The great mock meat debate.

One of the most common arguments, that I seem to get embroiled in over the last few months is due to this statement

“Why do vegans/vegetarians want to eat mock meat products? “

To me it makes perfect sense, I think it possibly helps if one of your children are Vegan and to have watched their journey.

People become vegan for various reason, some for health reasons,  some to help save the planet, some because they just don’t like the taste of meat and then the most common reason, because they don’t want an animal killed just to provide their food and/or provide footwear or a handbag.

I make the point quite clearly here that I am still a carnivore but equally enjoy meat free food a few times a week.

For health reasons, my wonderful husband’s Asthma reacts to dairy, our home fridge is full of plant alternatives, oat crème fraiche, oat milk, vegan cheese of all kinds and we are generally, other than some Red Leicester, my childhood cheese, a plant based non-dairy house, even our parmesan is vegan. No one ever asks why Vegans want to eat/drink plant based cheeses or milk, it has just become normal for all our favourite coffee shops to offer an array of milks. As an aside I did buy some Pea milk for my daughter,  a pea fanatic, mainly out of curiosity but there was a distinct pea taste to the coffee though  it would be great to add a creamy flavour to a vegan soup, needless to say it winged it’s way to her flat in London.

Yet in exactly the same way as still having milk on your coffee and cheese on your toast, most vegans liked the taste of meat so therefore being able to still enjoy the taste and texture of meat without killing anything surely can’t be a bad thing, the beauty of so many new products are simply creating meat flavours using natural ingredients, herbs & spices. As a caterer we have embraced the challenge and created new dishes with jackfruit instead of pulled pork,  banana blossom instead of fish, tem-peh instead of chicken and now seitan which can replicate most meats.

Being able to extend your menus is great and we have a whole section of Vegan to Vegetarian within our menus. Therefore not food full of chemicals in a science lab but increasing a demand for crops. I listen to discussions about farmers livelihoods etc but with our increasing population we would struggle to maintain animal farming at the levels required so by everyone cutting down on meat & don’t get me started on dwindling fish stocks..we will all help our planet.

I have heard arguments that we were created Hunters and designed to eat meat, but once we didn’t stand upright, read or write but look at us now, I believe ‘in  my opinion ‘ it’s all about evolution.

We suggest that if our wedding couples or party hosts are Vegan/Vegetarian couples then their entire menu on the day should be so too and we like to offer  a balance between great vegetable  dishes and a bit of mock meat in there too, asking someone who wouldn’t want an animal killed for their dinner at home surely shouldn’t kill a few to feed 100 plus guests on the day.

Our menus equally have amazing meat dishes, our job is simply to make everyone smile with the food on their plate, whatever their preferences.

Foodbank Mondays

I wish I could tell you how many times I have been asked if we are ok during the last 4 months since our business ceased trading owing to the Pandemic, and how many times I have simply replied, Oh, we are good thank you, keeping busy, it will all be ok, we just need to survive the next … ( that part changes depending on updates) but currently I say until April when we will have the busiest Spring and Summer we have ever had..BUT! how do I really feel inside and how many people really want the truth.

So honestly how am I, well I spend a fair bit of time feeling physically sick, I don’t sleep terribly well, I spend hours counting direct debits and standing orders instead of sheep. I know we will survive , I spent a long time on that cashflow back in March and erred on the no business at all so when we can trade again anything will be a bonus i.e. after Furlough ends that simply means we can pay the mortgage BUT, yes that one again, I am not alone..I am a tiny person in a huge wedding and event industry all alone feeling the same. This time next year will hopefully be very different I won’t have time to clean the house, shop, cook etc. and year will be ever so slightly blurred.

But the rest of the time I am still a glass half full person and early on in Lockdown we knew we wanted to do something useful, we needed owing to various conditions between us self isolate as much as possible so volunteering anywhere wasn’t an option and then we thought of the Winter Night Shelter organised by a group of churches but our contact was Jeremy at the Bright City Church, so we gave him a call. We had sent over food during the winter months on occasion when the churches become shelters between November & March.

