Congratulations Claire and Jon!

Ufton Court was looking beautiful as always on Saturday for Claire and Jon's big day. Dark clouds threatened the venues gorgeous spring time vibes, but the rain held off and the weather stayed lovely. The reception drinks were held in Ufton Court's Archers Hall which was dressed in hyacinth and plum bunting; the main colour theme for the day.

The Archer's Hall is so versatile when it comes to decorating your reception drinks. The wooden beams provide a great space for hanging bunting or garlands. The neutral colouring of the Hall means that the bride and groom can be free with their colour choice, so that their reception drinks can be as unique as they wish.

Champagne, Sloe Gin, Apple Juice and Ales were served at our brightly coloured reception. Our waiters greeted the guests with summery Sloe Gin and Champagne on our unique wooden champagne trays. Drinks receptions are a great way to inject colour into your wedding from the start; against a white table cloth, the pink Sloe Gin really popped, looking deliciously refreshing!

Whilst the drinks were flowing, so were the canapés. Our chefs served Seasonal Tempura Vegetables with a Soy and Sesame dip (top), Spinach, Carrot and Cumin Filo Parcels with a Yoghurt Dip (bottom), Apple, Black Pudding and Pork Belly Ballontine wrapped in Parma Ham, Carpaccio of Venison with Pear Puree and Blue Cheese and Tuna Tartare with Capers and Lemon.

After enjoying some live music in the Archers Hall the guests were called to Tithe Barn to enjoy the wedding breakfast. The same colour scheme was kept in the barn; even the wine bottles matched the bunting! The centrepieces were beautiful; Green Parlour created such beautiful bouquets that really brought the whole colour scheme of the barn together. Visit http://www.greenparlour.com/ to see more of their lovely flowers.

We loved the pretty little vintage tea cups and saucers on the bunting. Against the painted brickwork of the barn the colours and patterns looked fantastically rustic.

The Bride and Groom had even transferred their bunting to cute little glass jam jars to make tea lights for each table. So simple, but so effective. The happy couple opted for a buffet style wedding breakfast;

BUFFET MENU

A selection of Freshly Baked Bread

Spatchcock Chicken with a Moroccan Dry Rub

Salmon with Radish and Fennel

Homemade Chickpea Falafel 

Homemade Broccoli and Stilton Quiche

Roast Garlic New Potatoes

Grilled Marinated Vegetables

& 

Homemade Fennel and Red Cabbage Coleslaw

DESSERT

Lemon Posset with Mixed Berries and Shortbread Biscuit

Bitter Dark Chocolate and Sea Salt Tort 

&

Caramelized Pear and Ginger Bakewell Tart

Judging by the amount of guests up at the buffet table for seconds, we imagine they were enjoying it immensely! The dessert was brought to the buffet station on slate and wooden boards, arranged beautifully by our chefs with mixed berries. Yum!

Evening food was served after the guests took to the dance floor; they enjoyed delicious homemade sausage rolls, scotch eggs, a cheese board and wedding cake (which looked beautiful before it was massacred into slices!) We had a lovely day catering for Claire and Jon at Ufton Court and can't wait for the many more spring events to come.

St John's Beaumont Denim & Diamonds Party

On Saturday the 15th of March, we catered for 192 guests at St John's Beaumont Denim and Diamonds party in aid of St John's Beaumont Chosen Charities. When we entered the hall, it was great to see how thoroughly they had incorporated their theme into the event.

The hall was dressed beautiful in blue, white and silver; representing the theme of Denim and Diamonds. Each of the tables were cleverly named after a brand of jeans or a type of diamond. In the centre of the tables were trees that had been crafted out of childhood favourite sweets, these were sold during the event in aid of the charities. To add a little sparkle to the table, little diamonds were scattered in amongst the denim napkins.

One of the corners of the hall was completely denim crazy! Guests had their photos taken on denim sofas with a backdrop made entirely of jeans.

The event started with a champagne reception, and the bar was opened where the guests could enjoy a selection of wines and proseccos. The bar was dressed with huge ice buckets full of a range of lagers and soft drinks, accompanied by big rustic crates full of wine. Against white table cloths, this set up looked fantastic.

