Join us behind the scenes at London’s best known luxury event caterer, as we take a look at the first three months of 2025:
January
The first month of the year was, as always, lean and mean as we started the preparations for the year ahead. The team was busy, both at their desks here in London and in remote locations plotting and planning for the sunnier months. The menu design team was equally immersed in thoughts of spring-summer as they put the finishing touches to the summer season’s menus. With our food philosophy championing seasonality and UK produced ingredients, there is an array of wonderful produce to play with, including Wye Valley asparagus, La Latteria Burrata (made in West London), fruit and vegetables from Smith & Brock, and salmon from The Weald Smokery, located in the beautiful East Sussex Weald.
On one of the month’s snow days, we took a trip to the heart of the South Downs, where Exton Park Vineyard has its home, enjoying arguably the most beautiful location in Hampshire. We toured the vineyards, and tasted the magnificent sparkling wines that are produced from 60 acres of vines. By Word of Mouth offers three of Exton Park’s sparkling wines on our English wine list and we are looking forward to serving them on many events this year and beyond.
Our annual Carbon Awareness workshop has become a firm date in the diary for our venue partners. Such was the enthusiasm, we hosted two sessions at BWoM HQ, delivered by our net zero advisers, Positive Planet, and brilliantly received by an audience keen to soak up knowledge and empower themselves to make positive change. The conversation over lunch (seasonal, low waste and vegetarian) was animated, as guests shared their thoughts, all determined to put into practice what they had learned during the session.
On the last day of January, a group headed over to our charity partner, City Harvest London, to spend the morning volunteering in its Acton depot. We helped sort through the huge array of surplus fresh produce that arrives each day from the charity’s food partners and packed weekly food boxes for families which was inspiring and humbling. Every item rescued by City Harvest and redistributed across its 375 community partners is prevented from ending up in landfill, underpinning its mission to rescue, food, people and planet. It was amazing to gain a deeper understanding of the charity, its operations and the enormously positive impact its work has on vulnerable Londoners.
By Word of Mouth’s dish of the month:
BEETROOT & GOAT’S CHEESE PANNA COTTA
Blood orange gel, candy beet crisp, toasted walnuts, pickled golden beets
February
February continued the planning activity as site visits galore took place, whilst planning started in earnest for our greatly anticipated Chef’s Table dinner, taking place early the following month.
One of the most anticipated days in the calendar, the company tasting of the new season’s canapes, took place early in February. Painstaking work goes in to devising and testing our canapes, each of which demonstrates the skill, creativity and care of our canape team, and it is invaluable to taste them together as a team and to implement any notes or feedback well in advance of the new season starting.
In a week of events, including an exciting film premiere at Tate Modern, we headed over to Saatchi Gallery to the private view of Flowers, Flora in Contemporary Art & Culture. Divided into nine sections, this exquisite exhibition celebrates the many ways in which flowers are depicted by artists, and their presence throughout contemporary culture. From fashion and photography to art and graphic design, the exhibition is breath-taking and comes highly recommended by team BWoM (runs until 5th May 2025).
By Word of Mouth’s dish of the month:
PAN FRIED TURBOT AND SEARED SCALLOP
Jerusalem artichoke puree, potato croutons, baby artichoke, baby leek, saffron cream, coral dust
March
With the events diary gathering pace, March brought the first signs of spring with many clients choosing to infuse their events with glorious colour. From the grandeur of the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery, Tate Britain, and the Tower of London to the charming and historic Museum of the Order of St John and Dr Johnson’s House, the BWoM team delivered a constant stream of beautiful events throughout the month.
On a day filled with blue skies and sunshine, our Chef’s Table dinner brought a slice of Provence to Wandsworth. Collaborating with floristry maestro, Simon Lycett and production experts, Event Concept, we devised the most stunning experience for our guests. Chilled champagne, Provence-inspired canapes and a classic kir were enjoyed in a room filled with glorious, yellow mimosa before guests moved through to the kitchens for dinner. Audible gasps were heard as the stunning dinner table made its impact: an array of scented herbs, olive trees, flowers and potted plants were clustered down the centre of elegant wooden dining tables from Velvet Living. Soft lighting, that changed gently as the evening progressed, picked out the detail on the tables: bespoke embroidered napkins from Cotton Tales, chestnut glass water goblets and sage green place mats from The Social Kitchen. Giant olive trees were placed around the edge of the table, giving the impression the table was set in a glorious garden in the South of France. On the menu: Comte gougere and pickled artichoke snacks, lobster souffle with Provencal fougasse, duck confit cassoulet and the most exquisite apple tarte tatin with ginger & raw honey ice cream.
Another key collaborative event for By Word of Mouth in March, and one that demonstrated the impact of our sustainability initiatives, was the launch of the new Garden Kitchen at the Natural History Museum, an elegant building with a contemporary aesthetic, overlooking the newly refurbished gardens. Working with the team from the NHM and Event Concept, we brought together an event infused with sustainability, from the no-waste canapes and taster plates to the homemade lemonade, created from surplus fruit. Our Commercial Director, Mim Etchells, joined the speaking panel in a lively and thought-provoking debate around sustainable events, during which she announced to the audience that the delicious English Bacchus wine they were drinking came out of a box rather than a glass bottle – truly the mic-drop moment of the evening. Once again, By Word of Mouth is setting the pace by being the first event caterer to offer Laylo, a premium boxed wine with impressive sustainable credentials. The team from Laylo is passionate about dispelling the myth that boxed wine means inferior wine and this point was proved brilliantly at this event.
And so, the first three months of the year have come and gone. With spring finally here, we are already gearing up for the busy season and all that it brings. More on that in our next bulletin!
By Word of Mouth’s dish of the month:
YORKSHIRE RHUBARB & LONDON HONEY CHOUX
Blood orange creme patissiere, London honey jelly, rhubarb compote
Photo credits: Harry Pseftoudis, Matt Chung