It was the best call we have made during this crisis, from the first week when Graham went through the freezers and we sent over 50 meals, then to the regular 30 meals per week which went up weekly when we realised how the need had increased and now in excess of 120 meals every week.  The homeless has been temporarily & some permanently housed but with little facilities in some cases and the people requiring help were also those that have simply slipped through the support network. Some weeks the church are delivering over 150 food parcels per week, they get support from Foodshare, Brakes & major supermarkets , some of it items for the parcels and some larger items, whole Turkeys, Gammons, 5kg bags of pasta etc. which they bring to us to turn into beautiful tasty meals. Last week Chicken & Mince but also Pak Choy, Sprouting Broccoli, Carrots & Courgettes, we get so excited at the Fresh vegetables, even if it’s lot of work to prep, the meal will so much better with bright fresh vegetables.

So every Monday it’s like Ready, Steady, Cook, Graham looks at the ingredients for a while and then it’s all systems go to make & pack 120 meals by the end of the day between us, but no shortcuts. The mash is fresh potatoes, put through the mouli, whipped up with butter & cream, the sauces ( unless we get donated ones) all made with fresh ingredients and seasoned as though we were preparing food for one of our events. The Gammon is slowly cooked then glazed with honey & mustard.

We realised in order to meet the demand we needed to buy meat ourselves in order to make larger quantities of each dish so there is now an element of preplanning but we often get last minutes donations mid cooking so there are always some twists to the dishes on the day

And that’s how I get my smile back at the moment, I just want someone feeling like I often do at the moment opening a meal and it bringing a smile to their faces too.

We have also been able to hold a couple of wedding meetings and even tastings, all outside so far. Which feels a bit more like the new normal but we intend to keep our Foodbank Mondays going at least until next Spring. And when we planned a week off, we just made 250 meals instead!

The foodbank still urgently need items for the foodbank parcels so if you are in a position to help do get in touch & you can also help put smiles on faces too, tins, packets, coffee, tea anything is gratefully received by Justin and his team of volunteers.

Keep smiling, it’s the best thing we can do, but now again it’s also ok to be honest!

Debbie & Graham Green

[email protected]

For the love of Food

Getting people into the industry.. this could be contentious!

You are subscribing to this magazine because you love food, dining out, cooking, enjoying wines etc. and dining out is especially something we want to keep enjoying BUT.. there is a small issue, there are more restaurants opening every day and less hospitality staff than ever to look after you.

With the dreaded B word there are less overseas staff coming here to work and recruiting homegrown staff just gets harder so what can be done.

Everyone is aware that hospitality wages are low, minimum wage is still the norm for everyone at general waiting level & it was traditional to pay commis chefs a salary based on minimum wages but with a 50-60 hour week and no overtime. That is changing, and from the top, with a shortage of chefs they are starting to demand a 40 hour week for all of their team and that’s ok, sometimes in our business that’s not possible on a very busy week but we always even ours out with extra days off when it’s quiet & shorter days in the winter. So what does that mean to you, well restaurant prices will have to rise but that will only have a positive effect on our industry.

With increased prices on the food, the front of house team can also be better paid, and that could just attract amazing people into the business, I love it when someone serves me who is really passionate about their restaurant/bar and they don’t own it. Allowing people to choose to be a restaurant manager knowing they could still apply for a mortgage if they do and not relying on tips to run the car etc.

I attended a careers event organised by the FSB in December,  speed networking for Y10’s I spoke to 30 teenagers, amongst their plans, lawyers, pilots, one amazing boy who wanted to work as a carer, several for hair & beauty but not one chef/ hotel manager/restaurant manager amongst them.

