Wow-what a Summer we’ve had at Ren’s Kitchen! Ever since Boris decided that weddings weren’t going to kill anyone anymore, we’ve just been run ragged trying to accommodate all of our existing bookings and wedding couples. We’ve stretched ourselves to capacity (hence the lack of posts recently. Sorry!)
It has been so lovely to see so many people out and enjoying themselves again after so long and so much stress- some of our wedding couples had to re-book four times, but finally were able to get the day they had been hoping for. It almost seemed even more special when the day finally came for them, and we couldn’t be happier. My amazing team have absolutely pulled it out of the bag, and we can almost see daylight- and a few well-earned drinks to celebrate!
I’ve said this before, but the trends have changed massively after the lockdown. In the same way as all things in life, everything is far more casual and relaxed. The emphasis is (as it should be) on enjoyment, celebration, and fun.
We have seen fewer and fewer formal ‘fine dining’ menus asked for, being replaced by barbecues, paellas, bowl food menus and ‘family style’ dining. This kind of ‘social dining’ allows for much more interaction between guests, and also is more time-efficient, allowing for more party time!
Even the old school ‘buffet’ is making a revival. Personally, in the right environment, I’ve nothing against a buffet- we’ve all been to a crap buffet, and it’s always for one of two reasons: either you have to queue up in a line of 100 guests like a school dinner, or they run out of food, and it looks rubbish after a few tables have been up. As long as you bring up both of those points with your caterer, then by all means go for it. On the plus points, your guests don’t have to pre-order, they get to choose loads of different interesting foods (no beige please!), and your rugby mates don’t have to worry about not having enough to eat!! As long as your wedding party is happy to get up and be served (ie not too many elderly guests), then it’s always a hit, and will shave loads off your food bill as the service is much simpler- you’ll see loads of restaurants opting for the ‘Nando’s style service where you pay or get food from the counter before sitting down, so this is definitely a culture shift, and helps the restaurant to be more cost-efficient too!
In other words- nobody is interested in the traditional three-course fine dining menu anymore- in truth, when catering for a wedding of 100 or more guests in a makeshift kitchen, we don’t always do this kind of menu as well as we could in a restaurant setting anyway! So ditch the long menus, save a few quid to spend on the honeymoon (Lord knows we’re going to need it once we’re allowed on a plane again!), and relax!!
For any menu ideas and advice, please feel free to email me directly at www.renskitchen.co.uk
