Catering For Castle Weddings
29 April 2009
Following our recent interview with the people who provide flowers for our castle weddings, we are delighted to now share with you a similar interview, this time with Rachel from Vinehouse Catering.
Castle Wedding Venue
Q:How long have you been involved in catering, Rachel?
A: Just about all my working life! And for the last 20 years in outside catering.
Q: How long have you worked for Eastnor Castle?
A: Oh, it must be nearly fifteen years I should think. I’d have to look it up.
Q:What do you enjoy most about wedding catering?
A:You meet lots of nice and interesting people! Contributing to the success of someone’s wedding is a never-ending source of pleasure and satisfaction for us. It’s a real buzz; we all love it.
Q: What’s the biggest job you’ve done for Eastnor Castle?
A: A sit-down dinner for five hundred people for the Chamber of Commerce. I'm glad to say it went like clockwork.
Q: What is the usual size of wedding party?
A: Somewhere between 80 and 150. The Eastnor dining room holds 80 and the Great Hall 150, so that sort of sets the parameters indoors. But we can do much bigger functions in marquees outside on the lower terrace.
Q: When is it best for couples to choose their food?
A: Well, at their convenience, really, though naturally we prefer to know their choices early, since it helps us do the best job possible. We offer a wide range of menus and discuss each choice carefully with the couple.
Q: Do you get requests for unusual or exotic foods?
A: Sometimes, not often. When we do, we make every effort to give customers exactly what they want. However, most couples choose quite traditional menus to appeal to all their guests, young and old. To me one of the most important things is to achieve a menu that the bride and groom love and their family and friends are equally happy with.
Q: What about special diets?
A: Not a problem. We offer a range of vegetarian meals, for instance, and often cater for people with allergies. We also do special menus for children.
Q: Do you get lots of requests for canapés, sorbets and cheese courses?
A: Canapés are a very popular option and we cater for these on our menus. Occasionally we are asked for sorbets and cheese courses but to be honest most people are keen to get on with the dancing and not to prolong the meal!
Q: Do you have any specialties at Vine House?
A: Not really though our Head Chef, Alex, does make the best Yorkshire pudding ever! He is also trained in patisserie, so his desserts are spectacular.
Catering at Eastnor Castle
Eastnor Castle takes pride in the quality catering available for your wedding at our exclusive wedding venue.