After the reception, the guests were called to dinner and welcomed by the Head Master Mr Delaney. The guests then enjoyed a three course meal cooked by our wonderful chefs:

MENU

Starter

Crab Cakes served with Chilli Jam and Frisée lettuce

Salt Baked Beets, Goats Cheese Mousse and Pickled Beetroot Dressing (v)

Main

Chard Duck Breast, Potato Hash, Spinach, Balotine Duck and Orange Pureé

Ratatouille served with Corn Bread (v)

Dessert

Baked Vanilla Cheesecake and Raspberries served with Fruit Compote and Edible Diamonds

Coffee, Tea and Truffles

During each course, the Head Master auctioned different prizes and after the meal the silent auction began. After coffee and truffles were served the evening entertainment began; a live band took to the stage and the guests took to the dance floor. We thoroughly enjoyed catering for the event, it was lovely to see the generosity of all of the guests to the St John's Beaumont Chosen Charities. Everyone had a wonderful evening and we look forward to the next one!

Congratulations Beth and Tom!

Saturday 8th of March saw the marriage of Beth and Tom, and the weather could not have been better. After various floods and diabolic weather, it was lovely to see Ufton Court being bathed in sunlight, surrounded by springtime crocuses and underneath a completely clear blue sky.

Games were set up in the garden to keep the children entertained whilst the adults enjoyed the champagne reception in the Archers Hall. Having said that, we did notice the adults indulging in a highly competitive space hopper race... the sun brings out the child in all of us!

The drinks reception was held in the light and spacious Archers Hall. With all the doors open, it really did feel like summer had come early. Guests mingled around the patio and garden area with glasses of bubbly, summery cider, and refreshing lagers whilst orange and apple juice were served as a non alcoholic alternative.

Being photographed on their journey to the hall in the beautiful grounds of Ufton Court, the Bride and Groom were greeted with a tray full of cold champagne. Somehow it looks even more delicious in the sunshine, doesn't it?

Left to right; goats cheese flat bread, olive tapenade, duck pancakes and mini Yorkshire puddings

Canapés were circulating during the drinks reception. Our chefs served duck pancakes, olive tapenade, rare beef and horseradish mini Yorkshire puddings, goats cheese flat bread and venison carpaccio with blue cheese and pear puree. They looked delicious, garnished with freshly chopped herbs on wooden boards and slate trays.

The venison carpaccio was served on forks, for a perfect mouthful of deliciousness! Many of the guests hadn't tried this canapé before and they were all excited to get their taste buds tingling with something new.

After the drinks reception, everyone made their way into Tithe Barn, which was decorated head to toe in deep royal blue.

Tom has a career in the wine industry, and so the main theme of the wedding was wine; their wedding breakfast was titled 'Tom and Beth's Boozy Lunch'. (Sounds like our kind of party!) The tables were named after different wines, the menu covers were decorated in glittering wine bottles and there was a big ice bucket in the middle of the table for white and dessert wine. 

The tables were decorated with royal blue napkins, glittering menus and delicate blue heart confetti. The deep blue worked beautifully with our silverware, creating a simple, clean and neat feel. Varying height is a must for a wedding breakfast table; Tom and Beth achieved this through their table names being attached to wine bottles, with a photo of the chosen wine towering above the table. This, balanced with the different wine glasses and ice bucket created an array of heights to keep the table looking interesting.

Once the guests were seated, the wedding breakfast began;

MENU

Starter

Assiette of Salmon served with a Selection of Homemade Artisan Bread

Salt Baked Beets, Goats Cheese Mousse with a Pickled Beetroot Dressing

Main

Pan Roasted Pheasant Breast, Creamed Leeks, Boulangere Potatoes and Roast Garlic Puree

Mushroom, Sun-Dried Tomato, Spinach and Ricotta Wellington with Celeriac Puree, Buttered Kale and Herb Oil

Dessert

Dark Chocolate Brownie with Dark Cherry and Mixed Berry Compote and Chantilly Cream

Assiette of Salmon

Pan Roast Pheasant with Boulengere Potatoes

After the meal, the guests took to the dance floor and the bar was opened. We served a variety of drinks, including West Berkshire Brewery's amazing ales and stout, and our own homemade toffee and Turkish Delight vodkas which went down a treat. Evening food was served; there was a selection of cold meats and cheeses, warm bacon rolls and wedding cake.

