A Diary of The Events Team

Last month we asked our caterers to share their favourite Christmas item from their menus, and this time, two of our florists have given us some great ideas of how to decorate your home this festive season.

Lavender Green have created these beautiful fruit garlands that look great hanging from the fireplace and will fill any room with the fragrance of Christmas.

To re-create the fruit garlands in your own home, simply follow these instructions:

Start by drying a selection of dried fruits, (including orange slices, whole limes) as well as some whole chillies and bay leaves. You will roughly need 6 whole fruits, 18 bay leaves and a 16 fruit slices.

Tie a knot in a long bit of string, and using a strong wire or heavy gauge darning needle, thread the fruit slices, whole fruit and bay leaves and chillies in a pattern of your choice. Ensure the different fruits are evenly distributed along the length of string.

Finish by tying a loop in the end and decorate with pretty ribbon.

Top tip: to keep the white rind on the fruit, slice them at an angle like a ‘V’ and peel the skin away slowly (be careful not to cut too deep).

Gardenia  have put together a step-by-step guide to making a table centre piece for the many times we’ll be sitting around a table this festive period!

You will need:

• A tray, dish, pot or other container

• Floral foam

• Florists wire

• Florists tape or electrical tape

• A candle

• Seasonal foliage like pine, fir, holly, ivy, rosemary and privet

• Decorations and accents of colour, such as dried fruit, cinnamon sticks, fresh roses, pine cones, red berries – be creative!

Prepare your ingredients. Soak the floral foam in water for at least 2 minutes before placing it in your chosen container and taping it down securely. Raid the garden for some evergreen foliage or cut a few sprigs of fir from your Christmas tree, then strip any leaves or needles from the bottom 2.5cm of each stem. Wire your decorations by threading them onto a piece of florists wire and twisting the ends together as shown.

Build up the base. Fix the candle into the floral foam then begin to cover the base with layers of foliage, pushing the stripped stems well into the foam to create a basic shape. Start with more robust stems of fir or pine, then create interest with sprigs of holly and loops of ivy. Don’t worry about being too neat, we’re going for a homemade look!

Add in some colour. Time to get creative. Use colourful dried fruit, holly berries, cinnamon sticks and other decorations to give your centrepiece a personal touch. We’ve stuck to dry decorations in this example, but don’t be afraid to use fresh flowers – red and white roses are stunning at Christmas.

Ta-daa! Your centrepiece is ready to take pride of place on your Christmas table. If you have used a plastic tray you may want to camouflage it with a few sprigs of greenery around the bottom.

Your table centrepiece will last a good few weeks if you keep the container topped up with water every few days. For New Year’s Eve try swapping the decorations for flowers, or add a bit of sparkle with silver and gold accents.

  

We’d love to see pictures of your creations over the holidays, so why not tweet us your photos @ParksteadHouse.

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas and a very happy New Year.

The Events Team

A Diary of The Events Team

  

Winter can be the most romantic time of the year. An extravagant wedding dress set against the background of a snowy December day can create the most enchanting of wedding days.

 

Many brides-to-be and their partners are put off the idea of a wedding outside of the summer months because they believe it will cold, grey and miserable. But don’t be scared of the weather! On many occasions in the winter the sun will shine, offering a bright blue sky with a touch of frost or a sprinkling of snow. A winter backdrop can add that extra magical element to your wedding day.

 

And holding your special day at Grove or Parkstead House will complete the spectacular tableau. With champagne flowing and canapés circulating the room, you won’t find a better view than from our of our original Georgian sash windows overlooking a frosty Richmond Park.

It may be cold outside but with huge fireplaces filled with logs surrounded by candles and up lighters creating a cosy atmosphere for your drinks reception, you and your guests will soon be toasty and enjoying the winter sunsets.

Lanterns and candles lining the driveway, rich colours and pretty damask linen can transform Grove House into your own winter wonderland.

 

For ideas on a winter menu, check out our previous blog where our caterers talk about their Christmas themes.  And keep your eyes peeled for our next blog where our florists will be giving tips and advice on winter floral arrangements.

 

 

So if you’re planning a wedding and want something different call our team on 0208 392 3505 to discuss how we can make a wintry day sparkle for you and your guests!

 

A Diary of The Events Team

We are forever planning a few months in advance here at Conference Roehampton. It only seems like yesterday our clients were enjoying the sunshine and fun days at Parkstead House and now it is well and truly coat and scarf weather. With less than two months to go until Christmas Day we thought we’d find out our caterers’ favourite item from their Christmas menu and their recommendations for the upcoming festive season. Feast your eyes on this!

