Add your content here Kare                                                ns Karens' Blog

 

 

It seems there is yet another food programe to hit our  TV screens.!

 

I received a call the other day from the BBC to see if I would be interested in getting involved in a new programe about cooking

focusing on traditional recipes and food "your mother used to make" . Now, i'm not sure I could stand another programe about food,

there are so many, even though I love food, it does get a bit boring when it seems to be on all the time. I have politely declined,

although I'm comfortable in the kitchen, being on TV fills me with horror......I'm not the most photogenic person ,

a picture of me on my website is quite enough thank you.

 

This is probably the busiest time of the year for us so there is lots of early starts and late evenings and the inquiries for next summers'

weddings which always seem to come in about a year in advance. I've also been approached by some specialist canape and dessert suppliers to

see if I would be interested in buying their products. Sometimes, when I'm in the kitchen at 6am preparing food for the day it seems like a good idea.....

one less thing to think about .....but then I come to my senses....Although they may be very nice, it  would mean  placing my reputation

in the hands of someone else and that isn't something I could do. We've always made our own food and built our reputation on it, so it's here to stay.

 

Kind Regards,

 

Karen

 

May 2011.

 

Well. It’s the night of Barcelona against Real Madrid and the family is gathered around the TV.  Footie is not for me,

so it’s a choice between the ironing and a blog entry…… the blog won!

 

I was struggling to think about what to write, but after going through a few e-mails, I thought I’d talk about something

that happens to all companies…..the business I’ve lost.

 

A few weeks ago I received an e-mail from a lovely lady, thanking us for our quote saying she had decided not to use us,

but only because we don’t do chocolate fountains and it made it easier to use another caterer who was offering this service

as she just had one point of contact. I can fully understand this view and this is something that has happened a few times

over the years, when we have been asked to provide marquees, bars, chair covers which again, are things we don’t do.

(Although we can recommend other companies)

 

I have also lost a couple of bookings on price and just yesterday was asked to match another caterer at £5 per head on a hot dish

and £3.95 per head for a finger buffet. The simple fact is that I can't produce food that I would happy with at these costs. I would have to cut corners and compromise my standards and that is something I wouldn't feel comfortable doing. I can't guarantee that we will be the cheapest quote you receive because we

probably won't be. But I can guarantee you delicious homemade food that will be enjoyed and remembered by you and your guests.

Now I know budget is important and with three children under eleven we have to budget carefully.

 

However, food can be different. If we take the children out to eat, we could go to the local 2 for 1. We know it will be cheap, although the food can be a bit hit and miss. If we go to a recommended restaurant, we’ll certainly pay more, but the food is usually very tasty and a little different.

 

Money has never been a major motivating factor for me. If it was, I probably would get involved in all the add – ons like chocolate fountains,mobile bars, marquees, etc but I think I’ll stick to what we enjoy and are good at ,which is producing delicious homemade food.

 

Finally, I’m really looking forward to the weddings we are doing in the next few weeks, one of them being at a lovely location in the peak district. I really hope the weather behaves itself.

 

Kind Regards,

 

Karen