Press Archives

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.

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.

Four venues shortlisted for London Venue Awards

Posted on: August 3rd, 2015 by chandco

Last week brought us the fantastic news that four venues within the Harbour & Jones Events collection have been shortlisted in the London Venue Awards.

The awards were launched this year with the aim of recognising the excellence and exceptional quality offered at different types of venues in London. 20 categories focus on venue distinction, customer service, catering and technology.

We’re extremely proud that RSA House is shortlisted for best conference venue for up to 300, RIBA for best venue 300-600, The O2 for best venue over 1600 capacity and Cutty Sark for best corporate party venue.

The awards ceremony will be held on Friday 16 October at the Emirates Stadium. Very best of luck to the teams at each venue, and hopefully we’ll be reporting back in October with more good news.

In pictures: Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts

Posted on: July 7th, 2015 by chandco

Our first Summer Exhibition event for JM Finn & Co at the Royal Academy of Arts took place in June 2012, with 350 guests. Every year the popularity of the event increases, and this year 7,800 canapes and bowls were circulated to more than 750 guests across all the main galleries.

Inspired by the images in the main galleries, our team created an evening event filled with colour and creativity. Bold coloured bars, painted oil drums with vibrant ombre tipped branches and a feature tree display floated atop golden plinths as a centrepiece to the proceedings.

Our bespoke food stations featured freshly prepared sushi by Rosa, our Harbour & Jones Events sushi chef, Peruvian ceviche, and British meats and cheeses.

Art-themed usherette trays and mini painter’s canvasses were created specifically for this event to showcase a feast of marshmallows, macarons, chocolate-dipped iced fudge and custom-made shortbread paintbrushes.

The Science Museum unveils new events space for limited time only

Posted on: July 6th, 2015 by chandco

The Science Museum in South Kensington is further enhancing its corporate events offer with a new space available for a limited time only. The Wellcome Wing Gallery is available to hire until the end of October and can be used to host conferences, product launches, fashion shows, exhibitions and experiential events.

The new conference and events space has capacity for 450 guests standing and is situated in the same section as the IMAX theatre. The two spaces can be used in conjunction with each other offering a separate area for break outs, exhibitions and drinks receptions alongside a main conference.

Jodie Guilford, Event Sales Manager at The Science Museum, said: “The Wellcome Wing Gallery is an exciting new space for events that we are pleased to now be able to offer clients. It is very much a blank canvas space and the fact that it is only available until October, means it is perfect for exclusive, one-of-a-kind events. The space will be available for dry hire and the events team will be on hand to help create bespoke and unique events that are guaranteed to wow guests.”

With just a limited time to experience the newest events space at the Science Museum, contact Lucy Mears, Sales & Marketing Manager: [email protected] to find out more.

Lipton Ice Tea Summer Stories launch at 41 Portland Place

Posted on: June 15th, 2015 by chandco

50 of the UK’s press were welcomed to 41 Portland Place on 2^nd June for the Lipton Ice Tea Summer Stories screening.

The creative team from The Persuaders transformed the Ann Rylands Room and Terrace into a summer oasis and guests were treated to Lipton Ice Tea ice lollies and ice cream, a summer barbecue and cocktails created to showcase the refreshing summer drink.

A series of short films were shown to launch Britvic and Pepsi Lipton International’s summer campaign for Lipton Ice Tea.

Targeting the brand’s core audience of busy 18-34 year olds, the campaign is centred on a series of London-based events which aim to get Londoners to break from their normal routine and experience their city in a different way. As you may have already seen, the events are supported by advertising, social media activity and experiential sampling.

For more information on Lipton Ice Tea summer events see www.beadaybreaker.co.uk

41 Portland place is the ideal setting for product launches and creative brand events. For more information, drop Maddie a line on [email protected]

Three is the magic number…

Posted on: June 8th, 2015 by chandco

Thursday 4 June proved to be quite the night for Harbour & Jones Events as we hosted three extraordinary events spanning across London. Usually this wouldn’t be such big news, but this time around our teams took to the floors of St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and Borough Market for three very different but equally exceptional occasions.

Westminster Abbey took on a Midsummer Night’s Dream theme as the cloisters were transformed with costumed characters, a harpist and magicians to welcome 250 guests. Rhubarb bellinis circled the room along with tempting canapes such as scallop and pancetta lollipops, and smoked aubergine caviar with paprika yoghurt. And as the early evening light faded, our waiters unveiled our trademark pudding walls, filled to the brim with sweet treats including summer berry marshmallows and white chocolate macarons.

Meanwhile, at St Paul’s Cathedral, our teams were busy setting the Cathedral floor for the bi-annual gala dinner. This prestigious banquet pays tribute to 270 distinguished supporters of St Paul’s Cathedral with a spectacular five-course feast. Guests dined on Hereford beef Carpaccio, Pan-seared Scottish cod and a risotto of summer peas before sampling delicate pistachio madeleine’s and finally indulging in vast platters of traditional English cheeses.

