Reviews Archives - Steve James

23/11/201723/11/2017

Buffet catering Dorchester

The other day we received this lovely thank you card for a surprise party that we did some Buffet catering Dorchester for Alison. Alison was joined by her friends and family to celebrate her Birthday. We were delighted to help cater a varied buffet of sweet and savoury dishes to suit everyone’s tastes. It is always lovely to get feedback from our clients and this followed the lovely review left by her daughter on our Facebook page as seen below or see the original on Facebook here:

Emma Boyall

We had steve cater for my mum’s 50th birthday party Saturday afternoon. He came round a few hours before the party started and brought with him a whole variety of food. We gave him a few suggestions beforehand but most of it was his idea. Everyone was impressed with what choices were there.

He laid it all out with labels stating what each thing was and if it was suitable for vegetarians, he also prepared things like sandwiches at our house and everything else was also fresh. There were things there to meet everyone’s needs. The spread looked lovely and everyone complimented the food.

There was also plenty there even though we’re all big eaters and we had some left over! Definitely good for money! He also supplied paper plates and wooden cutlery so we didn’t have to worry about a thing. Steve himself was really nice and friendly and professional. Would recommend to anyone and would use him again!

Thank you card for Buffet catering Dorchester

Buffet catering Dorchester We loved the front of the card including the words Moochos Gracias. If you would like to book your own buffet catering then please get in contact with us by email at steve@stevejamesltd.com or via mobile 07909651557

We are also a personal chef and private chef service that covers Somerset and East Devon, Weymouth, Bridport. Yeovil and Puddletown, Poole, Bournemouth, Wimborne and many others.

04/12/2016

Review – Upcott House, Seaton, Devon

A lovely review from Emma and Paul Harvey. The children had Popcorn coated chicken with sweet potato wedges with homemade baked beans and the adults had Red wine braised beef shin with crispy roast potatoes and thyme roasted carrots.

Review

“Steve and Rob catered for my husband’s 50th party last night. They cooked for 40 guests, including 13 children. The food was amazing and the service faultless. In fact, they went well beyond what we expected. Lovely guys and very capable. Highly recommended.”

To book your own event get in contact

We are a caterer and Personal chef service that covers Somerset and Dorset including Weymouth, Sherborne, Bruton, Bridport, Dorchester, Lyme Regis, Weston and Yeovil. If you would like to know if we cover your area please get in touch and we would be happy to discuss this with you.

19/08/201626/08/2016

Tiger Gin *

About Tiger Gin

I got to sample Tiger Gin today. JJ Lawrence makes this in Shropshire and his passion is, well, gin. From this he was intrigued by the idea of making it himself. He managed to find a local distiller to help him create, “The most beautiful gin in the world!”. For my personal chef experience evenings this gin would be perfect for cocktails as it is so smooth.

On opening the bottle you are hit by the strong scent of juniper. I poured the gin over ice and took a sip. The gin has a syrupy feel on the tongue. On the taste there is that strong juniper flavour as with the scent. On their website it says there is botanicals, spices and grains that go into the process of making the gin. The strong flavour of juniper does dominate but there is also a very complex flavour to the gin. I can get a hint of orange but can’t quite make out the other flavours.

How I would use Tiger Gin

The flavour of the gin is stunning and they suggest serving it with tonic water over ice with a slice of lemon. For a personal chef experience night, I would use it in many cocktails. There is one my new menu, the plum and thyme prosecco smash. Alternatively, you could mix it with some crushed fresh blackberries, a little sugar, a squeeze of half a lemon over. Then top up with ice and add tonic water for another autumnal cocktail. Another great cocktail would be to use some apple juice, a shot of gin over ice and top up with ginger ale.

Personal chef covers Somerset and Dorset including Weymouth, Sherborne, Bruton, Bridport, Dorchester, Lyme Regis, Weston and Yeovil.

10/08/201626/08/2016

Dorset Blue Vinny *

About Dorset Blue Vinny

Today I got to try the incredible Dorset Blue Vinny Cheese made at Woodbridge Farm In Sturminster Newton. Woodbridge Farm is run by Richard Davies and his family. They have looked after the farm for over 40 years. This is where they resurrected a 300 year old recipe for the Blue Vinny. As a caterer in Sturminster Newton it is great to have such as great local produce to use on my menu.

The Dorset Blue Vinny is produced straight from their own herd of Friesian cows. They do this on the 580 acres on the Stock Estate at Stock Gaylard. The cheese takes over 24 hours to make where they finally add a blue mould penicillin solution. They do this to ensure you get the beautiful blue veins of the cheese. The cheese is also made using a vegetarian rennet. Once the milk has coagulated it is cut up and left to settle overnight where they drain off the whey. It is then cut into blocks and ground and salted. After a few days they are transferred to a ripening room for up to 15 weeks.

