Just this afternoon I had someone call me about a catering job. She’d been given my name by an old friend, for whom I did a job several years ago. What hit home was the fact that the old friend in question didn’t know if I was still in business! That’s how bad I am at keeping in touch.
Where to start? It is embarrassing to read the last couple of blogs I posted — OMG, a year-and-a-half ago! My how time flies when you’re having fun. And the last couple of years have been great fun — hard work sometimes, but hugely satisfying. Anyway, we’ve now updated the website. There’s a new section for customer comments, and the menu and photo gallery sections have been completely overhauled, with much, much more content. Do have a browse around.
I’m happy to report that Tanamerah is going from strength to strength.
Last summer we catered for a few really big jobs — marquees, a hundred-plus guests, that sort of thing — and in the last two months we have done our two biggest jobs yet. Both charity fund raisers — one an annual ball held at the Burningfold Polo Centre near Dunsfold, for 250; the other for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, for 180.
We provided canapés, followed by full table service for main course, dessert, and coffee for the Burningfold Ball. We also supplied the bar staff. For the cystic fibrosis ball it was waiter service for three courses and coffee. This event was the first to be held in a fabulously converted barn called Hearne Hall, in Gospel Green, a couple of miles east of Haslemere. If you know of anyone looking for a beautiful, new venue for up to 200 people, we couldn’t recommend it more highly.
With all the bigger jobs I am being asked to do, and with work in general coming in bursts, I am now working regularly with Caroline Keith, a close friend who herself used to have a catering business in London. I’m sure many of you have met Caroline by now. She lives in Arundel — theoretically, since she seems to spend more time staying with us in Haslemere than in her own house!
Through Caroline I’ve done several jobs recently on her patch on the south coast, and just a few weeks ago we did our first job together for a friend of hers who arranges events in London. 11 different canapés for 70 people. Just the two of us! It was pretty intense — but a great success. What we served was so different I think I’m going to write a separate blog just to show you the menu.
While bigger jobs, and ones further away, may be news, most of my work remains — as I hope it always will — private parties and functions in the the Haslemere area. If I ever think for one moment that bookings have slowed down the phone seems to ring! Having said that, Kevan and I are thinking of driving down to our tiny house in Languedoc towards the end of October, to do a bit of end-of-season maintenance. I just hope I can go without having to say no to anyone, which I so hate. As for our dream of selling up and moving to Italy — well that’s likely to remain unfulfilled for the foreseeable future!
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