Rant over…

 Why do we eat out…& therefore what do we expect

Answers on a postcard or tweet please..but these are my reasons

1.     Socialising with friends, without either of us working,

2.     Enjoying being fed on our days off and trying those places we have spotted on Instagram/twitter etc..

3.     Because we haven’t been near a supermarket for weeks, fed up with leftovers we took home from work and just say ‘Let’s eat out on the way home.’

4.     Catching up with friends in their restaurants or we would never see them for months

For each of those we have a different expectation and how should restaurants handle those varying expectations,

For instance

1.     I want a leisurely served meal, we are out for the night, have weeks or months to catch up on news and don’t want to be rushed or over bothered. I want to be looked after but in a very quiet way, and as long as I can get someone’s eye for another bottle and they have checked our meals are good a minute or two after (and not before we have had a chance to taste it) we have started eating I am happy. Of course here we choose somewhere one of has been to regularly so we can just relax knowing it should be good.

2.     Now I want to be impressed, I have been drawn in by those amazing food shots, great reviews, I too want to leave with a huge smile. I want knowledgeable staff who make us feel welcome, offer us a drink as they sit us down and give us the menus, are passionate about the dishes, knowledgeable about the wines & beers etc. and just keep an eye on us, I don’t want to sit too long with a dirty plate in front of me and when we have completely finished I don’t want to find someone to pay the bill. Basically I want to be a bit spoilt!

3.     Here it’s going to be short & sweet (I haven’t seen much of our home in weeks either) so efficient service, too tired to chat so we choose somewhere we know that’s fairly quick, friendly and we can eat and go

4.     Happy to just have a leisurely meal toward the end of the service so our friends can sit and eat and share a bottle with us. We know the food is good but it’s not the main reason for being there but I don’ want to be ignored for the same reason.

 The answer, the staff should be trained to ask relevant questions, and react accordingly. i.e. is this your first visit? Or I see you are a big table, are you celebrating anything? From that how do they react, a Yes to the first question..educate the new clients, if it’s not then welcome them back and tell them  about anything new on the menu, a wine promotion, let them know their returning is valued.  The second question if it’s just dinner with friends, then let them know you will keep an eye on the wine and water and look out for eye contact.. (which is my pet hate when I try desperately to catch someone s eye to no avail) and of course make sure you say goodbye when they leave, I am old fashioned enough to have hung around a door waiting for someone to open it & say goodbye..and then eventually given up!

If I say we just wanted to eat quickly on the way home, and I order something that will take a long time, tell me, I might change my order, I feel we all just want to be listened to and understood, is that fair? Again answers on a postcard etc..

Complaining..On the day or via Tripadvisor

We have all been there, whether it’s your first time or a regular and everything goes wrong.. what do you do ..

Having been on both sides of the reviews I think it’s really important to give the venue/business a chance to rectify the issue there and then, if they don’t and you feel that you were ill treated then everyone has a right to air their views but be fair and to the point.  Those review stars are so important and to dip down when someone gave you one star because ‘It was hard to find’ or ‘I couldn’t get a table and we had driven all the way there’ mmm the joy of  internet booking or even an old fashioned telephone call. We once had a 2 star review when we had just taken over the contract at Broome Park complaining about the fish & chips in the bar, which we didn’t serve so I replied to the review and he admitted it was from 3 years ago but he had been encouraged by Tripadvisor to earn his review badges. He kindly took it down and we were back up high again. I also love the ones where they say ‘amazing, amazing, amazing’ but only 4 stars because its new and it might not maintain this level, seriously !

