Foodie Favours

Wedding favours is a tradition which dates back centuries in Europe in order to allow the bride and groom to thank their guests for attending their big day. The traditional favour of choice was sugared almonds which continue to be popular to this day.

At Cooper's Kitchen we agree that a foodie favour is a brilliant way to give your guests a little memento of your day and teamed with the right packaging they can also be a beautiful addition to your wedding breakfast table.

We have made some beautiful foodie favours in the past including the jams below which were personalised with the guests name in top so that they doubled as a place name.

Our other favourite favour ideas are chocolate truffles, gingerbread bride and grooms, initial cookies, a cupcake in a jar and love heart peanut butter cups.

Please contact us for more ideas and prices.

Antipasti Platters

We think that antipasti platters make a great starter for weddings. If not all of your guests know each other well then sharing platters are a brilliant way of breaking the ice! The platter pictured has fresh mozzarella with a chunky pesto sitting on Portuguese "music bread", marinated olives, griddled piquillo peppers, sun-blushed tomatoes and cured Italian meats.

We serve our platters with a basket of freshly baked bread on each table; the perfect way to start a meal?

There is still time....

...infact some would say that this month is the perfect time to make your Christmas Pudding. Despite the weather still feeling far from wintery, it really does pay to plan ahead and make yours early.

The time maturing allows the fruit to plump up and the spices to both mature and mellow. Traditionally the last Sunday before Advent was known as "Stir up Sunday" after a line in a church prayer and this soon became associated with the making of Christmas Pudding. Despite this we think the longer the better so unless you are a real traditionalist then start now by soaking your fruits!

In a not so saintly fashion we believe that the feeding of Christmas Puddimg with alcohol really does improve the pudding and makes it moreishly moist. Whilst brandy is the most popular tipple of choice we prefer using a dark or golden rum as it gives a smoother flavour but it is all down to personal preference.

After attempts at many different recipes over the years we have decided that Nigella's "Ultimate Christmas Pudding" is just that- the ultimate!!

We have posted the link to the recipe below, the only small change that we recommend ism swapping the vodka for rum and also feeding it with a little more booze every few weeks after making.

http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/ultimate-christmas-pudding

Tweet Tweet!!

We have finally got round to setting up our own twitter account - follow us @kitchencoopers for recipe tips, foodie pictures & great ideas for your event.

It's the little things....

We know how important the little details are to your wedding or event and go the extra mile to make sure your food has the wow factor. From cheese tower flags to chutney labels and menu cards we put in the extra effort to ensure that your event is one to remember!!

We're Back....

...Well we never really went anywhere!! We are sorry that our blog has been quiet in the last few months, wedding season certainly took up all of our time and attention this year!! We have had such a lovely summer working with some lovely bride & grooms to deliver their perfect wedding feasts; from canapés to buffets to four course sit down meals we have done it all!!

We already have some wedding bookings in the diary for next year which is great, if you would like to make an enquiry then please contact us on info@cooperskitchen.co.uk and we can send you sample menus and would be delighted to meet you and discuss your big day.

Creme Brulee Tarts

Creme Brulee in tart form...inspired!!

These tarts have been a real hit this summer for afternoon tea parties and dinner parties alike.

Although the classic vanilla custard recipe is a favourite we also offer dark chocolate & orange zest, blueberry, spicy ginger or espresso brulees.

They are also perfect with coffee as an afternoon treat, if you have a local coffee shop or food retailer and are interested in stocking our tarts then please contact us for wholesale prices.

The Perfect Dessert Canape?

We think our Mini Baked Vanilla Cheesecakes with fresh berries, a drizzle of white chocolate and a mint leaf could be the best dessert canape yet!

Bigger than your average canape but still easy to eat without a plate or cutlery so no one's complaining!

They look great and taste even better. They also work well as part of a buffet or a trio of desserts for a dinner party.

New for Summer...

We have created the perfect summer dessert for dinner parties and garden parties alike. A chewy yet crunchy chocolate meringue with chunks of dark chocolate throughout, topped with summer berries, chantilly cream and shards of dark or white chocolate - what's not to like!

India Rose Design

Let us introduce you to our good friend Sarah and her gorgeous craft company India Rose Design.