My view on Dorset Blue Vinny

The Blue Vinny cheese is crumbly smooth an melts in the mouth with a beautiful creamy colour marbled with beautiful blue veins. I tried it straight from the fridge and also after leaving out for a little bit. After leaving it out for a while to get warm it had a superb strong flavour to it. With The Dorset Blue Vinny I also received some of their Sweet Pickled Cucumber. This was delicious with the Blue Vinny. Lovely slices of cucumber studded with mustard seeds that pop as you bite them. This had a great contrast of sweetness and tartness with the pickling liquid. The Cheese itself would work fantastically with pasta or on some bruschetta. It would also work well with earthy beetroot or even with fruit such as pears. I enjoyed it just simply on a biscuit with a nice glass of red wine!

This is definitely something I will be looking forward to incorporating into my menu over the next few months. If you would like to try this for yourself then please visit their website www.dorsetblue.com where you can buy this in various sizes including an incredibly cute Dorset Blue Mini or even in a ceramic pot!

Caterer in Sturminster Newton

04/08/201626/08/2016

The Real Boar Co *

Wild Boar salami, Chorizo and game salami

Today I had the great pleasure of trying some great British Charcuterie. As a caterer in Yeovil I am always looking for great local produce to use throughout my meals. The Real Boar Co ethically farm their Boar in 20 acres of woodlands in the Cotswolds. Their Charcuterie is made in the Cotswolds and in the South West. It is found in many delis, hotels and restaurant all across Great Britain.

I was supplied with a mixed pack of Charcuterie. It contained a Wild Boar Salami, a Wild Boar Chorizo and a Game Salami. On opening the packet it had a very tempting aroma. The Game Salami is a mix of Wild Boar, Pork and venison which has a great flavour to it. The Wild Boar Salami had a great richness to it. There is a very nice herby flavour which complimented the flavour of the Boar and had a great marbling of fat through the salami. My favourite has to be the Wild boar Chorizo though. It has a similar underlying flavour as the salami but with an added addition of a bit of spice.

I can think of so many ways to use this incredible product, in pasta, in salads, or just on its own with a glass of wine. It is clear to see why they have won so many awards.

To purchase your own please visit their website www.therealboar.co.uk it is definitely worth it!

Wild-boar-Chorizo-salami-game-salami caterer in yeovil

01/08/201616/08/2016

The Great Dorset Chilli Festival

I had a fantastic day at The Great Dorset Chilli Festival yesterday. It is held every year at the beautiful St Giles House and Park in Wimborne St Giles. As a Caterer Dorset it is important I visit events to try out fantastic local food producers and yesterday was no exception. At the festival there is some great suppliers selling everything from chilli plants, seeds, sauces and pastes to ceramics, cheeses, james and chutneys. There is also some fantastic meat products and I want to share some of my favourites with you.

Toffoc-

A great toffee vodka which isn’t too sweet and very smooth. www.toffoc.com

Gillys-

Their Blonde Dressing. It was very smooth and slightly sweet and had a great fruity flavour to it. It would be great with salad or sea food www.gillysfoods.co.uk

Chillees-

I tried a sauce called Beet the Reaper. This sauce is a fantastic purple/red in colour and had a great smoky, earthy flavour to it from the beetroot. Be careful as it has a extremely hot creeping heat. They also do some fantastic chilli oil and a garlic and chilli oil using cold pressed virgin chilli oils. These would be fantastic to use for cooking and in dressings www.thechillees.co.uk

The Cherry Tree-

A fantastic company from North Mills in Dorset with so many great products. From their shop is a fantastic Turkish Delight Curd which was perfumy smooth and creamy. My favourite at their stall is a beautiful cracked black pepper and garlic cheddar. They sell some fantastic Chutneys, Jams and Marmalades, definitely well recommended. www.cherrytreepreserves.co.uk

Dockwoods-

Dockwoods smoked goats cheese has to be my favourite product of the day. This paired with the beetroot and red cabbage chutney is absolutely delicious. They use British oak to smoke the goats cheese for 24 hours. It has a great smoky flavour but not overly smoky and is nice and creamy. The chutney is extremely well balanced and has great sweet and sour notes with a hint of coriander seeds coming through. www.Dockwoods.co.uk

The Cold Pressed Oil Company-

The Cold Pressed Oil Company has a fantastic rosemary and garlic infused rapeseed oil which tastes beautiful. It has great bold flavours and is great for roast potatoes and drizzled over new potatoes or peas. www.coldpressedoil.co.uk

Caterer Dorset

18/07/201616/08/2016

Hello World – Steve James Ltd

Steve James Ltd Personal chef

Hi everyone and welcome to my (steve james ltd personal chef) new blog. I look forward to providing you with lots of reviews of products from some of my new suppliers. There will also be recipes I post for you with new and exciting dishes and cocktails. Through here I can keep you up to date with all the latest events and evenings I will be doing. I will also be sharing with you all the latest dishes and menus. So keep checking back to keep up to date with all the latest news.

I offer a personal chef service providing holiday catering, cooking for dinner parties and canapés for parties plus many other events. If you would like me to review a product then drop me an email. I can also design you a bespoke meal if given notice so please do not hesitate to get in touch contact us.

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