The wedding cake was so adorable, featuring Tom and Beth skiing down a slope to a little bar lodge. It was such a cute little homemade wedding cake, we felt a little bit sad that it got devoured at the end of the night! It was a lovely event and we're so pleased that we got to be a part of it.

All Things Bunting...

When researching wedding ideas we're sure one of the first things you notice is bunting... everywhere! There are so many different types of bunting, different materials, shapes, patterns and textures, where do you even start? We're going to start at the beginning with this bunting guide!

Let's start with some brief history about bunting. It used to be that bunting was the term used for the antique fabric that flags were made of for the Royal Navy. Now it's used as a more generic word for repetitive fabrics stringed together for ornamental purposes. You used to only really see bunting at your village fete but now it can be used for pretty much any occasion!

So... why bunting? It's a quick decorative fix for a lot of venues, it can brighten up most spaces without really using a lot! This means it's pretty cheap too as you don't really need much of it to make an impact. It's also really easy to DIY, there's loads of websites that show you how to do it yourself, all you need is your chosen material and something like ribbon to attach all the pieces together! We found a really great site that shows you how to do it, it features bunting for a baby girl but you can personalize it for whatever you like. Click on the photo below to check out the site.

Basic Bunting
There are lots of different types but we thought we'd start with the simple, popular triangle bunting. It's basic but so effective. People often wrongly think of bunting as just being for the shabby chic lovers as it's often seen made from Cath Kidston inspired fabrics, check out some other examples..

Ideal for travel inspired weddings, simple bunting made from map pages and jute.

Nautical inspired bunting

Sheet music and jute. You could DIY with your favourite pieces of music!

Texture
It's all about texture this year with sequin table cloths and varied bouquets, why not add a little more with bunting made up from different materials. You could just stick to one unusual texture or mix different textiles.

Painted burlap, ideal for rustic themed weddings. Would look great in a barn!

Tweed mixed with lace and burlap

Cotton hankies, look great mixed together. 

There are so many different types of bunting for your wedding, whatever your theme there is more than likely to be the perfect bunting for you. We've put together a little mood board of just a fraction of what's out there to give you a little inspiration...

As you can see there are no limitations. Here we have heart garlands, real flower garlands, bicycle bunting, paper flower bunting, pom pom garlands and tissue tassel bunting. The tassel bunting is really popular at the moment and you can buy it in basically any colour scheme, Etsy is a great place to buy it and other really unique bunting.

Colour of the week - Yellow!

As usual we are aiming to brighten up these rainy days and today we're doing this with our cheery, sunny colour of the week. Tying in with spring and Easter we thought yellow was the perfect colour, the colour of daffodils, sunshine, bumble bees and little chicks.

We gathered some inspiration from pinterest to bring you this cheery blog post. If you head to our board -http://www.pinterest.com/potkilnanywhere/spring-yellows/ you can have a look yourself!

We thought we'd start with a very important part of the wedding - the cake! We have managed to find a variety of styles, suiting all sorts preferences.

Whether you like to keep it simple or go all out we've found some inspiration for you. We even found some lovely yellow cupcakes, perfect for a tiered cake replacement. Daisies feature heavily on yellow iced cakes which we think look great. White and yellow make a great combo. Take a look at some other examples of white and yellow!

It's those macarons again, how lovely do these look?

Yellow and white gingham, perfect for honey or home made jam favours! Very rustic.

Very stylish combo, ideal for spring, we're loving the gingham!

Charming table set up, perfect for late spring or summer. We offer coloured napkins with your wedding package at The Pot Kiln Anywhere so if you choose us, don't be shy, go bold!

We found a variety of beautiful bouquets, some very simple with just daisies and others with lashings of texture and colour!

We love a bit of rustic so the bouquet in the crate stands out to us, it's ideal for a spring barn wedding or a woodland wedding. The small hints of yellow really stand out and cheer up the white. 

Hopefully this blog will inspire those who are stuck on a colour choice for this spring or summer or maybe it'll lift your spirits on this dreary rainy day! Head on over to our twitter for even more inspiration. https://twitter.com/potkilnanywhere