Uncategorized Archives

Tonic reach finalist status

Posted on: August 1st, 2016 by chandco

Two years ago we were awarded the coveted Caterer of the Year title at Event magazine’s annual awards ceremony. This year, we’re delighted to announce that we’ve been shortlisted again as an Event Awards finalist for Caterer of the Year 2016.

We won the 2014 award following a hard battle involving a written submission and a heated cook off and presentation. A panel of industry-recognised judges including Event magazine personnel devoured our creative menu during the tasting stage at famed Borough Market.

We’re excited to be entered into the finalist draw once again and are eager to show the judges what we’ve been up to recently. This year the tasting stage will take place on 7th September, returning to the same venue, and preparations are already underway at Harbour & Jones Events HQ for what promises to be a tough competition.

Congratulations to all of our team for getting so far and fingers crossed.

Introducing our Pudding Wall

Posted on: June 30th, 2016 by chandco

We unveiled our new pudding wall concept at ‘Eat the Rainbow’ showcase at 41 Portland Place

On Wednesday 22^nd June 2016, we held a showcase dinner at 41 Portland Place to unveil a new event food concept. Forty of some of our industry’s most prestigious events professionals arrived at the central London Grade II listed townhouse to feast on a rainbow-inspired menu cooked by our talented chefs and discover a much anticipated surprise for pudding…

We began the evening on the outdoor terrace with canapés of crab disguised as mini apples, chicken liver parfait in the form of baby oranges and creamy mozzarella made to look like cherry tomatoes, washed down with peach bellinis and rosewater and pomegranate martinis.

Guests were then led to the dining room, serenaded by a DJ and saxophone fusion playing contemporary house music, and seated at long tables adorned with flowers in all shades of the rainbow. An amuse bouche of bright orange carrot and coriander gazpacho served in a shot glass was followed by a yellow starter of roasted yellow pepper, endive, pickled yellow carrots, burrata, and yellow pepper jus. The main was purple themed, featuring slow cooked cannon and shoulder of lamb, beetroot puree, roasted baby beets, purple potato cubes and crispy purple kale.

Having eaten their way through the rainbow course by course, guests moved through to the John Newsom-Davis Council Chamber for the grand finale – a 2 by 2.5 metre edible pudding wall. A colourful structure with integrated Perspex shelves adorned with scores of homemade rainbow-coloured cakes and puddings which guests could dress with fruit coulis and butterscotch sauce dispensed from four taps. Treats included blueberry cheesecake slices, raspberry macarons, lemon posset, iced pistachio sponge and lemon drizzle squares.

We were delighted to see so much enthusiasm from guests towards our innovative creation. It was a great opportunity to show how we are forward-thinking and always trying to push the boundaries of event food.

Harbour & Jones Events celebrates the life of chef Sam Sommerville

Posted on: March 3rd, 2016 by chandco

On Monday 29th February 2016, Harbour & Jones Events held a fundraising dinner for the family of chef Sam Sommerville. Sam worked at H&J from May 2014 until his sad death in an accident whilst on holiday in August last year. During his time with H&J he taught his colleagues and peers around him to really love life.

One hundred and sixty guests attended our dinner at The Royal Institute of British Architects to help raise money to support Sam’s children Eva and Charlie over the coming years. Tables were decorated with hula girls, leis, rubber ducks and plastic chickens and a blow up palm tree accompanied guests at the bar. The menu was made up of the H&J awards finalist dishes, the main course being Sam’s own buttermilk chicken and cauliflower, which he named ‘The bird & white curd’.

A cabaret performance by alumni from The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art played Sam’s favourite songs by the Arctic Monkeys and Oasis, whilst a fundraising auction saw guests purchase lots including dinner for eight at home cooked by H&J chefs and a Mercedes Formula 1 cap signed by Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

We were delighted to have the auction further supported by renowned chefs Ollie Dabbous and Jeff Galvin who generously donated lots, including signed cookbooks and tasting menus, with matched wines, at their establishments Dabbous and Galvin La Chapelle. H&J also received huge support from their suppliers with prizes and sponsorship. A special thanks goes to Jascots Wine Merchants whose Ben Scott performed auctioneer duties.

