5 minutes with Boxed Events

We caught up with James and Catherine from Boxed Events to chat all about their approach to wedding catering, menu favourites and favourite parts of the day.  

What is your signature style when it comes to wedding catering?

We are always creative with our menus and like to think out of the box. We really enjoy taking classic dishes and put a contemporary twist on it. We don’t just think of ourselves as caterer and always want to go the extra mile to deliver an outstanding and memorable experience.

Can you talk us through your approach to working with couples, from first enquiry to the wedding day?

We always get excited with every enquiry we receive as it’s the beginning of the journey. We firstly introduce ourselves and ask what to get to know more about our couples. Their vision, expectations and their dream. Catherine makes the first point of contact and then I (James) set up a Zoom call to talk through their food likes and create a wedding taster menu for them to come in a try.

At their wedding taster we serve the meal as if it is their actual wedding day so they can visualise and getting a true feeling of the experience we can offer. I real time we start to build their wedding package, timings and table settings. At the end of the taster we are able to present them with their chosen wedding menu and a full proposal. We always receive the feedback “ It is starting to feel very real now!”

Do you specialise in any particular cuisines?

I would say that we offer classic French cooking with a South East Asian twist. We don’t like to put ourselves in any particular box and always love the challenge of learning new cuisines

How do you adapt menus to reflect each couple’s personalities or cultural traditions?

This is something we do regularly. On initial consultation and getting to know our couples better we often ask about their heritage and favourite holiday they have taken. We love incorporating elects of this into their menus to give a real personnel touch.

What’s one dish or food concept you’re known for that always gets guests talking?

People always comment on our canapés. We like to take our favourite main dishes and recreate them in bitesize pieces. Our fish and chip canapés always go down well. The Long horn beef is also a great talking point as it bred on the farm we are located on.

How do you handle dietary requirements and mixed menu requests without compromising on flavour or presentation?

We always say to our couples, choose what you want, and we will take care of dietary adaptations. We make a lot of our own variations such as, cashew goats cheese and a tofu chocolate mousse.

Can you give an example of creative or unusual menu you’ve delivered that was a big success?

We have delivered many different menus over the years. We delivered a Lebanese inspired wedding that was a very big success.

Sharing Starter:

Beet hummus with roasted cumin, roasted chickpeas

Whipped labneh with young garlic, zaatar and olive oil

Pea, edamame and mint dip

Baba ghanoush

Flatbreads

Sharing Main Course:

Oven baked hake with preserved lemon, chervil and parsley

Pulled pork, apple cider, pomegranate, pickled cabbage slaw served with apple cider caramel sauce

Roasted aubergine, pinenut pesto and labneh

Sides:

Batata Harra, parsley and coriander

Baby gem, crumbled feta, pomegranate seeds and molasses, toasted pumpkin seeds

Roasted butternut squash and avocado, spinach, puy lentil with tahini and soy dressing

Fig, lightly pickled pear and walnut salad

Zaatar Salad 

Dessert:

Clotted cream, wildflower honey, strawberries, shortbread, mint and molasses  

What trends are you seeing in wedding catering right now, and how are you incorporating them?

Current trends we are seeing now are, roast dinners, BBQ and sharing boards. We love this style as it offers a creative social dining experience.

How do you ensure the quality of the food is consistent when serving large numbers o the day?

We take a lot of care and attention in our preparation and cooking fresh onsite at our amazing venues.

What’s your favourite part of catering for weddings, and why does it keep you passionate about what you do? 

We love that each couple is individual and set us new exciting challenges that we thrive to exceed and deliver.

What I personally love the most is the amazing team that support me and help develop our shared vision.