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 Hi and welcome back to this week's episode of the Wedding Lounge podcast. This week we are

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 joined by the lovely Charlotte from the Needy greedy. Hi Charlotte, welcome to the podcast.

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 Hello, it's lovely to be here. We are talking about once again our favourite

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 topic. I think maybe we should have like a side podcast all about food, but we're talking about food

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 with you. And more specifically, those smaller intimate events and things that might come around a

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 big celebration or for those couples choosing to have a smaller, yeah, a more intimate, intimate

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 dining experience. So what sort of meals or gatherings do you find people tend to have around

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 a wedding? You do, it's lovely to have sort of several occasions to mark the celebrations.

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 So actually you can sometimes pick off with an engagement party which is quite nice.

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 And that's quite often hosted by like maybe the couples themselves and it's a bit more informal

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 and just to celebrate that and that can be sort of drinks or a barbecue or something fun,

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 but it's quite nice to have something informal because quite often the gap between the wedding

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 and the engagement is quite long. I guess it's quite nice to get families together.

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 Yeah, yeah. It gives people a chance like socialising meat before

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 Hindu statues and the actual wedding day. People go, oh, hang on, I met you at the engagement party,

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 you know, and some people, it's even a chance of families to meet because sometimes families

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 haven't even met, have they? No. Well, yeah, absolutely. And there's sort of extended family and

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 the cousins or whatever. And because they're at that little bit more informal, people feel a bit

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 less stressed about them and it's a bit more relaxed and casual than, you know, the full wedding.

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 So they're quite, no, I think they're lovely occasions doing engagement parties.

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 And funny enough, quite often, parents quite like to host at, you know, it's a sort of lovely moment

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 for them. So that's a really nice thing, particularly if like maybe one sort of parents are hosting

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 the wedding, then the other set of parents might like to host the engagement party.

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 We had a meet the fockers weekend. It was what it was called.

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 Because my in-laws invited my parents to Yorkshire to meet all of their friends, which was kind of

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 like shortly after Chris and I got engaged. My parents offered to Bonnie Yorkshire for this whole

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 weekend of being introduced to every single family friend of my husband. So they were on their own.

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 So it wasn't like a meeting of two sides. It was a, here's the greatest family coming to me

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 for the Hillyard clan and Yorkshire lot. It was, it was amazing. It was really lovely weekend but

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 they hosted like dinner. Yeah, it was really funny. Yeah, lovely. So it's sort of bonso fun.

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 And then, you know, sort of going along on the next kind of stage. Obviously you've got your

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 hen-dos and your stag-dos. Now that is something I have catered a lot for, is for hen-dos.

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 And, but it was, it's not like a normal hen-do. It's a very classy hen-do.

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 I think that going that way now people will want something a bit more classy, a bit more intimate.

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 I think, you know, drinking isn't necessarily as popular as it was, that drinking culture,

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 want a nice weekend away. People are perhaps getting married a little bit older. So some of the

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 brine more mature have to, you know, they're going for like a nice relaxed weekend away. They value

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 sort of time in the conversations more than getting exactly wasted. Well, that's what I cater a lot

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 for, because I'm affiliated with a lovely holiday house company here in Kent and Sussex.

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 And they quite often hire out a holiday house to a group of hens for a lovely weekend. And they

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 go and do sort of quite wholesome activities like go sort of walking or they might go for a vineyard

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 tour or something. And then, actually, because you've sort of paid for this lovely house,

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 it's really nice to actually have a special dinner in there and get a chef in. And also so much

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 more relaxed because you can have sort of games in between if you want to, a bit more affordable.

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 You could also really dress up. Whereas if you're in a restaurant, you're a little bit more

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 constricted. So it's very nice to have like a, a cook come in and do it. And that works so well.

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 Really fun. I did one of my, one of my friends' hen do's, years ago. We got a beautiful house

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 near Canterbury. And to myself and one of the other bridesmaids, we did, because on the first evening,

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 everyone was sort of getting in there. We did a big curry. And it's no big chili, sorry. And it was

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 really stressful. Yeah, I mean, just cooking a chili con cardie, like with my guys packets, like

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 16 people. But we had a chef on the next day. So we did nice activities. And then the next evening,

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 you know, as you say, it's like experience. And we could be silly. We could, it's kind of it, isn't it?

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 Yeah, we don't have to worry about other people in the restaurant. And we didn't have the stress

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 of serving, washing up, cooking, you know, all of that. It's really nice. It's a, it's really nice.

