Summer is Coming….Really It Is!

Is that a hint of sunshine I see? ….not quite, but with the daffodils are trying to push their way through and the crocuses are in flower, I feel that spring is just about here and hopefully summer won’t be far behind. I’m sure this is what we are all hoping and judging by the summer events coming in, it seems we are all feeling positive summer vibes! Bring on the sunshine, I say…

If you are looking for the perfect summer venue for 2013 then look no further as we have some fantastic ideas to suit a range of event styles and requirements, both corporate and private. And not only that we have some fabulous creative menus for you to choose from which will tantalise your taste buds and keep your guests satiated while supping our fresh summer cocktails.
Creative summer food bowls Sumptuous desserts Summer Cocktails

Museum of London
A gem in the heart of the city accommodating from 30 to 600 guests throughout the various gallery spaces, of which the Terrace Galleries offer unique outside space. The Terrace Galleries are perfect for accommodating reception, hog roasts and barbeques for up to 150 guests.

PTerraceandGardenackage start from £52.50 including a sparkling wine and Pimms reception, your chosen menu a nd unlimited house wine, beer and soft drinks amongst other things….contact the C&P events team for further details and to reserve your preferred date before it’s too late!

Wellington Arch
This is one of the most iconic venues in the heart of London, and wellington-arch-lit-in-purpleone to truly impress your guests for your summer event. Whether it’s a wine tasting dinner or a sophisticated canapé reception and presentation, this is a perfect setting with doors opening directly onto two viewing balconies, set beneath the largest bronze sculpture in Western Europe – with exclusive views across Buckingham Palace gardens and Westminster to Big Ben, the London Eye and the Shard. The Quadriga Gallery offers additional fascination for guests.

The Orangery Garden Reception3The Orangery, Holland Park
Set in the beautiful famous Holland Park, the Orangery Gallery was formerly the summer ballroom of the fourth Lord Holland. It offers superb summer event space looking out over the rose gardens and park, and with direct access to the pristine lawn. Accommodating up to 150 in the Orangery, and more with the option for gazebos or marquee on the lawn, this offers a flexible setting for day and evening events including seated dinners, canapé and food bowls receptions or how about a traditional afternoon tea party with dainty sandwiches and tasty morsels, freshly baked cakes and an ice-cream cart with all the toppings you can imagine.

Leighton House MuseumLeighton House Museums famous Arab Hall
Leighton House Museum offers an outstanding collection of High Victorian and Oriental art with the atmosphere and intimacy of a private home. And with it’s wonderful garden it is perfect for summer entertaining. The Arab Hall and decorative tiles lend this venue to a Middle Eastern themed menu of canapés and food bowls for up to 150, while upstairs the venue brings you back to a traditional English feel and the opportunity to feature the great British summer menu with a dinner for up to 80 guests.

Eltham Palace & GardensEltham Palace
With a series of linked Art Deco rooms, a stunning medieval Great Hall and 19 acres of moated gardens all exclusively yours, Eltham Palace will lift your corporate event into a truly unique and unforgettable occasion. With capacity up to 200 for dinner dance or 300 for a reception and access straight into the extensive grounds the event opportunities are endless. How about a corporate family fun day with lots of fun activities for the big kids and little kids, team games, themed food stalls and a barbeque feast? Or if that’s not for you, a White-Tie summer party with elegance, sophistication and panache to suit this stunning historic venue…the choice is yours!

So, what will it be for this year’s summer party? Get in touch with our fabulous events team to cement those ideas and get your summer party booked before it’s too late!

Tel: 020 7731 5282 www.cooksandpartners.co.uk
enquiries@cooksandpartners.co.uk

Get Creative with this Yummy Valentine’s Day Treat

It’s Valentine’s Day looming and you’re thinking hard to find something special for your someone special…How about these sensuously rich Red Velvet Cupcakes?  A little passion in a cupcake…made by your own fair hands!

Cooks & Partners Red Velvet Cupcake for your Valentine

Cooks & Partners Red Velvet Cupcake for your Valentine

RED VELVET CUPCAKES WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
Makes 12 frosted cupcakes

INGREDIENTS
60g / 2½ oz soft butter
1 large free range egg
150g / 4½ oz caster sugar
10g / ½ oz cocoa
3 tsp red food colouring
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
120ml / 4 ½ fl oz buttermilk
30ml / 1 fl oz vegetable oil
150g / 5½ oz plain flour
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar

FROSTING:
300g icing sugar, sifted
50g butter at room temperature
125g cream cheese, chilled

Extra toppings – fresh raspberries or strawberries

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pans with cupcake papers.

