An autumnal wedding

Saturday 17th saw The PKA cater for the wedding of Sophie Van Zeller. Ufton Court provided the perfect backdrop for a lovely autumnal wedding.

The day started with the couple getting married in the main house. They were then greeted to a champagne and canapés reception to mark their marriage. After enjoying canapés of lime and black pepper king prawns, baby Yorkshire puddings with beef and horseradish to name but a few, they were called up to the Tithe barn for their wedding breakfast.

They started with smoked salmon with a dill and horseradish creme fraiche, followed by braised shoulder of lamb, rolled with garlic and rosemary served with creamed spinach, potato dauphinoise and a Thyme jus. For dessert they ate sticky toffee pudding with toffee sauce and clotted cream.

The meal was followed by a champagne toast with the speeches. It was then time for music, dancing and lots of drinking!

Having consumed their fair share of alcohol, the evening food was well received. PKA provided a cheese tower, as well as a charcuterie board with a selection of cold, cured meats, olives, pates, quiches and a variety of breads and dips.

After a few more hours of drinking and dancing, the happy couple and their guests departed the barn after a fantastic day!

See below for photos from the day.

Classy canapés: Pot Kiln Anywhere style

The evening of Saturday 10th saw The PKA host a canapé for Madeleine Loughlin. The evening was held for 50 guests where they enjoyed eating canapés, drinking and chatting. The evening for PKA lasted for a few hours where a variety of great tasting canapés were made for the guests to enjoy. All of the food was recvieved with delight - all of the guests departed fully satisfied and with their taste buds tingling!

The selection of canapés included:

Baby Yorkshire Pudding with Rare Roast Beef and Horseradish Cream,
Chinese Duck Pancakes with Hoi Sin Sauce, Cucumber and Spring Onions,
Lime & Garlic King Prawns,
Mini Goats Cheese and Red Onion Tart with Basil Pesto,
Tuna Tartare with Capers and Lemon Zest on Crostini,
Carpaccio of Venison with Pear Puree and Blue Cheese,
Smoked Mackerel with Tomato Salsa and Horseradish,
Apple, Black Pudding and Pork Belly Ballantine wrapped in Parma Ham,
Seasonal Tempura Veg with Sweet Soy Dip,
Filo Parcel of Spinach, Carrot and Cumin with Yoghurt Dip.

Below are some photos from the fine evening.

A day of decision making dinners

On Saturday 10th November, The PKA had a busy day of tastings with two clients coming to the cookery school to try their choices for their wedding day.

Ellie and James were the first to arrive who had chosen Chinese themed food, so we knew this would be a great opportunity to show off our skills! They had a selection of pork, prawn and bean Dim Sum to start, which was delicious. They then moved on to Chinese five spice roast duck leg, steamed pak choi, sautéed chinese mushroom and fine beans with an oyster sauce, and slices of poached chicken breast, stir fried tender stem broccoli, ginger, celery and bean sprouts with a black bean sauce. As well as this they had spiced belly of pork, with steamed and egg fried rice. All of the dishes dazzled the taste buds, and they were more than happy with the dishes prepared by Bevan.

Later in the day we welcomed another couple - Simon and Karima. After having a chat and a glass of wine, they settled down to taste their menu for the special day. Going for a different approach than Ellie and James, they started with a sharing baked mature Camembert with a selection of crudités, which was cooked to perfection. After this, they enjoyed roast pig with a slection of salads including a green salad and coleslaw, and new potatoes. For the veggie option (which had rave reviews) they tried a butternut squash, silver skin onion and stilton cottage pie.

Both tastings went really well, and the couple were excited to get moving with the finalised menus for their wedding day! The photos below show a number of the dishes that were cooked on the day.

A typical day at RBSS

Today PKA catered for a corporate event at RBSS (The Royal Berkshire Shooting School). We host lots of events throughout the year here from charity days to corporate events, with today being one of our corporate days.

The day starts at 9am, when the visitors arrive and prepare for the day ahead with a breakfast of bacon and sausage rolls, juices and croissants.

The shooting school staff then take the attendees for a morning of shooting practice. Come midday, they return to the school for a reload, where they enjoy a number of canapés and soft drinks.

Then it's back to the shooting. The visitors are split into teams and compete to be the top shots of the day. When they have finished, they return to a champagne reception and the prize giving to see who have been the best (and worst!) shots of the day.

Then it's into lunch. Today the clients enjoyed a lunch of braised shin of beef, garlic mash and seasonal veg followed by sticky toffee pudding, cheese and coffee.

After lunch they return home having had a great day of shooting and eating! See photos from the day below!

Decision making dinners

Last night we welcomed a wonderful young couple to The PKA to sample the delicious menu for their wedding. Met at the door with a glass of wine, we then ran through their wedding day to make sure all the timings and food was as they desire!

Then it was onto the serious part of the evening - the tasting. For starter the bride and groom chose three options; a ham hock and Waldorf salad , a goats cheese puree with a caramelised onion tart tatin and sautéed pigeon, peas and pancetta crisp.

Next came the mains, and what a good choice they made. They settled down to braised rolled shin of beef with dauphinoise potatoes, pan fried bream with pea and broad bean risotto, and finally a spinach, sun dried tomato and ricotta Wellington with butter kale and celeriac purée.

Lastly came the desserts. Hopefully they weren't full by this time as they again had three to taste; lemon custard tart, chocolate and macadamia nut brownie and mint chocolate mousse. This was all lovingly prepared by our sous chef Bevan.

Both bride and groom thoroughly enjoyed their tasting, and were so pleased with the food they decided to go with all the options which was great news for us. After discussing the evening food and bar options the couple headed home.

Tastings for weddings are a great way to sit down with the clients to find out exactly what they want for their special day and make sure we can make it happen. For any more information on our tastings please don't hesitate to contact us. Check out the photos below to see some of the dishes the couple enjoyed!

A new day, a new blog

Good morning fellow food lovers and welcome to the official Pot Kiln Anywhere blog!

Starting from today we have created a new and exciting blog that will discuss everything from weddings, food, events, news, recipes, the countryside and much much more! For those that are not aware of how the Pot Kiln Anywhere started, read on to find out!

The Pot Kiln Anywhere was started by Oliver Shute and Mike Robinson in 2006 in response to a growing demand for traditional country cooking at private events and parties in the local area. The company has now grown into a successful catering and events company, combining a passion for great tasting food, combined with professional and attentive service from the initial meeting through to the morning after. We are supported by a young, enthusiastic team who are committed to absolute attention to detail.

The PKA (as we will now call it) now provides catering services for private dinner parties all the way up to weddings and charity events of 700 plus. So, now you have an understanding of who we are, what can you expect from the blog?

We will post details on a regular bases about the following:

• Event locations based on what type of event you will be hosting,
• Details about charity events and corporate days, as well as photos from the days,
• Help and information when it comes to planning a wedding, including photos of events we have carried out to help you with any ideas for your day,
• Recipes and country cooking tips,
• Regular competions with prize giveaways,
• Help when it comes to planning events,
• Advice on the best companies to use when it comes to planning your particular event,
• Lots and lots of photos of all of the above!

As well as following us on here, why not check out our Facebook page and follow us on twitter (@potkilnanywhere). You can also follow us on Instagram (thepotkilnanywhere). 

Thank you for reading and we hope you enjoy the blog!

The PKA team