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 And relaxed dinner. But weirdly, actually, you know, if you're sort of thinking budget,

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 it can work out a bit cheaper. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Actually, I have a chef in, because you're buying

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 your own wine. Yes. So, you know, you're not paying corkage in a restaurant, which is so expensive.

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 You know, you might have some champagne or something that you want to get, you know,

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 buy a bottle of champagne in a restaurant, really expensive. And you're not paying out taxis or

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 anything like that. You're in the lovely house. Everyone's much more relaxed. You can still dress up

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 and, you know, have lovely photos. And I was quite like to say, when I'm catering these days,

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 we do canopies. So you have that sort of, you know, kind of coming down for dinner at the moment,

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 which is so nice with a glass of bubbly or something. And everyone chats and then you sit down and

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 have whatever food that you want to have. And it doesn't have to cost a fortune. I think you're right.

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 It really, it really doesn't. I think people maybe have this idea that hiring a private chef is

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 more expensive. But when, as you say, when you think about restaurant prices and buying drinks out,

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 that is where a lot of you're still going to go out nowadays, is this rate? Yeah. And I think as well,

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 if you're spending out on a really lovely accommodation, it's nice to utilise that as well,

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 like completely, literally enjoy that. And we've had Sarah on before from beyond the table,

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 who I know you obviously were closely with and having someone like Sarah to style the table and

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 make it look beautiful just totally elevates the whole Hindu. Yeah, as well. Well, we definitely don't

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 like catering. It does. And then you can still do the sort of lovely things that you want to do,

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 like you might do a Mr and Mrs. Quiz, or, you know, I'm sure you've talked about this a lot,

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 but I quite often see those that Hindus or speeches are made. And, you know, it's so much more relaxed

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 than a restaurant. It's a really nice thing to do. So, I mean, I love doing those. And, yeah,

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 really, really lovely to liaison with the Chief Bridesmaid often and organise it. And everyone chips in

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 and it works out really well. And you know, also, you know, what you spent then. Yeah, yeah, exactly.

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 You know, so if you're budgeting, you're not like, oh, we've come to the restaurant and something

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 of the bill is our hundred quid ahead. Actually, no, we know. We know it's going to be sort of 50 pounds

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 ahead for the food. That's darn boom or whatever. I mean, it's a great thing. And I think also if you work

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 with having somebody come in, then, you know, they can work with you to your budget as well. Yeah,

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 that's certainly what I do, which is, which is a really nice thing to do. So you've got that meal.

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 And then also you've got the family dinner the night before or wedding. Yeah, which is lovely. I don't

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 know what your experience is, but quite often each family want to sort of do their own thing because

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 it's like they're they're last night. So, and you certainly don't want to be running around stressing.

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 No, but if you do want to cater at yourself, I mean, I would say definitely

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 keep it simple, but you can make so many things in at farms. Don't have lots of pots and pans boiling

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 on the work surface. Do some big abundant salads. Nobody wants anything heavy either, really.

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 No, I've had a few mixed ones. Some have brought in chefs to do like a really nice sit-down meal,

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 the nice before for like their their bridal parties, things like that. And then I've also had

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 chefs that have come in having pre-done something that's then left for the family. Yes,

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 cook, which I also think is a really lovely idea. Like if you want that intimate. Yeah,

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 time. So it's a really nice way. And then you don't have any other cooking or the washing up

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 either. Like they tend to bring it. Yeah, something that's recyclable can go back afterwards. And it

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 just makes it so much more stressor, especially the night before the wedding. You tend to be

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 doing the decorating, doing last minute things like all of that, where you just want sit down and

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 relax. Possibly church rehearsal as well. You know, I know for my wedding, quite a few people

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 have the church rehearsal on a Friday. Yeah. Clients do and then they're going off somewhere.

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 You know, it's just my favorite one. Yeah, it's booked the wrong week for the restaurants there,

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 was like both families. And they've turned up and they didn't have a booking for them for 20 people

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 at this pub. So in the end, they had to go home and just all the pizza. But you know, this is a

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 little great time that you know. Oh. So thinking so nice. You want to be quite relaxed. Yeah.

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 And just enjoy it. And because you know, you've got sort of slightly more formal

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 day than next day. So actually, it's really nice. And that meal can be so chilled and it can be

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 something quite sort of comforting and nice, but not too heavy. Yeah. Like a, yeah.

