This year EJ Catering is celebrating 21 years in business creating bespoke weddings in Cardiff and across South Wales.
The company began the year on a high after winning awards in the food, drink and hospitality category at the Business Growth Awards 2020. However with the current pandemic and the usual busy wedding season coming to a halt, like all wedding suppliers they had to adapt and work with couples to ensure they can postpone their big days to a time when it is safe for them to celebrate together. Despite this the EJ Kitchen is still being put to good use with more than 700 delicious and nutritious meals being cooked and delivered to help feed the amazing NHS staff at Heath Hospital each week.
EJ Catering has built up a great team with lots of local knowledge and strong working relationships with many venues and suppliers. Owner and creative director Emma Jenkins and the team are excited for a hopefully busy 2021 creating and delivering bespoke menus to suit couples’ visions on their special day.
Here Emma tells us about the services they offer and what to consider when planning food and drink for a wedding:
"Whether you pick a menu from our website or challenge me with some new and wonderful ideas, I will work alongside you to help create your perfect day. Over the year’s styles have changed but I love them all. A classic large white marquee, crisp linen, beautiful food and exceptional service we do well, but also the tipi, hay bails, sharing platters, laid back but equally efficient service we master also. It’s the variety, the couples, it’s you, that keep us fresh and challenged over all these years.
"Though styles have changed over the years, our approach to real cooking hasn’t. We make breads, pastries, custards and coulis. We slow roast, marinate and pulse our own pastes. Pesto’s, salsa and rolls of flavoured butters, my walk in fridge is a menagerie of flavour. We make our menus bespoke to suit, main courses can become canapes, desserts can become evening buffets. It also means we are able to work with all dietary requirements.
"We have had to adapt to new food styles and street food evening buffets or even main wedding feasting have become popular. Little plates, Eastern flavours, creative vegan dishes and gluten-free baking have become a part of our everyday kitchen lives.
"Our website and social media will give you a good flavour of what we do and who we are. I’m really happy for you to mix and match menus and/or bring me your own ideas. If you have a clear idea or you are completely confused it doesn’t matter, give us a call on 02920 331 723, we will take your details and get a feel for your day, your venue and your style, I will be able to advise, answer questions and begin to create shape for you.
"The chefs, staff, cutlery, crockery, linens, are all included in the prices you see on the website. You will have an event manager on the wedding day running a well trained team and working closely with your best person on the day. Drinks packages can be offered with glasses, ice and pop up bars.
"We always meet once but often twice, I make site visits if it’s in a family house or new venue and then of course there is the tasting. These are held in our large working kitchen on my old family kitchen table, it is arguably the best “Chefs Table” in Cardiff! Come with us on a food journey, let us tantalise your taste buds, feast your eyes and create your perfect wedding menu."
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