FOOD & DRINK
ASK THE EXPERT : FOOD & DRINK
THE OLD KENT BARN ’ S HEAD CHEF JAMES CRANK TALKS US THROUGH CREATING THE PERFECT WEDDING MENU
Photography by : Olegs & Rita Photography
WHAT IDEAS DOES A COUPLE NEED TO COME WITH WHEN YOU FIRST START DISCUSSING WEDDING MENUS ? It ’ s a great starting point if a couple comes to us with their vision of how they see their menus . Often deciding between three courses or a BBQ is a common consideration for couples . Do they want a more formal feel , or a more relaxed wedding breakfast ?
Also , a realistic idea of a budget makes it easier to discuss options effectively . Anything specific they want to discuss I ’ m always happy to see what we can do or give reassurances over anything couples would like to talk through before choosing their wedding day menu .
WHAT KIND OF OPTIONS DO YOU OFFER FOR WEDDINGS AT THE OLD KENT BARN ? Wedding breakfast options are broken down into three different styles ; three-course , BBQ and buffet menus .
With evening food choices , we offer a range of different options from a street food inspired menu to various food stations including pie and mash , bratwurst bar , and a buildyour-own burger bar . Lighter options include mini fish and chips , bacon rolls and falafel . We ’ ve also introduced pizza breads this year , which are very popular .
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE WEDDING DISHES TO CREATE ? I like taking anything considered ‘ everyday ’ and making it more refined . With banqueting we need to be aware of the nature in which we are serving the food , the parameters are different which can present different challenges you may not have considered when cooking four or five portions of something at home or in a restaurant . This itself is normally the most challenging part to get right .
Dishes I ’ ve really enjoyed working on with the kitchen team are our clotted cream cheesecake and BBQ ribs . Both have been on the menu since we started , and both have evolved time and time again .
I also enjoy the dishes where the food speaks for itself , and we ’ ve had very little involvement because it highlights how lucky we are to work with fantastic suppliers who give us wonderful produce to use .
The hot smoked salmon would be a good example of this . The salmon is delivered fresh to us , smoked the morning of your wedding , and served straight from our smoker .
Much the same with the roasted lamb rump , there ’ s nothing complicated , it ’ s just fantastic lamb , freshly cut chives , buttery mash , and mint pesto , but when care is taken over every element it all comes together beautifully . That is easily our most popular dish year on year .
HAVE YOU HAD ANY PARTICULARLY MEMORABLE WEDDINGS YOU ’ VE CREATED MENUS FOR ? I ’ ve a few that spring to mind . I have been lucky enough to work on a couple of celebrity weddings in my time . They were unlike anything I had experienced before , to say they were lavish isn ’ t doing them justice ! Fantastic experience where months of hard work came together in a very surreal setting . I was just being considered a senior chef at the time so had some input onto the menus and it was highly satisfying on a personal and professional level .
A recent wedding requested Reuben sandwiches for their evening choice . This was something new to me , making a quantity of them , a brilliant choice - a delicious sandwich !
HOW DO YOU THINK WEDDING MENUS AND WEDDING FOOD TRENDS HAVE CHANGED ? IS THERE ANYTHING YOU ’ RE SEEING MORE REQUESTS FOR ? I would say that wedding food has almost come full circle . We are seeing the day food options settling back on to what would be considered more classic dishes .
The evening food is where I think it has changed slightly , I would say it ’ s now following a trend of what I would call festival / street fast food . Something you ’ d enjoy while partying .
As for requests , the most popular are for dishes being changed for guests with dietary requirements to allow us to cater for them .
WHAT HAVE THE MOST POPULAR CHOICES FOR 2024 BEEN ? The three-course has been the most popular so far this year . The goat ’ s cheese tart , roasted lamb rump and either cheesecake or banoffee have been the most popular choices .
For evening food , the bratwurst bar or street food options have been by far the most popular with the southern spiced chicken burger ( inspired by a famous fried chicken shop ) the biggest winner by far !
This one is quite satisfying as we spent months coming up with our own spice mix then blending it and balancing it all . I have to say it is very well received !
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