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 Something a bit different with your food. Like, you know, you could be a bit more adventurous and

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 or, you know, a bit more sort of relaxed style of food. It can be. Yeah. Yeah. So that's that is

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 a lovely one. And then of course, then you've got the next day. Now, I don't know if you find this

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 with your clients, but I know that you do marquee weddings, don't you? And quite often people

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 then have something the next day, but they might have like my wedding, my parents had drinks

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 with people in the village, but they couldn't ask to the wedding. And that was quite nice. So,

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 you know, you could have a drinks party or you can just have a family brunch and have, I mean,

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 I love a brunch and have sort of nice grazing boards out with sort of smoked salmon and lovely

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 breads and granola and you're good and that sort of thing and have a lovely brunch or you can have

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 a bit more of a barbecue, but that's quite a plava. So again, that might be something you might

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 want to get a chef in for if you wanted to know quite a lot sort of people that do that. But yeah,

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 quite nice to extend some vibrations. Sorry, even a brunch for having someone like yourself come in.

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 You know, you don't want to leave like the mother of the bride to do it because she would have been

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 at the wedding all day, should be exhausted from physical time. And it's family mode in their own

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 home as well. Like your home isn't, you've got all sorts going on. Someone like you to come in and

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 just prepare a nice first for guests who'd been staying or glamping or anything. It's just

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 makes it so much worthwhile because you don't want to wake up or go out and have to go to bed early

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 now because I've got to get up in the morning and get everyone breakfast. Like if you were just

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 getting in, they don't have to worry about that. And brunch is lovely. You know, like when you have a really

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 smart hotel breakfast and you have like all the gorgeous sort of things out, you get a private

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 chef in to come in and do that. It's lovely. And then you can now have the sort of debrief

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 of the day as well. That is my favorite thing. Yeah, I think that's one of my favourite things about

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 it. And I also find that especially with couples, the guests can come up and talk to them and say thank

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 you then rather than constantly. I love an Irish goodbye as a thing. Yes, just leave. They don't say

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 goodbye to the couple. If you've got that opportunity the next day to say what an amazing wedding

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 this has been. Thank you so much for inviting us. It gives the couple more chance to actually enjoy

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 the end portion of their wedding rather than saying goodbye to everyone else. They're leaving.

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 They want to be on the dance floor. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, so I mean, I think that's just a lovely

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 event. Say to either do that as a brunch or a lunch for, you know, whatever you want to do is so nice.

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 So yeah, so those are the main meals I was thinking about. There's so many places. I mean,

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 just food brings everyone together, doesn't it? I think it does. Throughout the whole wedding journey,

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 just bringing people together at different points, just extends the celebration and just makes

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 it more memorable for everyone and kind of eases people in exactly and having someone who comes

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 in to do that for you takes the stress off as well. So especially if it's kind of like those

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 an engagement party where two sides of the family haven't met or they aren't necessarily

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 back close. Yeah, having the stress taken off someone hooking and having to entertain those people,

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 that just will be the level about their philo pastry when they're also worrying about meeting.

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 Yeah, yeah, yeah. Exactly. I mean, if I won the lottery, the first thing I would do was hire a chef.

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 I mean, before a cleaner, because I love food, but I get tired of cooking, I die of the whole

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 family. I don't, the cleaning, you know, if I can leave some dust, I can leave some dust,

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 but I need to eat three times a day at least. So good pirate chef. Definitely. You'd be my first

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 ball if I won the lottery. Oh, well, I would be there in a heartbeat. Definitely. Definitely.

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 What do you feel couples should consider when they're contemplating those additional meals and

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 those additional celebrations, budget, space? What would you recommend to them?

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 Well, we've touched on a few things, like in terms of sort of the timings and I mean, if you

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 mean budget, you can be as flexible as you want. I mean, I've catered for people on quite a small budget

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 and you can still have beautiful food very often as well when you've got large gatherings

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 of people as quite often sort of dietary requirements. There's yet to be not as more people who are

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 vegetarian, pescatarian, that sort of thing. And I like working with clients to create sort of,

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 you know, quite a flexible menu. I'm a big fan of a lovely abundant spread of a buffet,

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 so people can help themselves to different things. And also, that's why I quite like canopays,

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 because people can have as much or as little as they want before. Yeah, I think dietary restrictions

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 are, and allergies are really, really important, you know, as a chef, you just, it's an absolute non-negotiable

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 and us professionals think about it all the time. It's a big, big sort of thing that looms large.