The dinner surpassed our original fundraising target, raising just over £18,000 in total. This money will help support Eva and Charlie during the coming years and the family are hugely appreciative of the effort made towards this.

We would like to thank everyone who attended the dinner and supported this cause.

Good news for Harbour & Jones

Posted on: December 17th, 2015 by chandco

Harbour & Jones acquires Principals Catering Consultants

We would like to share with you the exciting news that the Harbour & Jones family is expanding.

On 15th December 2015 we acquired Principals Catering Consultants Ltd, which trades in both the events and business and industry fields as Fare of London, a prestigious contract catering and venue management business, and Principals Catering, a prominent education caterer.

This exciting initiative forms a part of our next five-year strategy and will allow us to remain both independent and a leader in our field. Harbour & Jones, Harbour & Jones Events and H&J Upfront, along with Fare and Principals, will all continue to trade in each respective market and as separate and distinct brands. Each company is an expert in its field and it would be foolhardy to change what we believe is already a winning approach.

Fare of London and Principals Catering were founded over 25 years ago and are well-established companies, run by respected managers and operators, who we know will add a great deal to our portfolio and experience.

There is also a personal connection with PCC. In his early career Nathan Jones worked for the owner, John Durden, at Principals Catering and later, Fare of London. As John was looking to plan his retirement he wanted to hand on his company to people he knew and trusted, so this agreement seemed the next logical step for both Durden and Harbour & Jones, and an opportunity not to be missed.

“We may be bigger but our values will stay the same: our pursuit of innovation and creativity; our commitment to good nourishing food; our focus on quality and service and our verve.” Patrick Harbour

We have made a video that explains more about our acquisition. You can view this at www.greatcombination.co.uk.

Chapter House: New Event Venue

Posted on: September 18th, 2015 by chandco

Renowned as a venue for prestigious events, St Paul’s Cathedral has added yet another jewel to its crown.

Designed and built in 1715 by the Cathedral’s acclaimed Sir Christopher Wren and his son, Chapter House is a significant landmark in London’s portfolio of architectural elegance. This year, following an extensive restoration project, St Paul’s Cathedral is proud to open the doors of Chapter House to event bookers for the first time in history.

With views overlooking the north side of the Cathedral and its iconic dome, the new event venue includes two intimate and ornately decorated rooms, perfect for fine dining (for up to 24 people) and elegant receptions (for up to 70).

Dîner en blanc hits London

Posted on: August 20th, 2015 by chandco

Imagine a picnic in a secret location with thousands of diners dressed in white, seated at white clothed tables, surrounded by friends old and new. A mass flourish of white napkins signals the start of the feast and then as night falls, sparklers twinkle in the darkening skies as the music and dancing start.

Dreamt up in Paris over 27 years ago, Le Dîner en Blanc has grown from a handful of friends to a worldwide phenomenon, with thousands attending events in cities as diverse as Kilgali and Tokyo.

As appointed caterer for this year’s event, to be held on Thursday September 3^rd, Harbour & Jones Events is preparing gourmet picnics to delight the diners. Our Italian Feast, British Picnic and Vegetarian Feast hampers are packed with homemade treats from our Events Kitchen and are selling fast. If you are lucky enough to have a ticket for this chicest of picnics, don’t forget to order yours soon.

In pictures: A secret garden

Posted on: May 29th, 2015 by chandco

An urban oasis was unveiled last week as 200 guests explored a secret garden at 20 Fenchurch Street – or as you may know it, the Walkie Talkie building.

The building is also home to the Sky Garden, which opened to critical acclaim earlier this year, and our client’s team decided to recreate their own secret garden on the floors just below. Our team were only too happy to assist with their first event in their new offices since moving in last December.

Guests arrived to our transformed secret garden to discover a hidden homebrew hooch shed, a potting shed with an edible garden of baby vegetables in black olive soil, complete with garden salads mixed to order.

