Red Anywhere cater for R and B Singer Jamelia & Footballer Darren Byfields Wedding!

The big day was Eastland’s Estate in West Sussex where Red Anywhere are the exclusive caterers. Jamelia and Darren chose to have a very private day with lots of close friends and family invited.

Dan Clarke - Creative Chef was given the task of creating a sumptuous menu for both Jamelia and Darren which included most of their favourite foods!

After the Ceremony the bar team at Red created a bespoke cocktail called The “JD” which did not include Jack Daniels…. but it did include Grey Goose Citrus Vodka, Malibu, Vanilla, Pineapple Juice and Fresh Lime, this was served to all the guests while they gathered on the lawns in front of Eastland’s House.

The guests were then invited into the marquee and sat down to a 4 Course meal…..

To Start - Seared Scallops, Tempura Calamari, Slow Roasted Vine Tomatoes, Tartar Sauce

Main Course - Rump of New Season Lamb, Mint Mash, Fine Ratatouille & a light Balsamic and Thyme Sauce

Bowls of Green Beans and Baby Corn were served on each table

Dessert - Home Made Glazed Lemon Tart, Fresh Raspberries and Raspberry Ripple Ice Cream, Apple Crumble with Vanilla Custard

Coffee and Home Made Fudge

Dan commented on the menu saying “These dishes you would expect to see in a high class restaurant!, producing it for a large amount of guests was intense but very rewarding! The dessert was especially nice as I created this especially for Jamelia and Darren!

You either love it or hate it, I have to say I love it as did many of our guests that sampled it yesterday. We were asked to cater for a corporate company that wanted to take some of their staff out for the afternoon and play games, Drink Pimm’s and eat…. sounds like a good afternoons work!

The Venue was a cut field in Poynings, Near Hove in West Sussex. The surroundings were wonderful and the view was truly amazing which looked right across Devils Dyke and most of Sussex.

We were working with Pretty Clever Events or event partners who managed the event and set up a party marquee for the guests and arranged some entertainment and games for all of the staff to participate in, which they did! We then got down to the serious stuff……… Pimm’s

Red’s Perfect Pimm’s

50ml Pimm’s

4 x large strawberries cut in half

8 x leaves of mint - smashed

8 x slices of cucumber

2 x slices of orange

1/4 red apple - sliced

Lemonade and Cubed Ice

How to build….

1. Put all the fruit into a glass and add the Pimm’s, leave for as long as possible for the fruit and Pimm’s to marinade. The longer the better!!

2. When ready add cubed Ice and then top up with Lemonade.

3. Drink and Enjoy!

Tip…. Make sure you have plenty of fruit in the glass, this is what Pimm’s is all about, Always add ice first otherwise you add to much lemonade and the Pimm’s is too weak!

Our Clients enjoyed the Pimm’s and a few asked for the recipe hence the Blog!

If you have any questions or comments please do let me know

Dan

I often get asked what Knives I use and why. Knives are a little like clothes they go through trends and fashion and people tend to buy what ever they think is the best or perceived to be the best!

If you saw Gordon Ramsey using a Tesco Knife then everyone would buy them because they believe that if he uses them then they must be good….. Not always the case!

Over the years I have used various makes not because of fashion but because of the job they do and most importantly how they feel in the hand, if I think about it I hold a knife on average for 6-8 hours a day so it needs to feel good, that will give me the confidence to then use it without really thinking about it, Similar to an artist using a brush or a golfer with a club.

At the moment I am using a make called MAC professing to be the world’s sharpest knife and also the easiest to keep sharp which is really important. They have a nice weight to them and very comfortable grip and handle and do not give me blisters on my hand if cutting through tough ingredients or if used for a long time. These knives are available only to the professional but can be bought on the internet. The company that has the sole import on them Continental Chef Supplies a company that specialises in supplying high quality products to Chefs!

The MAC Knife is not cheap by any means but I am a great believer in that you get what you pay for! I would recommend the 8″ cooks knife which can be used for most kitchen jobs and also the Serrated Carver which is great for slicing almost anything. The oriental chopper is good for vegetables and shredding.

What you also need to keep these knives sharp is a good Steel, this is what profesional chefs use to keep their knives razor sharp…..

Chefs Tip… “A Steel will only keep a Sharp knife Sharp, it will not sharpen a blunt knife”

if after every time you use your knife you give it a couple of strokes at 45% angle over the steel it will stay sharp for a long time, if you let it go blunt you will then need to get the edge back on the knife by buying a sharpening stone or taking to your local iron monger or your local butcher may do it for you?

Other knives I have used over the years and still do are Victorinox, Drizeack and Wusthof all these knives apart from Victoronix our made with German steel which in my opinion is the best for knives.

If you have any questions on this topic or anything else related to cooking please leave a comment and will get back to you

Dan