We were out at a very fabulous pub on the beach somewhere in Kent on Monday, and trust me it’s hard to find good places on our day off, as it’s also usually the chefs day off too, but the food here has always been so good, and trust me , we can be picky! On Monday at the same table two separate diners complained about their food, one had ordered the Chowder, which we have enjoyed there on more than one occasion, ( we were sitting at the next table and do love people watching, so we had heard her already complaining to her companion) When as always , because it’s a good pub, they did a check back on the table they said it had too much cream & potato, the potato of course is the traditional way to thicken a chowder so therefore necessary to the dish, the diner commented that she knew there were different ways of thickening a dish and this wasn’t to her preference, they offered to replace the dish with anything on the menu but she declined the offer, and when presented with the bill they had deducted without fuss. When a dish isn’t to someone’s taste but they complain about the dish and you have to take that to the kitchen, trust me, you need a shield as you pass it on, but they handled it sublimely and I would be very annoyed if they put anything negative on Tripadvisor, google or anywhere else. Like the majority of diners I read reviews and can easily pick out the serial moaner, when 95% of the reviews are great and 5% are bad, I just ignore the 5% , unless they are all from the last month, then I will leave it a while.

The second diner ( new people) had ordered a well done ( sacrilege)  steak & chips, looked great but on checking he said the steak was a little tough for him, they whisked it away and after again being offered anything on the menu he chose the Seabass special, now this I knew he would be happy with as that had been my choice and I had recommended it to him at the bar before he ordered the steak, Karma!

The seabass was served with beautiful hassleback potatoes, roast assorted beetroot & a sauce vierge, perfect crispy skin on fish, potatoes so soft on the inside and everyone who knows me is aware I would live on beetroot and it was just perfect, I know that he would have been happy but we left before the replacement meal arrived.

Graham had ordered the Quiche of the day and lots of salad ( pre trip home diet) which of course I tried and it was so very good, not your standard quiche and definitely 5 stars for both, have I written a review, no, why not because when you have a good meal and you walk away smiling, you get on with your day, a bad meal, you talk about it, write about it & with a really good story can entertain people for days. But I will do that review right now, because I should share the good stuff. And yes I have written some scathing reviews, especially on a hotel in Corfu..but that’s another story.

The Pop ups that met Art but are now firmly on the Farm

Some of you may have eaten at one of our Pop ups on the Farm in our production kitchen, this is under our Green Herring company, and I probably should explain the two identities.

Chives Catering was formed 21 years ago by my very lovely brother Steve Weaver after requests to cater at various weddings rather than our hotel, Waltham Court, we ran this together until 2008 and then we separated the business and I took over the original Chives, and in the very same year, a rather incredible chef named Graham Green came over to see my brother & well, we fell in love within the week and the rest is history, 3 months later he was here permanently leaving his multi award winning restaurant ‘The Green Herring’ which he had founded with Jane Herring 20 years earlier. He of course became our Head chef and my husband and a few years ago I felt he needed to have his name out there again so  Green Herring Catering was formed and this is where he gets to play, it’s our private dining arm mainly looking after smaller or canapes events and of course dinner parties in your own home.  The very first pop up was in 2014 during the Whitstable Biennale in our amazing friend Triona Holden’s Flying Pig studio in Whitstable. The idea started when Nathalie Banaigs of Kent Creative compared Graham’s food with being an artist so we thought, what better place than to enjoy his beautiful and stunning food but surrounded by art, it was of course a huge success and then followed partnerships with the Lilford galleries in Canterbury & Folkestone, Shane Record’s studio in Whitstable & Chappell Contemporary in Whitstable. The idea of looking at piece of art for 4 hours instead of wandering through briefly was a great success for the galleries too.

However after a pop up had to be diverted owing to a venue issue (none of the above) we realised we could move our production kitchen around and transform it to a restaurant and sadly for the art galleries that is now where the Pops on the Farm reside.

We are never able to hold as many as Graham would like to as they are so labour intensive as almost every dish is created for that one night, that we have to just decide to squeeze one in when we have a quietish week and few of those this year. But they are Graham’s chance not only to play but to be cooking in the same room as his guests, in the old Aussie days Graham could see his diners enjoying his food but with wedding and event catering he rarely even sees the guests so is totally reliant on our team & me passing on the feedback on the day and reading the lovely testimonials so it’s what makes the Pop ups special for him.