  1. In a large bowl sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder
  2. Add the oil, buttermilk, egg, food colouring, vinegar, and vanilla gently beat together with a handheld electric mixer until smooth and thoroughly combined.
  3. Divide the mix into the cupcake tins. Bake in oven for about 20-22 minutes
  4. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

  1. In a large bowl gently beat together with a handheld electric mixer the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.
  2. spoon the frosting onto of the cup cake and spread to the edges and make a swirl patron into the middle

Garnish with fresh raspberry or strawberry.

ENJOY...With Love From Cooks & Partners!

Cooks & Partners Red Velvet Cupcake for your Valentine

Wedding Showcase at Eltham Palace & Gardens 26 Jan 2013

Come and visit Cooks & Partners, your bespoke wedding caterers, this weekend at the beautiful Eltham Palace & Gardens Wedding Showcase on Saturday 26th January 2013 (11am-4pm). Experience all that this stunning English Heritage venue has to offer for your wedding day.

Eltham Palace & Gardens

Stunning English Heritage wedding venue, London

Come along this weekend for a chance to experience your dream wedding at one of London’s most exceptional and unusual venues. Meet the Eltham Palace events team, view the venue, and be inspired by a range of top accredited and recommended suppliers, sample culinary delights, and enjoy a range of entertainment.

Also don’t miss out on their amazing wedding offer! Weddings for just £1,000! Offering superb value for money, the ‘Grand Wedding for a Grand’ package is available Thursday-Saturday until end of October 2013. It provides two hours at Eltham Palace & Gardens from 10am until 12noon and includes room hire for the wedding ceremony and drinks reception, plus exclusive use of the venue as a backdrop for unforgettable wedding photography.

Stunning table design & Catering by Cooks & Partners

Cooks & Partners offer exceptional catering and planning for your wedding reception and would be delighted to discuss your requiremeents and provide you with a quotation. Come and see us this Saturday at this stunning showcase.

For more details visit the Eltham Palace website

 

Resource for London Selects Cooks & Partners For Its Conference And Cafe Space

On Thursday October 25th, Resource for London, the conference and events centre for London’s voluntary sector officially relaunched after a major redesign.  There was a fantastic turnout for the launch by representative of the voluntary sector and included a ribbon cutting ceremony in which Jilani Chowdhury, Mayor of Islington, officially reopened the centre.  The Resource for London will not only offer the most affordable, accessible and ethical working and meeting space in the capital, it will also offer on-site catering and a brand new café by Cooks and Partners, London’s most stylish and dynamic catering company.

“We are thrilled to have been selected as the exclusive caterer at such an inspiring venue as Resource for London,” comments Simon Goggins, founder and director of Cooks & Partners. “It’s an incredible space with facilities designed for the many and varied organisations that use it from small start ups to household mains. It’s a wonderfully exciting challenge for us to meet all these clients’ needs with a range of menus covering everything from bacon sandwiches at ad hoc breakfast meetings in the Resource Café to gourmet menus at fundraising dinners.”Vibrant setting, delicious food

With 16 meeting rooms the centre can accommodate events and meetings of all sizes including larger conferences and AGM’s. The centre boasts a conference hall with capacity for 150, two self-contained suites with main room, separate catering area and break out space, and four daylight-filled seminar rooms for up to 140 (or, when reconfigured as one larger room, for 250 attendees). Full details of all the meeting space and conference rooms can be found on Resource For London Website . Continue reading

Weddings in Full Flow for Summer

It’s certainly proving to be a busy month for Cooks & Partners, not least because of all the weddings.  Definitely not complaining as we all love a good wedding!

Last weekend saw our first ever wedding at Eltham Palace and Gardens, a stunning English Heritage venue set within tranquil moated gardens, and boasting a unique mix of medieval and art deco styles, making it one of London’s most unusual and exceptional venues.

Cooks & PartnersAlex and Mary’s wedding for 120 guests was a great success!  “We wanted to thank you and your team for managing everything so smoothly for us on the day. We all thought it went extremely well, and I felt able to relax feeling that both the essentials and the many small detailed special arrangements were being so capably and efficiently delivered.  I found your staff most obliging and helpful. We thought the food was excellent and were much complimented on this by our guests who plainly enjoyed it.  We all thought it was a brilliant day. Thank you again for your essential part in its success.” Continue reading