For a fabulous festive feast, Chartwells’ Christmas menu includes roasted haunch of wild boar with a toasted nut, apple and stilton stuffing and a ball of hot Christmas pudding topped with rum sauce, brown bread ice cream and whipped cream to really finish you off! 

Penni Black decided to do something a little different this year. "As a company we got a bit bored of turkey and cranberry burgers (still tasty just had too many) so we really wanted to create something special.  We also got fed up that the food got seen as an afterthought and that it was just there to stop people getting too drunk. The 12 Plates of Christmas is what Christmas deserves! One word of warning, make sure you leave some space for the cheese!”

Along with their fine dining Christmas menu, Bubble Food have created some delicious festive cocktails; this Mince Pie Soda Trio would be a great arrival drink to kick start your Christmas party.

Blue Strawberry have some tasty items on their Christmas menu. Beetroot macaroons with soft goat’s cheese and beetroot curd, smoked trout parfait with dill jelly, horseradish mousse, burnt cucumber and rye crumbs, fillet of Scottish venison on toasted brioche, sautéed chestnut mushrooms, honeyed parsnip purée, potato wafer and rich Burgundy jus and to finish prune and Armagnac soufflé with Tahitian vanilla ice cream (which is too good to leave even the smallest scraping) are to name but a few. 

Their top tips for Christmas 2013 are:

• Serve deliciously unusual winter warmers like spiced warm cider.

• Choose Christmas colours with a twist; why not go for turquoise and red gingham print for a fun and modern take on Christmas!

• Add some festivity to your table by dressing it with small touches like ribbon, seasonal flowers, pine cones and dried berries. 

Of course, a Christmas party isn't complete without theming and entertainment. From pretty Poinsettia displays to glimmering candles and live bands to dance all night DJ’s, our fabulous florists and excellent entertainment suppliers would be more than happy to discuss your wants and needs.

If the above has tickled your taste buds and left you craving festivity, give us a call on 0208 392 3505 to book your Christmas Party. 

A Diary of The Events Team

At Conference Roehampton we are passionate about our heritage as our venues are steeped in history . With a little help from the university’s wonderful archivist, Gilly King we thought we’d  take this opportunity to share some of our unique events spaces with you. If you’re looking for a room with character look no further!

 

The Adam Room (circa 1790), was given its name because of its a close resemblance to the style of a Scottish neoclassical architect Robert Adam. As you enter the room your eyes are drawn in particular to the ceiling with its delicate wreaths and scrolls. The splendid double mahogany doors are noteworthy and the chimney piece (which I must add is taller than some of our Conference team!) has a fantastic scene of Hercules choosing the path of duty rather than pleasure, not inappropriate to a room where we hold corporate meetings and high brow discussions!

 

The Richmond Room was once the entrance Hall and ballroom to Parkstead House, and its original purpose still remains very intact as an ideal room for private dinners, events and drinks receptions .The frieze of vases, drapes and lions’ heads reflects the neo-Palladian ideals first seen in Venice. The plasterwork is carried onto the walls which are divided into a series of sunken panels separated by sunken laurel torus mouldings. The neo-classical motifs are only present in the ceiling but the stone chimney piece gives the whole room a neo-classical impact. This chimney piece is the earliest datable example of its type designed by Chambers and carved by Joseph Wilton.

 

 

 

Manresa Hall (1864) previously called the Jesuit Chapel was designed by the architect J.J.Scoles and completed after his death, in 1864, by his pupil S.I. Nicholl. The chapel is described by Pevsner as “... elaborate Italian Renaissance, with marble pilasters, barrel-vaults penetrated by clerestory windows, and arches with top-lit domes decorated by bizarre coffering in different patterns.” (Cherry & Pevsner, p.694). On the outside, the niches were for statues of Saints Ignatius, Francis Xavier, Aloysius and Stanislaus. In the 1870s Henry Clutton designed the north aisle which was added to increase the capacity of the Chapel. The Chapel was deconsecrated in the early 1960s and makes a beautiful setting for civil ceremonies as well as conferences and award dinners. A room we believe is definitely one of Roehampton best kept secrets and that takes your breath away.

 

 

The Ponsonby Room, originally the Library, has a flat-banded ceiling with low relief trophies of the arts and sciences, and owls of Athena and sphinxes. The ceiling was restored during in 2004 and now offers an intimate space for meetings and networking events. It connects through to the Hopkins room which is an ideal syndicate room but was originally a bedchamber!

