Recipe | Yoghurt Panna Cotta, Strawberry Jelly

Our menu is constantly changing, and this year we see a new addition to our Charity Event menu, an addition perfect for the summer season. With a light and creamy base, topped with the jelly’s distinct summer flavour, this dish is vibrant both visually and in taste.

If you’re entertaining this summer, why don’t you give the recipe a go?

Serves 8

For the Panna Cotta:

300g Whipping Cream
1 Vanilla Pod
150g Caster Sugar
3 Bronze Leaf Gelatine Leaves
300g Natural Yoghurt
300g Double Cream

For the Jelly

500g Strawberry Purée
3 Bronze Leaf Gelatine Leaves

For the Panna Cotta

1) Bring whipping cream, vanilla pod and sugar to the boil
2) Stir in pre-soaked gelatine
3) Pass through a fine sieve into natural yoghurt
4) Cool over an ice bath until cold, but not set
5) Semi-whip the double cream
6) Fold together and fill your moulds
7) Refrigerate until set

For the Jelly

1) Bring strawberry purée to a simmer
2) Add pre-soaked gelatine
3) Once yoghurt is set, pour jelly on top to fill your mould
4) Add garnish of your choice – honey comb, strawberries and mint works perfectly.

Keep your eyes peeled for more recipes!

Images from Shannon Robinson at SLR Photography

 

 

 

The first wedding of 2015

Our first wedding of 2015 was Gemma and Brian’s winter wonderland wedding at Ufton Court. We arrived the day before to set up and were met with people shifting gigantic white trees and hanging hundreds of fairy lights. It was then that we realised that Gemma and Brian really had gone all out on their wintery decorations.

When we entered the barn the next morning it was completely transformed. The whole atmosphere was changed through the lighting of the barn, Gemma opted out of the warmer lamps and stuck to icy blue cooler tones. The tables each had their own centre piece which was made by a member of the bridal party. They were made up of a large vase filled with clear stones and fairy lights topped with a collection of white feathers protruding outwards. Every centrepiece was stood on a round mirror to reflect the light elsewhere.

With a strong theme of sparkles, the top table was framed by the enormous white trees with a backdrop studded with tiny fairy lights. Each chair was dressed in light blue sash, and the table featured a glass mirror with the words ‘Mr and Mrs’, surrounded by tiny ice crystals. For their favours, Gemma and Brian chose tubes of little blue sweets, going well with their theme. Every guest also got their own wine charm which we clipped to every champagne glass before the guests entered the barn.

The day started with wintery drinks including mulled wine, hot apple juice and a hot chocolate station for the children – complete with whipped cream, sprinkled and chocolate stirrers. As you can imagine there were plenty of chocolate covered faces and fingers by the end of the reception. Whilst the drinks were circulating, our waiters and waitresses served Mini Jacket Potatoes with Sour Cream, Goats Cheese and Spinach Flat Breads, Courgette, Feta and Basil Beignets, Baby Yorkshire Puddings with Beef and Horseradish and Smoked Salmon Parfait with Caviar.

After enjoying their warming drinks and tasty canapés, everybody moved into the barn for some speeches. After the toast our staff brought out the starters along with baskets of freshly baked bread. This was the chosen menu;

STARTER

Foie Gras and Chicken Liver Parfait, Sauternes Jelly, Toasted Brioche

Open Vegetable Tart

Goat’s Cheese Mousse, Pickled Beetroot, Toasted Hazelnuts, Herb Salad

MAIN

Slow Cooked Brisket, Mashed Potato, Roasted Root Vegetables, Braising Liquor

Roasted Butternut Squash Rissotto, Sage Butter, Pine Nuts, Grated Parmesan

DESSERT

Baked Lemon Cheesecake, Fresh Berries

After the meal, the guests went back up to the Archer’s Hall for the Photo Booth whilst we set up the bar and dance floor. Once the guests came back to Tithe Barn, the bar was ready for action with a very tempting selection of local ales and cider including West Berkshire Brewery’s Yule Fule and Good Old Boy and Tutts Clump Cider. These went down a treat, and after a few hours of dancing the night away the guests were ready for their Ploughman’s Board, Sausage Rolls and Vegetarian  Tortilla Wraps followed by some delicious wedding cake.

This is one of the biggest transformation of Tithe Barn that we have seen, Gemma and Brian even had a Polar Bear ice sculpture to greet the guests as they entered the barn. We enjoyed our day catering for the happy couple and their family and friends and we wish them all the best for the future.

A late post from Northbrook Park

Due to an extremely busy couple of weeks, we only managed to post about Suzi and Adrian’s wedding from last weekend. However, we catered for a second wedding on the Sunday at Northbrook Park, and what a beautiful event it was. From stepping out of the car we were propelled into a magical setting; luscious green gardens roamed by stunning peacocks, decorated like something from a fairytale with dangling tea lights and flowers.

We hadn’t seen this kind of decoration before, but it now seems to be extremely popular, as it has popped up at events since. It’s very elegant and classy, making the flowers appear as they’re floating from the tree. They give a very ‘British garden’ feel to the event.

When the bride, groom and their entourage arrived, they made their way to the drinks reception, where our waiters and waitresses served champagne, soft drinks and Pimms. The Pimms went down a treat in the glorious sunshine, as the guests sipped away and enjoyed the delicious canapés our chefs had created.

The mood was set perfectly by the arch windows which let in all of the sunlight into the big, white, open room, giving a Parisian vibe when paired with the flowing white tablecloths. The tables were dressed with pastel flowers, in minimal jam jars dipped in gold paint. In four of the windows were tall, thin vases full of bouquets.

Hydrangeas, roses and peonies were some of the flowers chosen for the bouquets, as well as a variety of different textured leaves.

The guests (and this cheeky peacock) made their way into the main dining room for the Wedding Breakfast. The room was dressed like a rainforest, with various vines and plants growing on the wall, in amongst twinkling fairy lights. The room had a marquee style roof which let lots of light in, keeping the room airy and beautiful.

As well as the fairy lights, the room was lit up with sparkling, crystal chandeliers which were based in each canopy of the marquee roofing.

The main theme of the room was gold and black. There were typed thank you messages on each place, with favours placed on top; the bride and groom had made different jams for their guests, in little jam jars with a thank you note.

We’ve been to a lot of weddings where the bride and groom have chosen jams or chutneys as their favours, and we think it’s a great idea. It’s such a sentimental gesture to create something for your guests which can last a long time. Your favours should be something which has had time and effort spent on it, to show your guests you are grateful for their company on their big day.

Another thing we liked about the way the tables were decorated were the place names. Featured in the same font as the thank you messages, the name cards were pegged onto the red wine glass for every guest.

Their menu was also in the same font and colour scheme, and was presented on the table plan so that the guests could see it before they made their way into the dining room. The happy couple chose to have a selection of canapés as their starter, followed by a choice of three different mains. The dessert was a selection of cakes brought by the guests; including hazelnut pavlova and various cheesecakes with cream and coulis.

The wedding cake was saved for later, for the evening buffet which was set up back in the vine room. We loved the simple, elegant and stylish design of the cake, featuring the same colour pallet as the bouquets.

After the meal, the bar was opened where our staff served a range of soft drinks, beers, ciders, wine, champagne and spirits. The guests took to the dance floor to listen to the wedding band, made up of Nate James who was on The Voice in 2013, the female vocalist from Basement Jaxx and also the guitarist from Rizzle Kicks. They were fantastic, and everyone appeared to have a wonderful time.