We have recently worked with Sarah on an Afternoon Tea party in Sussex where her hand-stitched hearts beautifully decorated the food table and then doubled up as gifts for guests. 

Check out her Facebook page "India Rose Design" for lots of lovely ideas for wedding favours, personalised gifts and decorations.

Children's Parties

We love catering for children's parties, it gives us the chance to be creative and lets be honest kids food is always more fun!

A good example of this is our strawberry mice, a huge hit with children at parties.

If you have a theme in mind for a children's party then let us help you with food ideas to match. We have recently catered for Woodland, Cars, Alice in Wonderland and Princess themed parties!

Please contact us if you need any ideas or prices.

Ginger Brides & Grooms

These yummy brides & grooms were made to be served as guests left the church for the short walk to the wedding venue. They are also perfect for wedding favours and can be personalised in a number of ways. They look great packaged in cellophane bags and tied with raffia or ribbon.

Stop The Traffic!

Check out our Red Velvet Heart Cake...

This week we have had the lovely task of cooking a surprise anniversary dinner for a customer in London. Dessert was this gorgeous Red Velvet layer cake with cream cheese frosting - the same cake they had on their wedding day!

If you want to try to create your own red velvet cake we would offer the following tips:

*Make sure you don't use a natural food colouring as once the cake is baked it will be more brown than red - we use Sugarflair Extra Red Paste.

*Take the time to do a crumb coat before you do the final icing as any crumbs will show up! If you don't have the time for this stage we can reccomend using Bake Easy spray before baking to reduce the amount of crumbs that are released from the cake.

Both products mentioned in this post are available from www.cakescookiesandcraftsshop.co.uk.

New Buffet Menus For Spring

We have been working on some new buffet menus that are perfect for spring and summer functions. Our diaries are quickly filling up for summer and we are looking forward to catering some great events. Take a look below at one of our newest buffet menus and feel free to contact us for prices and more menus.

Spring Cold Buffet Menu 2012

*Whole baked dressed salmon with dill and avocado mayonnaise

*Duck and pork terrine with cranberries and pistachios

*Roasted beef served with mustards, gherkins and watercress

*Home cooked cola ham served with ramekins of pickles and chutney

*Goats cheese and sunblushed tomato tart

*Leek, mushroom and gruyere quiche

*Beetroot, orange and baby spinach salad

*Baby new potato salad with fresh herbs

*Feta, rocket, olive and mint pasta salad

*Chicory and lambs lettuce salad with walnut dressing

*Crusty rolls and ciabatta with butter

*Summer berry pavlova with vanilla cream

*Baked blueberry cheesecake with blueberry coulis

White Chocolate Passion Pots

Here is one of our favourite recipes that is super easy and super tasty, we have served them in coffee cups for dessert at dinner parties or in shot glasses as a sweet canape.

To make six dessert pots you will need:

284ml pot of double cream

150ml milk

6 egg yolks, beaten

450g white chocolate, chopped

dash of vanilla essence

3 passionfruits

*Scoop the passionfruit from their shells and divide between six small cups or pots.
*Heat the cream and milk together in a pan, but don't allow to boil.
*Place the chopped white chocolate in a bowl and then pour over the warmed cream and milk mixture, then stir until it has melted.
*Now add the egg yolks and a dash of vanilla essence.
*Return the chocolate mixture to the pan and slowly warm through until it starts to thicken.
*Pour the mixture into the cups, covering the passionfruit.
*The pots are now ready to be chilled - this will take about two hours, then simply enjoy! 

Tips 

*The leftover egg whites can be frozen and used the next time you  make a meringue or mousse

*This dessert can be easily varied - dark chocolate and raspberry, milk chocolate and honeycomb or add a shot of liquer to the chocolate at the melting stage, Amaretto or brandy work well.

Our first post!

We are very happy to welcome you to the new Cooper's Kitchen Blog and Website

After lots of hard work from our graphic designer Harry Lyn we are extremely pleased with our new look website and we hope that you all agree that it is a vast improvement in both usability and style.

Our blog will keep you updated with our latest goings on and new creations as well as giving you some of our favourite recipes to try at home and our favourite foodie news - we love everything food!

We hope that you all had a lovely chocolate-filled Easter!

Anna and Natasha xx