Location: Offcote Grange, Ashbourne, Derbyshire
Photography Credit: EmilyHannah
Emily was one of those highly organised brides who makes sure things are ‘just so’. She enquired to Kemp & Kemp two years before the wedding and wanted an informal Mediterranean-inspired meal with sharing platters to get everyone talking. She booked a yurt from The Yurt Company – and found a pretty amazing place to site it at Offcote Grange, in the most wonderful rolling, remote, undeveloped countryside just outside Ashbourne.
Karen’s quote to Emily and Steve came out of a meeting the three of them had in the sunshine at a wedding fair at Osmaston where they poured out their ideas and hopes in regards to the food, with Karen steering, listening and noting everything carefully.
Her quote in response included several choices of starter, four choices of mains each served on our rustic wooden boards and then what we call ‘make your own dessert’ – once again on boards – – with a tempting selection of cake-based deliciousness (all home-made).. she also included our signature Eton Mess.
When the wedding day approached they chose the charcuterie platters and a home-made bruscetta selection as a starter (with the freshest bread imaginable). This was placed to the tables just before guests came into the yurt at 3.00pm so that they could ‘graze’ as they listened to speeches (a great time-saving device building time for even more dancing!!).
Then the main course was a signature ‘flattened chicken’ served per table with a big knife so guests could help themselves, homemade (of course) aioli and (homemade) salsa verde, with big bowls at each table of baby roasties, roast tomato salad with herbie croutons and basil oil and a bowl of green tabbouleu salad with spring onions, cucumber, lashings of corriander and mint. YUM!
The dessert of homemade brownies, meringues and shortbreads cream and coulis was (as ever) a BIG HIT, especially with the 7 children who were there.
Our front of house manager (the ever serene Andrei) kept things zinging along and precisely to time working closely with Lizzie from The Yurt Company, and making sure Kemp and Kemp chefs, Jason and Anouska’s wonderful food was (as ever) served at its tip top best.
A wonderful intimate, relaxed wedding where everyone did indeed talk to each other whilst enjoying a veritable feast of gastronomic loveliness.
