Merry Christmas everyone

Well Christmas is almost upon us and so it is time for us to take stock on a very busy year and an even busier year to come!

Last week we catered for a very successful Christmas Party for top law firm Clarke Willmott in Bristol. Over 120 people enjoyed cocktails, drinks, live music and food.

Berry Blue not only provided staff to run the event but a range of delicious food including our mini bowls and a cold-fork buffet, which included huge hunks of cheese with biscuits, delicious patè with homemade piccalilli and chutney, our roasted pumpkin and cumin seed samosas (see recipe below), cold roast meats and delicious canapés.

Clarke Willmott Christmas Party buffet

The mini bowls are literally mini main meals in small bowls that can be eaten easily with a small fork while standing. Of course at Christmas it had to be a mini turkey dinner, complete with crispy roast potatoes and cranberry sauce. But equally popular was the Asian salmon and rice.

Asian salmon mini bowls

Other highlights of the year have been the wonderful weddings we have catered for, charity events and open days at Jekka’s Herb Farm.

And expect to hear more from us soon about next year’s Jekka’s Herb Farm open days (in Alveston, South Gloucestershire), as we have some very exciting additions to the programme this year.

So a well-deserved rest for us all over Christmas before an exciting New Year.

New café in Cam at the half-way stage

Excitement is building at Berry Blue as our new café in Cam, Gloucestershire, gets closer to completion. The café is part of a wider development by the parish council in the centre of the village and as you can see from the photo work is well underway and is due for completion at the end of March next year.

Work at the half-way stage at the Cam Community Cafe

The ethos behind the café is very important to us, food will be sourced locally wherever possible and on many occasions we will be able to use fruit and vegetables from our own farm in Cam.

To extend that ethos even further we will also welcome gluts of fruit and vegetables from local growers and allotments in return for vouchers to spend in the café. We will then turn those delicious seasonal vegetables into tasty dishes to put on the menu – so you may well see ‘Alan’s carrot and coriander soup from Uley’ on the menu in the future!!

Our hope is to get the community involved as much as possible, particularly primary school children, teaching them about seasonal food and cookery skills.

The café will be open late on some nights to give teenagers a place to sit and chat and we also have plans to perhaps open for bistro evenings in the future as well.

Expect more updates on the progress of the build in the coming months.

Warming winter meals

It’s been so mild this autumn we haven’t really felt like to talking about our warming and delicious autumn/winter menu, but we are close to Christmas now and finally the leaves have fallen from the trees – it is finally time to start talking about stews, curries, roast meat, hot-pots, root vegetables, nuts and spices and hot desserts!

If you haven’t already, visit our website and have a look at our extensive winter menu, from hot and cold canapés to four course sit-down dinners,there is a whole range of dishes on there.

One of the menus we offer is a ‘bistro menu’, which caters for those times when you want an informal sit-down dinner – still with great food, but more cosy and home-style.

Starters include; home grown spiced pumpkin soup with bread, a salad of warm potatoes, proscuitto and parsley, chicken liver pate with home made chutney and ham hock terrine with our home made piccalilli.

As far as winter bistro food goes you can’t get much better than crispy belly pork, crackling and bubble and squeak, but equally delicious are our Italian meatballs with roasted home grown tomatoes, linguini and pecorino, slow cooked spiced lamb, chickpeas and roasted vegetable couscous or smoked haddock and petit pois fish pie with lemon and dill.

And, well….when you are talking about good’old winter puds you can’t do much better than a classic warm apple crumble with ice-cream. But we also have blackberry, cinnamon and almond tart, banana and toffee pudding with butterscotch sauce and lemon posset.

The Berry Blue vegetable patch still has some growth here and there with cabbages and other winter greens, but mostly we are using stored root vegetables, pumpkins and squashes, apples and frozen autumn berries picked in September.

If you cook one seasonal meal this weekend try brushing sausages with a mix of wholegrain mustard and honey before roasted and serving with mashed butternut squash and wilted kale. Enjoy!

Seasonal harvest – squash and pumpkin

The end of autumn heralds harvest and storage time at Berry Blue HQ, the farm has given over most of its bounty from the summer months and something that shouts autumn/winter more than anything is the pumpkin (or squash).

At the farm we have harvested lots of varieties of squashes that can be stored for several months happily in a cool, dark shed.

Delicious pumpkins

You can make all kinds of dishes from squash, not just soup and stews. In our canapé selection we offer our special roasted pumpkin and cumin seed samosas with homemade chilli apple jam. A delicious spicy mouthful, they are the perfect seasonal party snack.