 Across the city, under the canopy of the historic Borough Market, revellers took to the floor at Event Magazine’s 18th birthday bash. Our signature street food stalls featured authentic Mexican tapas, Korean steamed buns and a ‘best of British’ picnic stall. Partygoers enjoyed craft beers and pomegranate fizz served by waiters dressed in checked shirts, jeans and wellington boots, embracing the festival-feel of the evening.

Our teams were thrilled to have been involved in three very special events in three unique venues – all in one evening.

Find out more about the iconic venues in the Harbour & Jones Events collection and make an enquiry for your next event by contacting Lucy Mears, Sales & Marketing Manager on [email protected]

Harbour & Jones Events appointed sole caterer at IET London: Savoy Place

Posted on: June 2nd, 2015 by chandco

We are delighted to announce that IET London: Savoy Place is appointing Harbour & Jones Events as their sole caterer.

Providing an enticing range of bespoke day delegate packages, fine dining and event menus to the backdrop of panoramic views of London, we will be serving up to 330 delegates at a time at the IET London’s flagship venue. The announcement comes as IET London moves into the final months of its £30 million refurbishment, which sees the development of a brand new roof terrace that will be available for meetings and private events from October.

Our Director of Food, Gary Mckechnie, will work closely with the soon-to-be appointed Head Chef. They will ensure that menus are carefully tailored to reflect both the venue, and our established credentials for renowned first-class customer service, all-inclusive pricing and innovative event catering.

IET London: Savoy Place has been closed since July 2013 and the major project aims to position IET London: Savoy Place as a first-class event facility and a ‘Global Engineering Hub ‘to IET members and the engineering community.

Sean Spencer, Head of IET Venues and Facilities, says: “Appointing Harbour & Jones puts into place one of the final pieces before we launch this new fantastic product for meeting and event organisers. With the highly innovative and creative approach Harbour & Jones takes to catering we are confident we will have built a first class venue that the industry will enjoy immensely.”

Patrick Harbour, Director of Harbour & Jones Events, says: “We are delighted to be bringing our expertise and experience in the event catering industry to the fore at the stunning new IET London: Savoy Place. Creating innovative and ethically sound menu options with the best that British produce has to offer, we’re excited to find a like-minded partner in IET Venues and Events.”

IET London: Savoy Place will open its doors for internal events on October 16, with the venue fully opening on 1 November 2015.

Be one of the first to hear about this fantastic new event venue by subscribing to our newsletter or making an enquiry.

#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]

Revel & Reveal at Church House Conference Centre

Posted on: April 27th, 2015 by chandco

It seems like many moons ago that we were wrapped up in our winter coats and excitedly heading to Church House Conference Centre for our first meeting about their annual showcase event.

After months of planning, our collective designs came to life on Thursday 16 April as more than 200 event organisers gathered for a night of fabulous food and entertainment.

The aptly named Revel & Reveal event invited guests to sample highlights from our brand new menus at Church House Conference Centre. Breaking with tradition, the annual gala evening traded its usual sit down dinner for an interactive and experiential reception as guests were taken on a food-led journey through the venue.

Guests were immersed into the streets of London, with food stalls representing Brick Lane and its vibrant street food scene, Borough Market’s local suppliers and distinctively delicious produce, Fish Island with hundreds of freshly shucked oysters and Foreman’s cured salmon. We also paid tribute to best of Bermondsey with a traditional East End pie and mash stall; a nod to Manzes Pie & Mash, a family business that’s still going strong after 100 years in trading.

To top the night off, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) Cabaret brought in a cast of 12 performers to celebrate the history of the West End as our team served bite sized puddings to guests.

Robin Parker, General Manager of Church House Conference Centre, commented: “We decided to do something a little different for our gala evening in order to take guests, especially those who are new to Church House, on a tour of the venue both in terms of the event spaces and culinary experience. Doing this gave us an opportunity to add an experiential element by showing the many different concepts and ways in which the catering provided by Church House and Harbour & Jones Events can be tailored to any event. Entertaining both existing and potential clients is something the whole team can get involved with, and our aim was to celebrate the best of London within the unique surroundings of Church House, and from all the comments we have received it certainly seems we achieved that.”

As in previous years, instead of providing guests with goody bags Church House made a donation to Dreams Come True, a UK charity for children and young people with serious and life-limiting conditions.

We are delighted to have been a part of such a fantastic evening, and you’ll find all of the photos from the night on the Church House Flickr gallery.

We’re also thrilled to present the new menus that are available now to event bookers. The perfect setting for events of all sizes, contact us to find out more about holding your next event at Church House.

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