After the weather Britain had been experiencing recently no-one could have guessed that a glorious sunny day awaited us all up in Little Musgrave at the stunning venue of Eden Barn for Laura & Mark’s magnificent big day!
Campbell & Rowley were delighted to be catering for Laura & Mark’s wedding day and for the first time at Eden Barn and it certainly won’t be our last! Cliff & Carolyn who own and run the wedding venue have done an absolutely superb job in renovating their barn to become a stunning, rustic yet modern, countryside venue. Definite Pinterest material!
Laura & Mark first came to us back in April 2017 and their plans then were big and things only got bigger! With the initial idea of a simple 2 course menu with a Hog Roast for evening this soon developed into a much more extravagant affair!
Wedding guests were greeted to the venue with open glass doors leading from the courtyard into the newly built bar area. Large oak beams, stone floors (with under floor heating!), a huge wooden clad bar with ornate glass lampshades and an array of flowers and fairy lights lovingly and ever so precisely put in place by Laura, Mark and the wedding party was enough to make anyone’s jaw drop!
Guests were soon ushered into the ceremony to take their seats. The next half an hour seemed to take an eternity as everyone was waiting with baited breath for the arrival of the bride! It turns out being too organised the morning of your big day and running ahead of schedule may not always be the best answer! Thankfully the sound of tyres crunching gravel soon touched everyone’s ears and the blushing bride was on her way down the aisle.
The knot was tied and Campbell & Rowley jumped into action. With a rapturous round of applause, the doors opened and there were the new Mr & Mrs Maclean. Heather and the team were on hand with trays of prosecco (the bride and grooms’ of course in their own personalised glasses adorned with a raspberry) and glasses of Kronenbourg which were left from a seemingly over supplied stag do?! Guests were straight outside making the most of the spring sunshine which meant the C&R team could begin to reset the ceremony room into a stunning dining room.
Cliff had made tables which were to act as the top tables and these are certainly one of a kind! It simply adds to the charm of the venue and the attention to detail you long to find! Tables were soon placed out around the room, covered with white linen cloths and in the middle of the tables a woodland themed centre piece created by Laura’s mum. Circular logs were decorated with foliage, wild flowers, copper lights and even mini toadstools! A lantern with a giant balloon tied to each were in the midst of it all and it really brought the room alive. But the handmade charm didn’t stop there. Laura’s mum had also gone to the trouble of making clay maple leaves as name cards for all the guests! These were so delicate but were the perfect accompaniment to the already charming make up of the day.
The room was set and guests were invited back to take their seats. Laura & Mark were welcomed into the room with cheers and we were led straight into the speeches with the Father of the Bride, Jeff followed by Laura’s Maid of Honour.
Stomach’s were soon rumbling with the heavenly smells coming from the kitchen located only feet away from the main room. The Campbell & Rowley team were doing what they do best and delivered the starters of either Homemade Celeriac, Leek & Crumbled Stilton Soup with Crispy Leeks and Artisan Bread or Chicken Liver Pate, Crostini Breads, Homemade Orchard Chutney & Mixed Leaf Salad dressed with Balsamic Vinegar to each table.
Plates were licked clean and before long the main dishes were making their way out of the kitchen. The guests were treated to either a Ballotine of Chicken stuffed with Sun-blushed Tomato & Fresh Basil, served with Pink Peppercorn & Champagne Sauce or 12 hour Cooked Daube of Beef, Lytham Blonde Ale & Caramelised Onion Gravy, all served with Fondant Potatoes and Honey Roasted Root Vegetables. The vegetarians certainly weren’t left out! They had the delights of chefs Homemade Cheese, Onion & Butternut Squash Pie, again with a Fondant Potato & Honey Roasted Root Vegetables. Safe to say there were smiles on every bodies faces and even more so as the Groom dove into his speech as soon as the last main plate was cleared away.
A rather hilarious Best Man’s speech followed and with guests’ sides splitting it was only fair to ease the pain through sugary goodness, and this came in the form of the classic Sticky Toffee Pudding served with Butterscotch Sauce, Crushed Honeycomb and Toffee Ice Cream. Or if you wanted something a little lighter there was the option of Crème Brulee served with Seasonal Berries and a Hedgerow Coulis.
Stomach’s suitably full it was time to turn the room around once more for the evening reception and to dance the night away! The lanterns and balloons from the centre pieces were placed around the dance floor and a few tables were re-clothed after a few over-zealous red wine pourers and it was time to party!
What an entrance the band made! Through the side door of the barn, playing as they entered and kicked the night off with a bang! Soulful swing and a brass band got everyone’s dancing feet into the rhythm of the night.
With lots of dancing, comes lots of hungry guests once more! Laura & Mark had certainly got this covered when they ordered canapes of Mini Yorkshire Puddings filled with Slow Cooked Beef and a Horseradish Gravy, Chicken Satay Skewers with a spicy Satay dip, Mini Goats Cheese Pizza’s with Rocket Salad and our infamous Steak & Chip skewers with Peppercorn Sauce. These went down a storm as guests lapped them up from our waiters around the room.
But that wasn’t it! Oh no! With more dancing and drinking underway there was more food to come! Bowl foods of Lancashire Hot Pot & Red Cabbage and a Veggie Thai Green Curry with Fluffy White Rice made its way around the venue and wedding guests were all too happy to devour the lot!
Stomachs lined once more everyone was making a bee line to the bar and what a night! The whisky favours that were laid out, not a drop was left, nor was there a drop of gin. The Maclean’s and Haydock’s had literally drunk the bar dry!
Campbell & Rowley certainly had the most amazing time being a part of Laura & Mark’s big day and can’t thank them enough for choosing us. We hope we made your day as special as you dreamed it would be – even down to eating hotpot in the kitchen at 12.30am in -1 degrees!
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