Yes, it’s January; and yes, it’s nearly over but here at The Cheshire Dining
Experience we’re still recovering from the festive season!
The 31 days that are cherished so dearly by many in December consisted of over
1,000 miles of driving, 9 different events, countless hours of preparation that
went on into the early hours of the morning (because fresh is best so we won’t
start prepping until 2/3 days before an event), a range of different themes, styles
and parties for various clients, and let’s not forget, a photo shoot of 2 new dishes
to update the website!
Busy indeed.
One of the highlight had to be a Christmas gathering for a very good client of
ours, who has always given us the freedom to be creative, regardless of the
occasion.
Andi loves to ‘envisage’ how to execute events, often I’ll have to try and reign him
in, however as it was Christmas, so I rolled with the punches!
Picture this, he said… “A winter wonderland with a Christmas themed skyline, dry
ice scented with winter spices and vanilla, a range of desserts that appear like
they are floating amidst a foggy winter’s evening landscape and freshly cut logs
of different heights dotted around to create different levels to present the sweet
delights.”
Of course, I said, I can picture it, whilst deep down thinking ‘he’s lost the plot due to sheer exhaustion’. Needless to say, we made it happen. It turned out to be one of our greatest wow factors for a large event to date. We knew it would be special
so we got our good friend, Sam Ryley, to film the occasion.
Another personal highlight was the creation of a festive Yule log for a pudding we
did for a Christmas Day meal.
Ordinarily this Christmas champion is lying down and about the length of a size 9 shoe: at The Cheshire Dining Experience that just won’t do! Instead, imagine the naughtiest chocolate sponge cake (stacked x6 layers high!!), an indulgent chocolate sugar cream to bind it all together followed by a smothering of divine chocolate and raspberry ganache, and an edible gold spray on top to enhance the many rings atop of this mature creation.
Couple this with an edible soil, moss and meringue mushrooms scattered around the base and there you have it: a Yule log taken to the next level. The worst thing is, we didn’t get to try any of it but the feedback from the clients was nothing short of perfection.
To finish off the month, we held two separate events on New Years Eve. One
being a Dickensian style feast based largely on food inspired by Charles Dickens’
A Christmas Carol in Anglesey, the other being a 5 course fine dining event
sponsored by Laurent Perrier in Chester. Rustic verses contemporary, we like a
challenge!
And that was the end of the festive period, time for a rest? I think not. We now
have a large event at the end of January – an Apres ski themed event no less and
a unit to fully refurbish and get up and running in 8 weeks. Did I say we like a
challenge?!
Happy New Year from all of us here at The Cheshire Dining Experience. 2017 is
going to be a great year!
Steve x
