Finding a wedding caterer – the Zankyou Real Bride shows you how!

by LaurenNovember 23, 2011 1

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One of the things we were most looking forward to planning was our wedding menu, and this week we went for a tasting with “The Cambridge Dining Company”. 

Our venue, Spains Hall, has a list of only 3 recommended caterers, which concerned us at first but as soon as we started to meet the caterers and taste the menu’s we understood why. Spains pride themselves on providing the best wedding day they possibly can for you, and as the venue and grounds are so stunning, every single  supplier they work with has to meet their high expectations.

A short while after booking with Spains Hall, The Cambridge Dining Company contacted us to introduce themselves which was great as it was one less thing for us to worry about. Simon Day and his business partner also invited us in for a tasting.

When asked what the importance of a tasting was Simon told us “It is imperative to have a tasting before the wedding day. With the food make sure that the portion size and presentation is going to be the same on the day. Even consider taking pictures of the food so you have a point of reference.

“It is also important that the chef that cooked the tasting is the chef on the day. Remember, serving two dishes for a tasting session is very different to supplying 150 dishes from a marquee. Make sure that the company is up to the job. Ask them if you can speak to a bride or (if an outside catering company) a venue they supply. Ignore testimonials on their website, they are all the same!”

©The Cambridge Dining Company

With that in mind, David and I chose a few dishes from the menu kindly sent over by Sam (this took a LOT longer than expected as the menu offered so much choice!) and headed off to Cambridge for the day.

We spent a while punting along the river and touring the university before our tasting at 4pm so we were ravenous by the time we arrived at St Johns Chop House, owned by the company, for our tasting.

Sam Bird was waiting for us as we stepped in the door and after a wonderful warm welcome (we live in London, people go out of their way to avoid eye contact here!) we were whisked off to our table. Sam and Simon had set us up a space in a separate room, away from all other diners so that we could have some privacy.

The table was laid with the linen, cutlery and china that would be used on the day, which was great for us to be able to see. On our plates was the menu we had chosen with our names and the date of our wedding. A great little touch as neither of us could remember what we had ordered and as a bride-to-be anything with our names and the date of our wedding on gives me butterflies!

Sam took our coats and poured a generous amount of wine! I wasn’t going to drink but…well it would be rude not to wouldn’t it! Seconds later the smell of fresh bread floated towards us and we were introduced to Simon, carrying some delicious mini rolls and butter. He talked us through the process of the tasting and asked us lots of questions about our wedding. He seemed genuinely interested in the many wacky things David has planned. While we were talking Sam popped back in with a selection of canapés, chosen by her to showcase the talents of the chef – and they certainly did! Moments later our starters arrived and we were left to our meal.

©The Cambridge Dining Company

The food undoubtedly blew us away and it was clear to see why Spains had chosen them as a recommended supplier. In between courses Sam and Simon were frequently checking that everything was ok and were happy to answer questions and chat with us until the next dish arrived.

It was so nice to have Sam and Simon around as they were the people that we had been liaising with from first contact so they remembered everything we had already told them. They were also able to provide us with a better picture of how things would run on the day, as they would be there. The whole process was slick and flawless but at no point did we feel under any pressure.

The purpose of the tasting was to demonstrate the food that The Cambridge Dining Company were capable of preparing. We cleared our plates with every course! The portions were nice and large which is important to us as many of our guests will have missed lunch, and by the end of the meal we were full to bursting when Simon came out with tea and coffee and home-made chocolates!

He talked us through our choices and offered solutions to the vegan options and recommended a way around the red meat debate; rare or not? We did not feel rushed at all and when we had exhausted all of our queries Sam and Simon sent us on our way with a lovely little box of home-made biscuits, which we ate in the pub later that evening with friends. They also went down extremely well!

When referring to earlier e-mail correspondence from Simon to write and thank him for such an enjoyable experience I noticed he had told me “What makes The Cambridge Dining Co. different is our approach. We are restaurateurs at heart and give a restaurant experience to our customers no matter the party size. Our food is fresh, seasonal and we are passionate about British food. Our service is friendly and very experienced. We own four high quality restaurants where our chefs and front of house staff are trained before moving into weddings. We are a passionate team that love food and delivering a great personal experience.” Which sums up The Cambridge Company completely.

Watch this space!