A risotto bar encouraged guests to pick their own foraged herbs to add to their dishes, and staff dressed in tweed and wellies served mini sliders of pulled pork, lamb and feta burgers and chickpea falafel from the indoor BBQ on trays of ‘charcoal’.

The London Vegetable Orchestra provided entertainment for the evening – musicians using hollowed and carved vegetables such as butternut squash and parsnips as instruments embarked on a promenade concert around the garden.

A glorious pudding tree held hanging treats such as macarons, nougat and Turkish delight, and guests were invited to ‘pick their own’.

#IbizaDocks and the menu rocks

Posted on: May 20th, 2015 by chandco

Our teams braved the rain last week (14 May) to bring a brilliantly bespoke themed menu to more than 200 event industry revellers at The O2.

The #IbizaDocks event celebrated the re-launch of the 700 capacity outdoor terrace at Building Six; one of the latest event spaces to join our Harbour & Jones Events collection.

Guests were greeted on arrival with glow in the dark King Bloom jam jar cocktails and a selection of canapes and bites. Manchego cheese and Spanish onion croquettes, scallop, potato and chorizo brochette with tomato aioli, and black olive and crispy Serrano ham popcorn were just a few of the tempting treats circulating the terrace.

Our street food stalls brought the space to life with a vibrant Brick Lane Curry stall, our sought-after Korean Yum Buns and an authentic Mexican themed stall. And to finish, beach-themed puddings complete with marshmallows on deck chairs, digestive biscuit crumbled sand and Haribo fish.

Our themed stalls are an incredibly popular choice no matter what the weather, and if your event is outdoors then we have all sorts of creative ways of keeping guests covered should the weather take a turn for the worst.

To enquire about hiring Building Six for your event, and for more information, call Lucy on 020 3206 7763 or email: [email protected]

Save the date: RSA House wedding open day

Posted on: April 9th, 2015 by chandco

If you’ve ever planned a wedding you’ll know how much time, effort and emotion goes into getting everything ‘just right’. From the big decisions to the finishing touches, it’s no mean feat.

On Saturday 18 April, our team at RSA House will be throwing open the doors to brides-to-be for an exclusive wedding open day. Take in the stunning surroundings of the house and meet the team behind some of London’s most memorable weddings.

Contact Nikki to book your place – [email protected]

Photo credit: Fiona Kelly Photography. Read more – head over to the inspirational wedding blog Smashing the Glass.

Six new venues join our growing collection

Posted on: March 16th, 2015 by chandco

We’re excited to reveal six new listings at London event venues for 2015.

Joining our venue collection is Building Six at The O2, Merlin Events London, and Trinity House.

Merlin Events brings its complete portfolio of venues: Madame Tussauds, SEALIFE London Aquarium, Stardome 4D and The London Dungeon, with the capacity to for cater for parties of up to 1000.

Building Six at The O2 offers a 3000 capacity blank canvas events space set over three floors, complete with a private outdoor terrace for 700.

Trinity House, home to the General Lighthouse Authority at Tower Hill joins the collection on a referral basis with its 180 capacity venue with five historic event spaces.

Lucy Mears, Sales & Marketing Manager for Harbour & Jones Events said, “I’m really pleased that Harbour & Jones Events is listed to cater at these exceptional London venues. Each venue is unique and complements our collection perfectly. Our clients are benefiting from our ever-growing portfolio and we’re delighted to be able to meet the demand with these impressive event spaces”.

Becci Thomson, Business Development Manager at The O2 commented “Building Six at The O2 is a great space for parties, corporate events and team building days. Harbour & Jones Events is well known for delivering creative events and exceptional food, and we’re excited to have them on board in time for summer”.

The Harbour & Jones Events collection boasts 24 venues, including iconic buildings such as St Paul’s Cathedral and Cutty Sark, and is set to continue growing throughout 2015 with new contracts in negotiation.

If you’d like to find out more about any of our venues, please contact Lucy Mears, Sales & Marketing Manager.

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