This is the recipe – makes 12

Roasted pumpkin and cumin seed samosa

12 sheets filo pastry

1 bulb of garlic, grated

1 red chilli, finely diced

1 tsp freshly grated ginger

2 tsp cumin seeds

½ tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp garam masala

1 onion, finely diced

1 small pumpkin, skin and seeds removed, cut into 1 inch chunks

1tbsp sunflower oil

100g finely shredded fresh coriander

Drizzle the pumpkin with oil and season, roast in the oven at 180c for 25mins, until soft.

Gently toast the dried spices in a dry frying pan, place to one side.

Sweat the onion, ginger, garlic and chilli until soft, add the toasted spices and the roasted pumpkin.

Cool the mix and then add the fresh coriander. Season.

Unwrap the filo pastry and cover with a clean, damp tea towel to prevent it drying out. Brush melted butter over one sheet, place another on top and brush again with butter. Then add a final sheet of filo.

Cut the filo sheets lengthways into three long strips. Then cut each strip in half across the middle. Place a teaspoon of the pumpkin onto the bottom right-hand corner of each filo strip. Fold the filo over to make a triangle, then fold again, rolling up the strip. When the mixture is enclosed and you have a neat triangle shape, place on a baking sheet and brush with more butter.

Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Cook the rolls for 15-20 mins until golden and crisp. Serve with chilli relish or mint yoghurt and wedges of lime.

Canapé inspiration

Sorry to say it but Christmas is just eight weeks away, and I am sure some of you are already planning parties. Perhaps you are looking for a bit of inspiration for what canapés to serve, instead of frozen shop bought treats or sausage rolls and sandwiches. Maybe we can help…….

Mini versions of your favourite meals have become a popular choice for canapés. Who can resist a little portion of fish and chips or a tiny little burger in a bun? We serve our fish and chips in little cones with a slice of lemon, they can be fiddly to make but well worth the effort.

Mini beef burgers in buns

To make mini burgers at home, you will need to make your own burgers from mince and form into small patties. If you can’t get tiny burger buns then get a small round pastry cutter and cut out circles from full sized buns. It’s your choice what condiment to put inside, but you’ll need to put something in to stick it all together and stop the top falling off when you put them on a serving platter; tomato sauce, mayonnaise or mustard would all work well. A little lettuce leaf adds some colour for the final effect.

Here we have served our burgers on a wooden platter.

Simple combinations – such as the mozzarella, cherry tomato and basil skewers we have done here – are sure fire winners, they look good and taste delicious.

Mozzarella, cherry tomato and basil skewers with balsamic drizzle

If you want some really top tips and hands on practice of canapés why not sign-up for the special Berry Blue Christmas canapé cookery day on Tuesday, 6th December from 2.30 – 8pm. Owner of Berry Blue Louise Brown will share top tips for canapé combinations and talk you through a range of our favourites. You will get to learn new techniques and then taste all the delicious things you’ve made. For more details see the website http://www.berry-blue.co.uk/FAQ.html

Berry Blue to run golf club restaurant

We are pleased to announce that Berry Blue will now be running the Stinchcombe Hill Golf Club restaurant in Dursley.

This golf club, in a fantastic location in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), is a members only club.

View of Stinchcombe Hill Golf Club

However we can announce that the restaurant will now be open to the general public, so they can enjoy the stunning views with a hot meal or a drink. We hope ramblers will also enjoy stopping off for tea and a cake or a homecooked meal while walking the Cotswold Way.

We will be serving food in the restaurant from 10-4pm.

On Sunday, October 16^th we will be holding a special Sunday carvery lunch from 12-2pm, so why not come along and see the golf club for the first time?

Booking is essential, contact the Golf Club to get a ticket (01453 542015 or secretary@stinchcombehillgolfclub.com)

Berry Blue also has two positions going for the golf club – a chef (experience necessary) and kitchen assistant. To apply send CV to Michael Dart, head of food and events, at michael@berry-blue.co.uk

We’ll give you more details of the menu soon and hope to see you there!

For more details about the golf club visit www.stinchcombehillgolfclub.com/

For more details about Berry Blue Creative Food and what we do visit http://www.berry-blue.co.uk/

What makes a good lunch?

What makes the perfect lunch? At Berry Blue we not only make canapés and evening meals, we cater for breakfast, brunch and lunch events every week.

So what makes a good lunch?

Sandwiches are an obvious choice and the most popular, closely followed by wraps and salads.

Berry Blue mini bowls

 

But what about pittas, soups or jacket potatoes with fillings? We also offer ‘mini bowls’. These are main meals in miniature portions , which are very popular. Our mini bowls collection includes sausage, classic mash and red onion gravy or a delicious homemade curry.

Today we made tasty slow-cooked roast lamb pittas with herby yoghurt dressing and salad.