Master chef Dan Clarke specialises in exquisite food, Sublime Drinks, great entertainment and a service that is professional and friendly.
One Hog, One Lamb, One Million Flowers & an Outburst of Rain… The Midweek Wedding Dream!
27/07/10 in General by Laura Ward | 0 Comment
Not many are brave enough to risk cries of “Not on a work day!”, “I can’t get a babysitter!” and “But that’s curry night!” from all areas of their guest list, and plan a midweek wedding. Those who are, however, may just be pleasantly surprised. One of our couples recently did just this, booking Grittenham Barn, near Petworth for their wedding reception on a Wednesday mid July. And pleasant, it was! Our lovely couple were able to decorate the beautiful Grittenham Barn to the hilt, transforming the already stunning, rustic building into something really magical.
The wedding breakfast room was tastefully decorated in muted linens, littered with hundreds and hundreds of odd-shaped bottles and jars, filled with pastel petalled roses and dainty daisies. Lights; both fairy and tea, helped continue the feeling of enchantment and along with strings of photographs and a few ornate picture frames the piece de resistance completed the vision… Dozens of spherical lanterns in varying sizes and shades filled the ceiling with pastel planets.
Our lovely Front of House team were a little awe-struck and (until it came time to light the 200 candles, at which time they quickly scarpered) took an sudden shine to polishing and ‘tweaking’ just so they could stay in the room. A true feast was on the menu for the beautiful event. Guests were welcomed from the ceremony with cocktails and a whole Parma ham, direct from Italy, plus all the provisions. Red’s very own ‘Thyme for Gin’ Cocktail – a mix of Fresh Thyme and Plymouth Gin with Lemon Juice & Elderflower (an amalgamation of Dan’s clever palette and my not-so-clever way with words) went down a treat!
Guests were treated to a tapas style starter comprised of the biggest King Prawns in the world, poached in Lemon Juice, Black Pepper & Rosemary, served with Aioli along with more Parma Ham and Miniature Bruschetta. Then came along the Lamb and the Hog. Our guests were invited table by table to indulge in some local, slow cooked, well rested Pork and Lamb with some fresh Unique Salads at the Salad Bar. The Hog and the Lamb did us proud and only one outburst of rain interrupted their good work. Teetering plate loads devoured, some guests even came back for seconds!
The rain cleared as our waitresses did, and it was soon time for dessert. Ice Cream. Ice Cream in Boxes; 3 per table, with Fresh Local Strawberries and Raspberries and Fruit Sauce. It was a ‘make your own Sundae’ time for our guests, and make Sundaes they did! Ice Cream was just what was needed after all that Pork and the fun factor certainly matched our Couple and the style of their big day. Dessert and Coffee – Done. As Front of House cleared the room, replacing candles and re-distributing flowers, Back of House the Chefs were busy cutting cheese for the next course, creating towering displays for the evening Cheese Board.
The evening brought with it gusty winds. Coupled with candlelight, wine and a wicked playlist however, they made for a part cosy, mostly party atmosphere in the barn. Our dancing guests were certainly ready for their Thick-Cut Bacon Butties and Homemade Fish Finger Sandwiches just a little while later. Well, it’s not like there was a lot of food!? As the festivities were brought to a close everyone was left happy and (probably, hopefully!) full. The wind had been joined by rain and was in full swing by this point. Not an operation to be hindered by bad weather however, the closing team powered on. Washing, Packing, Lifting, Stacking. One the game of Tetris was over we had our vans fully loaded and were able to depart. We left the beautiful, twinkling barn with its flowers and fairy lights, heading homeward.
A quick sleep and it wasn’t long before we were back at work… Midweek Weddings – Who’d have ‘em?
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