 

 

 

 

The Bessborough Room was used as the Drawing Room and the ceiling are decorated with reliefs of vases, scrolls and bucrania (ox skulls) often found in classical decorations. The Bessborough makes an exceptional meeting space for small board meetings or intimate dinner parties, with the views overlooking Richmond Park. We just hope your guests don’t spend too long staring out of the windows!

If you would like to hold an event at one of our beautiful, historical venues we’d love to hear from you. Call the office today on 020 8392 3505 to find out more and come visit us!        

www.parksteadhouse.co.uk 

www.grovehouseroehampton.co.uk

A Diary of The Events Team

This time of year has come around so quickly - the nights are drawing in and we’re donning our jumpers instead of sunglasses. Next week we will be brushing up on our smiles, getting ready to chat the hind legs off a donkey and seeing how many hours we can manage to stay in our high heels. Yes, its exhibition time!
 

Conference Roehampton is delighted to be exhibiting this year at Square Meal Venues and Events Live at Old Billingsgate on the 18^th & 19^th September. If you do have some time in your diary next week, we would love you to come and see us on stand C32 so we can indulge in one of our favourite topics... Our four glorious venues!
 

As always, in planning for the show, the main topic of conversation has been what treats we should be giving away. We’ve got some special delights to hand out but you’re going to have to visit us to find out what they are!  We also have some wonderful prizes up for grabs; with our Conference Roehampton scratchcards you could be the winner of our top prize and soon be using one of our meeting rooms with their spectacular views overlooking Richmond Park for free… YES FREE!
 

We have also been busy preparing our new stand. Sporting our new look following our rebrand, the new stand was launched at Venuemasters Academic Venue Show in May and it went down a treat. With lots of photos and colour we are sure to stand out again in the hustle and bustle of the busy aisles of Venues and Events Live.

So once more, we pack up our stands in our [hopefully] light weight cases and trundle out of our pretty neck of the woods in Roehampton to the busy streets of Central London. We’re looking forward to meeting new faces, and with such a range of event spaces we know we will have lots to talk about; let’s hope we last the two days.
 

We look forward to welcoming you to stand C32; let’s hope that we last the two days! Come and see if we are still in our high heels! There’s a sweepstake on whom will last the longest...
 

Looking forward to a busy show.
 

Anna Fowler

Events & Marketing Manager

A Diary of The Events Team

Being an events assistant over the summer months is busy! With weddings, summer schools, fun days, meetings – the list is endless and it’s hard to pick out a favourite but looking back over the last couple of months one of my best experiences was spending the day at our beautiful Grove House working on a filming event. Have a peek below to see what really happens...
 

“As much as London Transport has it’s uses, being picked up for work in a blacked out Mercedes is definitely something I could get used to –  talk about Apprentice style! Filming had already started at Grove House at 5am; not even a posh car would lure me into work that early! As I arrived, the celebrity judges were finalising their shots and then it was all hands on deck for set up. The team were ready to go; time was of the essence - directors, producers, lighting teams, and runners were frantic as they wanted every element of their set up in Grove House to be perfect - I don’t think I could hack life working in production!

My heart stopped in panic as the lighting team started to set up their 15 foot metal lighting rig within our beautiful oak panelled Portrait Room; no scratches anywhere please!  Due to confidentiality we could not take any photos of the set up, but the room was transformed from a historic backdrop to colourful larger than life designs. Different lights and smells engulfed the room and with topiary trees and ice sculptures the room soon took on a life of its own.

A free burger and chips from the company made my day even better – I was starving. I slowly took a bite into the burger to savour every mouthful, however my taste buds have become accustomed to all the fine dining we have been eating recently from our wonderful caterers, pass me canapés and champagne any day!

Throughout the day the office phone was constantly ringing for requests, Wi-Fi codes, tables, chairs, if I had a sink? I would have definitely employed Mary Poppins and her magical bag to assist me on this event.

 

After the hustle and bustle of the set up, I handed over to my manager to oversee the filming. This continued into the night and ran smoothly which was great. Everyone in the filming team was so happy with Grove House and couldn’t have wished for a better place. De-rigging then lasted for 2 hours over the planned schedule, and finally wrapped at 3am. I’ll leave it to you to figure if I felt sorry for my manager whilst I was tucked up in bed!”

 

To find out more about filming or photo shoots at our venues, please call the Conference Office on 020 8392 3505 or visit our website www.grovehouseroehampton.co.uk