I love that our regular and new diners are just so willing to be our guinea pigs and try everything thrown at them, often they don’t want to see the canapes & set 5 course menu before arrival, and it’s great watching them enjoy a whole new experience whether it’s Kangaroo, Pigeon, Squid balls or Snails. Sometimes they just ask the main ingredients so that they can plan the wines they are bringing.

If you want to experience a Pop up just follow Graham on Instagram @grahamgreen7503 or on www.facebook.com/greenherringuk

Just a blip.

Early in lockdown I made a little video to go out to wedding couples who have had to postpone their weddings. https://www.facebook.com/chivescaterers/videos/208202197262369/

As a company we have personally postponed over 20 weddings to later this year and next year and they of course are all dealing with it differently and each have their own reasons and personalities of course for that and I felt the main message to get across was that ‘This is just a Blip in your lives together and you will still get married, it will still be amazing and just focus on spending time together during lockdown and one day this will all be in the past’

These were not flippant words, and by no means was ‘A Blip’ meant to discount the seriousness of the current situation, like everyone else my heart sinks every day with the daily updates of covid-19 deaths and I pray a little harder each night for lower numbers the following day and of course for the families & friends unable to attend the funeral. I lost a cousin this week, not from the virus, but coming from a rather huge family in Leicester, a family death has never gone unmarked by a big funeral and celebration of their life so that my cousin Marjorie will just have 5 people there is a huge thing for my family, but we will organise a memorial and her life will be celebrated and that was my point.

Being 57, means that I can look back through a photo album and remember so many of them being taken, 10, 20 30, 40 & even 50 years ago, the memory of that moment floods in and I can recall so many details that it feels like yesterday and I can just focus on those positive memories,  my life has been a rollercoaster, trust me there’s a book in me, but my cup is overflowing not just half full and although many people in these photos can only be a memory now they still make me smile and there is no need to recall the bad stuff in between, what’s the point and that was my message, this time will pass and our couples will still be in love, will still have their day but they may hopefully remember this time as when they achieved something amazing and move on to better times.

For the majority of our population in time life will return to some sort of normality, with gaps that can’t be filled and memories of this time that should not be glossed over but .. and I really believe that many of us will come out the other side knowing how much people mean to us, far more than material things. Hugs oh I miss hugs ( I am a serial hugger) will be the best thing in the world, the day I can hug my children again , I will cry, just the thought of it is inducing tears, but for now we all need to seize any positives we can and make things happen to brighten a few lives.. write letters, make photo albums & books, learn a language, my Italian is coming on very slowly. Sit and watch the sunset, get up early and watch it rise.. I have discovered stunning local footpaths with our dogs, and have even got my amazing husband doing a 45 minute dance exercise routine almost every day, sorry no photos.

And to the serious subject of being a catering company in the wedding and events industry, I am not going to pretend that I don’t have sleepless nights, all of our postponed weddings are now moved to dates which we won’t be able to fill with additional business so our turnover will be drastically down both this year and next, but we are managing to cover our overheads and all we can do is think positive thoughts and be determined to survive.

It saddens me that there will be companies that may not survive, if you are a couple moving their day please remember that many suppliers are self employed sole traders supporting families and are going through a tough time so I urge everyone to just be kind and I promise this time will pass.

Your wedding atmosphere..

This blog isn’t about the Covid effect on bookings but it has given me time to reflect & consider over the 23 years that Chives have been catering for weddings and what makes an amazing day.

I was once asked by a Groom who was in charge of organising the catering to assure him that his wedding would not only be perfect but have a great atmosphere and be the best wedding his guests had ever gone to.

