit
I love rabbit and am in heaven when my clients have the same passion for its delicate taste. Choose a terrine as a starter or a trio for main with stuffed loin, confit leg and roasted saddle – elegant and stylish.
At its best: July – December

This post was originally posted on The Wedding Community. Click to see more of Julie Grays advice.

Exclusive Director's Event: Part 2: The Menu

This is the menu from the city executives event created by Glass Page. You can read more about The Brief in Exclusive Directors Event: Part 1: The Brief.
CANAPES
Passed amoungst guests by Bovingdons during a champagne reception
  * Ricotta cakes with oven roasted plum tomatoes and basil

  * Baby squid calamari with frascati batter served in bamboo pots with bamboo forks

  * Skewers of lemon grass and chilli marinated king prawns

  * Mini quails egg benedict

DINNER
Guests from Barclays Capital joined our chefs to act as sous chefs and serve dinner to their colleagues and guests. Whilst they were in the kitchen, our sommelier helped other guests with a presentation on the wine chosen for each course.
Team 1: Starter
  * Duck rilette, creamy leeks, gherkin jam and petit salad

Team 2: Main
  * Beef sirloin, goats cheese mash potato, grilled courgette,

    rolled fine French green beans, slow roasted tomato and lavosh crisp

Team 3: Dessert

An assiette of -
  * Sticky toffee pudding, butterscotch sauce

  * Brandy snap basket, vanilla cream

  * Mulled wine jelly shots

AFTERS
Coffee, tea, petit fours and biscotti were served by the Bovingdons team whilst the final team had a lesson at the bar.
POST-DINNER DRINKS
Team 4: Cocktails
A selection of classic cocktails made by the team.

Exclusive Director's Event: Part 1: The Brief

Leading events company Glass Page had organised a dynamic three day conference for a group of 100 international executives from a leading financial group.

As well as the main conference (which was being held at Syon Park) the Glass Page team needed to create a memorable evening event for the group. It was vital that it was consistent with the messages and tone-of-voice of the conference and still be fun and entertaining. Nearby Kew Bridge Steam Museum was deemed a perfect fit as a venue with its talking point Victorian architecture and dramatic industrial steam pistons. As caterers to the venue, it was up to Bovingdons to work with Glass Page to ensure their brief was fulfilled.

Glass Page wanted guests to interact within the event, to experience every angle rather than be passive. It was decided guests should join our chef team in the kitchen to plate and serve each other with a course that they helped to create. This meant that they would experience first-hand the creativity and pressure of a kitchen in full flow. This interactive meal would take place after a champagne reception that need to create the right, relaxed yet dynamic atmosphere and was to be followed by evening entertainment and a cocktail bar to ensure that the night ended on a high.  

We love working with event companies like Glass Page. Not only are they consummate professionals but we speak the same language and share a passion for getting things perfect for the client. They were able to tell us exactly what their client wanted to communicate through the food and service. We relished the challenge of making this a reality.

The food and service at this event had to:

   * involve a simple yet impressive menu

   * include a canapé reception menu with varying meat, vegetarian and fish options

   * be seasonal and fresh

   * be suitable for executive level guests from around the world

   * allow for perfect timing, logistics would be key if everyone was to be served a hot meal

   * be absolutely delicious (of course!)

You can see the resulting menu in Exclusive Directors Event: Part 2:The Menu 

Birthday Celebrations: The Thank you

Dear Julie,
I wanted to say a big thank you for everything.
Our party was a huge success with all of our friends and family commenting on how wonderful it was.
Everything ran seamlessly. The Orangery looked beautiful (you knew what you were doing…), the food was delicious and despite our friends’ best efforts, as you predicted, the bar did not run out of booze!
Mark and I both had a fantastic time and thanks to you and the Bovingdons team we had a completely stress free evening and were able to relax and simply enjoy our party.
Chris was a true professional and the service staff and barman did a fantastic job – as of course did the chefs behind the scenes! 
Kind regards
Trudi

Birthday Celebrations: The Menu

Here is a recent menu from a birthday event at The Orangery Holland Park. The couple wanted informal yet elegant, small and delicious food for their party. It was passed amoungst guests so that they could mingle and chat. Here is the menu:

CANAPES

Chopstick forks of succulent seared Magret of duck with a soy dipping sauce

Butter chicken on Poppadoms with cilantro and almonds

Ricotta cakes of oven dried tomatoes & basil

Parmesan risotto balls with fresh herbs and lemon

Demi tasse of roasted butternut and sage soup with crostini wafer

Quails egg Royal: brioche croute, smoked salmon, poached quails egg and hollandaise

Sushi rolls of tuna with micro shoots with garnish

Mini bagels of smoked salmon and cream cheese

FUN FOOD

Cones of Salt and Pepper Squid

Bowls of Bovingdons delicious fish pie

Small bowls of Lamb Tagine with herbed cous cous

SWEET

Waffle cones of rich chocolate mousse

Shots of lemon posset