A Diary of The Events Team

Roses are red, violets are blue, who will be buying some flowers for you? Why is the rose the most popular flower to give on Valentine’s Day? Where did Valentine’s Day originate from? What are the traditions behind Valentine’s Day? How many cards will our gorgeous team get this year? We might not be able to answer the last question but we have had a look into the rest...

©  There are a many theories behind the origins of Valentine’s Day but our favourites are:

• In third century Rome, Emperor Claudius outlawed marriage for young men, believing that single  men made better soldiers than those with families. Realising the injustice of this, one priest named  Valentine continued to perform marriages in secret for young couples. Claudius found out about these  secret ceremonies and ordered Valentine be put to death.
• The first Valentine’s greeting was sent from a prison cell where Valentine fell in love with a young girl, possibly the jailor’s daughter. Before his death, He sent her a letter signed “from your Valentine”.
• In 1537, King Henry VIII declared, by Royal Charter, that all England would celebrate February 14 as "Saint Valentine's Day". Over time, Saint Valentine became the accepted Patron Saint of Lovers and February 14^th became the traditional date for exchanging messages and tokens of love. 

© Red roses are a popular choice of flowers to give loved ones on Valentine's Day as they symbolise love, romance, beauty and perfection. All that is celebrated on February        14^th (and should be all year round might we add)!
©  You may have been forced to endure a speed dating night by one of your friends but count yourself lucky.  During the medieval era, English maidens and bachelors put          their names into a box; pairs of names were drawn out and those chosen had to become a couple for a whole year. The man was bound by duty to protect his chosen            lady and to wear her name on his sleeve!

©  If you have a family, the Norfolk tradition that Jack Valentine is a lovable yet mysterious character who on the eve of Valentine’s Day will knock at children’s doors and        leave them treats and presents might be one you want to keep to yourself!

©  Are you racking your brains for a popular wedding favour for your big day? We think the Welsh who celebrate Valentine’s Day on the          15^th January have a fantastic idea. It is customary for Welsh couples to give love-spoons with symbolic designs. This age-old tradition          possibly originated among sailors who would carve spoons and give them to a lady they were interested in marrying. Patterns include          keys to signify a man’s heart and wheels to show his hard work. What would be your design?

©  However, our favourite here in the office is the tradition in Denmark and Norway where men will send poems to their desired giving them a clue as          to who sent it by signing off with little dots which represent the amount of letters in their name. If the recipient guesses the sender correctly, she            is entitled to an Easter Egg a few months later. If she cannot guess her secret admirer, she owes him an Easter Egg! 

      We do hope on February 14^th you will be a washed with love-spoons, poems, roses and chocolates. Should you need to send a last minute bouquet,  don’t forget our lovely florists, Gardenia, Lavender Green, Seasons Florists and Richard Elder – they will be more than happy to help!

 Happy Valentine’s Day from all at the Events Team! 

A Diary of the Events Team

New Years’ Resolutions; we all make them and we all break them. If you’ve made a resolution to eat healthier or more environmentally-friendly food, these tips and predictions for 2014, might make keeping your resolutions  easier then you first thought!

After tempting your taste buds late last year with our various Christmas menus, we’ve asked our caterers for their take on healthy eating and trends that they believe will make 2014 a fabulous year for food!

found that 2013 was a year where we wanted to know a lot more about our food, particularly where it is sourced from, and they anticipate that this will gather more attention in 2014. To comply with their values of sourcing food locally, and the produce being seasonal and  sustainable, Penni Black have created four seasonal dinner menus - delicious and delicate dishes for spring; light and fresh for summer; robust and wholesome for autumn; and hearty dishes for winter. Dishes include mini parmesan crumbled kiev with roasted tomato compote and rosemary scented squash.

also believe that 2014 is the year where suppliers will need to be even more environmentally aware, both regarding the ingredients that are being used and the eco-friendly practices that they commit to. Bubble have always been about making eating not just an experience for the palate but one for all the senses and they predict that this year will see a move towards sensory experiences, where smells and sounds are used to create drama.

our in-house caterer are a big believer in kick-starting your day with healthy option breakfasts. Schmoose your guests with smoothies- banana and summer berry are among some of the favourites. Or if you have a full day ahead of you, keep going with slow release carbs from a muesli and yogurt bar or porridge, topped with fruits, seeds and nuts.

Chartwells strive to use the highest quality, freshest ingredients, incorporating seasonal, local, sustainable produce where possible. They are committed to reducing the fat, salt and sugar levels in our food whilst minimising and eliminating, where possible, the use of artificial additives. 

So avoid the peaks and troughs of the caffeine curve and sugar rush brigade, stay focussed for longer and deliver better results.

Food is fuel. Fill up with the right stuff and enjoy your day ahead.

believe healthy food doesn’t have to mean bland food.  Check out the  recipe below to see if they’re  right!

This month they’ve used seasonal ingredients to create a healthy salad, that’s bursting with flavour. The blood orange isn’t in season for very long but it is packed with Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Calcium, Folic Acid and Anthocyanins so get your hands on it while you still can and make a delicious blood orange, fennel and prawn salad.

Serves 4

Prawns Marinade                                Dressing                                                                                                         Salad     

2 blood oranges - zest only                  ½ medium red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped                                           2 blood oranges

1 tbsp fennel seeds - toasted               80g palm sugar (use honey or Agave Nector if you don't have any palm sugar)       1 large bulb fennel – very finely shaved

Pinch saffron                                     60ml fish sauce                                                                                               ½ cucumber peeled and finely shaved

2 tbsp. olive oil                                 ¼ cup fresh blood orange juice (about 1 orange)                                                ¼ red onion, peeled and finely shaved

16 Tiger prawns – peeled & deveined   ½ tbsp. fresh lemon juice                                                                                2 large handfuls wild rocket & watercress

                                                        Salt and freshly ground black pepper                                                                Chopped green fennel tops                                                                                                                                                                                                      4 tsp. shredded mint leaves

Method

Combine all the ingredients for the marinade. Marinate the raw prawns overnight or for at least 4 hours.

Combine all the ingredients for the dressing.

Fry the prawns in a pan until cooked – approx. 1 minute on each side. Set aside.

Peel and segment the oranges from the pith.

Slice the fennel, cucumber and red onion using a mandolin if you have one. Otherwise carefully slice to slithers with a sharp knife. Toss with half of the dressing and reserve the rest for garnish.

Add the orange segments and all the leaves to the fennel salad just before serving.

Arrange 4 prawns on each plate with the fennel salad. 

Drizzle with the remaining dressing.

Notes:

You can replace the prawns with 125g soft curd or goat’s cheese for a different option.

When blood oranges are out of season, you can replace with regular oranges which are a little larger or seeds from 1 pomegranate and use 2 tbsp. cider vinegar instead of the juice.

We hope the above have been an encouragement to your healthy eating resolutions. If you make the Blue Strawberry recipe, please tweet us pictures of your efforts @parksteadhouse.

To book your healthy, sustainable and all-round tasty catering and events, please call the Conference Office on 020 8392 3505 or email conferences@roehampton.ac.uk.