The wedding was at Knowlton Court, a stunning venue and I knew that between the venue and ourselves the wedding would of course be not only perfect but would surpass expectations but the atmosphere, well that’s another matter, there are many factors that help there and not all in our control but food can play a part so here are a few tips

Canapes are a must for your reception..when guests arrive from the church or after the ceremony it’s a time when you need guests to break the ice, and fabulous looking canapes being circulated does just that, as our team explain what the canapes are it just starts a conversation, and it also allows plenty of time for photographs and for you to mingle with the guests without guests wondering when they will have some food to go with the drinks! We love it when our couples choose some interesting canapes after their tasting day such our Mini Kangaroo Pies, Banana Blossom fritters with pea puree or Goats cheese, pumpkins seeds as well as the crowd pleasers Lamb koftes with minted yoghurt or Mushroom arancini balls, we love seeing our food bringing people together!

With wedding breakfasts, you have spent so long on that table plan, and you want it to work, so you need people to chat at the tables.. so no Soup.. you cannot eat soup and chat, so think interactive- grazing boards with a selection of meats, savoury bites, breads, dips & ensure to also cater for vegans & any other dietary requirements. We give our couples at lot to choose from to build up their boards and we ensure that it will be a good variety to work together and create smiles

We are often asked if you can offer a choice to your guests, the issue with choosing from a menu several months before the wedding is that a. guests often forget what they ordered, b. the season is completely different from when they chose and c. couple sometimes order for each other.. there have been many weddings while out staff are holding hot plates whilst the couples ‘discuss’ what they chose or didn’t, and this of course can lead to disappointment. Our advice is to enjoy your tasting and choose a main course for everyone, but of course with dietary options, always ask for dietary requirements on your invitations. That way everyone will be have a fabulous meal & there will be laughter and chatting abound and no disagreements or disappointment.

We do of course always allow the couples and the top table to have an extra dish if they  both have  a different favourite main course,  marriage is all about compromise but it doesn’t have to start with the wedding breakfast and your wedding is all about you after all .

We used to suggest alternative desserts around the table again if it’s to hard to choose one but most of our couples now choose duos and trios, that way everyone gets to try everything and everyone is happy.

For the final part of the catering tips.. evening food:- make it fun, accessible & served at the right time.

By the time the evening reception starts, the heels have gone, it’s party time, the evening guests have been welcomed and the atmosphere is buzzing, everyone is dancing and then the evening food comes out, the dance floor empties and the band are playing to them selves, to avoid

1.     We always ensure we have the band times so that we can bring out the hot food in the band break.

2.     If there are cheese boards bring them out fairly soon after the evening guests arrive so that can eat before the dancing gets going.

3.     Make the hot food visible, we do great Fajita & Burrito stations with sizzling pans so the guests can smell the amazing aromas and head to it, or we serve our other hot food from trays so the guests are served it hot & fresh and we can ensure it’s all eaten rather than being left on a buffet table to go cold

Again it’s just about happy people! I have often told by couples about wedding they have attended where they didn’t know there was evening food until someone told them too late.

So we have done our part in ensuring a good atmosphere around the food, but what else can you do

As I explained to my groom, I can do two weddings at the same venue, same menu (it happens) and same numbers but one has an amazing atmosphere and one doesn’t and that often comes down to the table plan. Often couples like to split their friends and family up around the room so that they meet new people, this can work but often it can lead to a very quiet meal. So instead when you are struggling with the plan, make up 8’s & 10’s with the groups of family and friends and put the odd people on a table together, if you sit 2 people who don’t know anyone with 8 that know each other they will mainly end up just talking to each other as the other 8 catch up. Whereas a group of 10 strangers will find things to talk about and new frendships often flourish after that first meal together and it was all down to your planning.

Finally the dancing, if you have a wedding party with lots of bridesmaids who love a dance then they will be up on the floor and everyone will follow, if not make sure you speak to a few people before and ask them to be your dance support team who will get the dancing underway.

I wish you a wonderful day, in fact the most perfect day from which the memories will always make you both smile.

Debbie Green – Director Owner Chives Catering  Ltd

www.chivescaterers.co.uk

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