London event caterer, Seasoned has hosted a fundraising dinner for the Woodland Trust to mark the centenary of the First World War.
The event was held at Langley Bottom Farm in Epsom, Surrey; a former World War I training site for troops and saw the event caterer prepare a fabulous three course meal for 30 guests which included CEOs of Fortune 500 companies and ‘high net worth individuals’ to raise funds for four World War I centenary woods.
Guests were invited into the event space where they were presented with welcoming drinks of champagne, rhubarb gin & tonic, ginger beer and an array of freshly made classic British drinks, accompanied by canapès consisting of Parma ham & rabbit rondel with nettle pesto polenta, mushroom fungi on toast topped with borage flowers and savoury parsnip & carrot cake topped with rosehip chutney.
Guests were then able to experience a the unique life of a WWI soldier, shooting replica rifles, reading real frontline soldiers’ diary tales, and listening to popular music from the decade on a vintage record player.
Dinner was then served as Seasoned created a quintessentially British menu with a twist, celebrating local, seasonal and home-grown produce. Guests were given wooden plates made from the raw materials from the farm and were free to enjoy the ‘sharing street party’ starter, which included favourites such as pulled pork pies, canned ‘bully beef’, beetroot consommé served in mini milk bottles, sorrel leaf & broad bean Scotch eggs and old fashioned tin loafs including walnut & date, multigrain and sea salt & rosemary.
The dishes were served from eclectic vintage china to accentuate the street party theme which reflected the era.
Seasoned then served a sumptuous main course of Duo of beef, mini suet pudding, slow cooked fillet, woodland mushroom purée, baby heritage carrots, baby onion rings, nasturtium leaves & bone marrow jus alongside a vegetarian option of mixed wild mushroom Wellington, lemon thyme parmesan cannelloni filled with smoked goats’ cheese mouse, uprooted baby beets & squash velouté to pour.
Dessert followed, as Seasoned created an impressive white chocolate sphere filled with apple compôte, vanilla crumble, English raspberries & toffee sauce to pour served from army ration tins. Guests then gathered around the flag pole to pay their respects with a minute’s silence in memory of the sacrifice soldiers made.
The event finished around the crackling campfire where guests enjoyed an array of homemade delights that included Jaffa Cake macarons, white chocolate & rosemary fudge and a variety of flavoured marshmallows such as sherbet lemon, bubble gum & cherry cola as well as warming mugs of Ovaltine & Horlicks.
Charlotte Johnson, Major Gifts Programme and Events Manager for the Woodland Trust, said, “What Seasoned and the team delivered for us was beyond spectacular. It was everything we had in our dreams for the evening, with an additional 50% of magic sprinkled on top!”
Johnson continued: “Seasoned thought of everything. The attention to detail was superb and the level of service and support was fantastic. I cannot thank them enough for making it so special.”
Colin Sayers, Managing Partner of Seasoned, added, “Working with The Woodland Trust for the past three years has been an honour and we thoroughly enjoy working towards helping to create memorable events.”
“Our brief was to provide a three course meal of the best restaurant standard, with creative twists towards the theme and we feel that we met the brief and more!”