Venues
Food Glorious Food
Choosing your menu
When it comes to your wedding reception, the dinner menu served is its hallmark and is your complete opportunity to entertain and wow your guests. Choosing a menu is one of the hardest tasks and the main thing to remember is that you can`t please everyone. Ultimately, hotel kitchens are big and can handle most so if a guest needs some alterations in the menu department, they will be in good hands. Your job is to relax and savour - at this point you have done everything you can and you have worked hard to get to this day.
BEEF OR SALMON?
It has become the beef or salmon era, so much so we have a racehorse named just so! Quality Irish Beef or Salmon is unrivalled and with so many hotels part of the File Bia programme (high quality, locally sourced produce), you are on a winner.
To be different, choose a different cut of beef, like a fillet or sirloin, think about alternative sauces that will set the dish off. In the salmon department, think along similar lines and you will not disappoint.
Hotels offer extensive menus and their Head Chefs put in extensive research and effort in creating them, so the best place to start is to dine at the hotel`s restaurant to savour a broad range of what`s on offer from the hotel`s kitchen. Here, you might find a gem and this can be discussed with the hotel when choosing your menu.
DIFFERENT OPTIONS
Offering a choice on the menu is another area of uncertainty for many couples. It`s good to offer a choice and it`s wise to limit it to no more than two choices per course. Starters should have a salad base with meat or fish, or be warm with pastry in the winter months. Soups should be kept fairly simple. Though pea soup is wonderful, it is generally not a favourite with Irish wedding guests! For desserts, what many hotels offer is an assiette or medley of desserts, where a couple of traditional favourites are served in miniature on the same plate - a great way of offering choice without breaking the bank!
The main course is where most concerns lie and the meat or fish avenue is best. If veal or venison is your favourite, it is generally not widely eaten at weddings and it may be best to ask the hotel to prepare that main course for you or your beloved only! The popular meat choices are beef, turkey and ham and chicken, while fish favourites include salmon, monkfish and cod. Fish is particularly good as the accompanying sauces can be fantastic, so go for it!
The alternative to offering broad choices on your menu is to include some extra courses such as sorbet and cheese to offer more variety instead. This works brilliantly for early-sitting dinners as they stretch the evening before entertainment begins. Also, they can be an opportunity to show more of your personality. Chefs love this challenge too!
Overall, discuss your menu ideas with the Banqueting Manager and / or Chef who will advise you wisely. Seasonality will be important in terms of vegetables chosen, style of potatoes, accompanying sauces, etc and fresh produce in season cooked with passion cannot be beaten.