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 But yeah, and as you said, location sometimes, so I said, hiring a holiday house for a

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 interview is just a gorgeous thing. Or as we said the day after, utilizing the space that you've

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 already got, if you've got the lovely marquee, so yeah, those kind of things. I think dietary

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 requirements are so important. I had a client last year and I'd all been organising the caterer,

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 they had like for their wedding breakfast, and then they said, oh, we've got like a local caterer

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 just coming in the next morning to do like breakfast for people and all this. And they said that,

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 you know, someone they knew, they're just going to organise it. And they hadn't even thought to tell,

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 I said, have you told them dietary requirements? I said, have you, you know, from our guest list

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 with the wedding breakfast, have you picked out those who were there the next day and told them,

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 and then we're like, oh, no. It's any catering, whether you've got one friend over for dinner,

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 or you're catering for a brunch or a wedding party for 500 people, you need to know people's

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 dietary requirements, as you say, like it could be life-threatening and the chef needs to know.

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 Yeah, we do need to know. It's really, really important. And also, it's a bit mean, you know, if you turn

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 up and you've made like this beautiful sort of past addition, then somebody goes, well, actually,

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 I'm gluten free and I let, oh, sorry. So, you know, it's very important to get that upfront. I would say

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 that that's sort of the thing that it's a tedious question to ask, but it's very rare that I cater

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 something where there's somebody that just doesn't have something. Yeah, it's, I guess, coming more,

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 coming more common. Yeah, I think so. I've seen it change over the years, more people having

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 dietary requirements. I don't know what you're going to taste over. Yeah, yeah, I think they are,

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 and I think people are becoming more aware of it as well, so, and it's just a legal requirement,

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 as our chefs, to know that. So, yes, definitely. So, I would say those, those are your big things,

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 but if you're working with someone like me, we will talk it through, and we'll talk through

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 budget and location, and you know, that is a nice thing about having somebody personal come in,

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 is that you really can work with you. What is the process when someone comes to book you,

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 like, how does it start? How does it come together? Well, me, because I'm so busy cooking that I've

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 yet to set up a website, they tell you. What do you really have on my list? No, it's on my list to

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 do, so, but I have a very large Instagram, which I do all my communications with. So, they either get,

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 like, my card or something from somebody, as I said, I'm affiliated to this holiday house company,

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 so they've got my email, yes, we're back in the 90s. Or a number. Yeah, absolutely.

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 So, I always like to do a call with them, so they'll contact me and say, I'm

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 organising a hand party for my friend, there's 12 of us, we've hired a house in Canterbury or whatever.

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 And I will always do a phone call with them. I give them a rough idea of budget, but

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 budget can, you know, how long is the piece of string? It depends what you order. So, I get an idea

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 from them, what their budget is, what sort of event they want to have, because everyone

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 has a different feel about what's in reformal, what's in the relaxed, and then we just have a good

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 chat through. I send them through, I've got an extensive menu, and I send them through that menu,

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 and they hand consult with their hands. Sometimes it's good to give them a short list though,

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 because if you've got 12 people deciding what they want to eat, because if you have a chef in,

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 it tends to be you all order the same ish thing. It's one meal, it's one meal rather than going

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 to a restaurant. Yeah, because it's not like that. And because, you know, we're not in an industrial

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 kitchen, so I can't be wiping out one portion of sea bass and another of state, you know,

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 it's you are you're working within the constraints of the kitchen. And, but you know, with some flexibility,

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 so that's why I'm big abundant, but phase or whatever. But so you have a nice chat with them,

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 timings, and then we kind of go from there, but I, you know, I watch that when we keep in touch,

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 because you know, these are such important events, or with the engagement dues, the same thing,

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 I have an extensible list of kinapays, if they go down that route, and we plan nice meals. So it's

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 definitely lovely to do it on the phone. I think the personal touch is really important. I think one

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 of the probably biggest differences between choosing a caterer for sort of the smaller events around

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 your wedding, wedding breakfast is that I take it most people obviously wouldn't have a tasting,

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 whereas when they, you know, booking their caterer to serve their 150 guests on the wedding day,

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 they would have like a thing to go. It's a completely different thing. I mean, I don't do large weddings,

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 because that's obviously very specialist, and they've got all the equipment and industrial

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 kitchens, and all of that kind of thing. They're all set up for that. And, you know, private chef is

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 someone that comes in and works with you. So yes, it is a bit different. You have to sort of. And,

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 and also, I mean, I always say to people that call me look, you know, talk to your three people,

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 see what you like, what's your kind of food, because, you know, mine's quite informal, but loads of

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 vegetables really healthy, really tasty. A lot of people liked that. Thank you. And a lot of people

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 liked that, but some people find it, you know, a couple of my clients said it's, it's a little bit

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 modern for me, or you know, it's a little bit, or I want, you know, they want something a bit more

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 chefsy, in which case you get someone who's got a bit more sort of, will make the lovely sugar

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 cages and the, you know, all the very chefy things. And, you know, there are lots of options out there

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 for the hens or engagement parties or whatever. What's your favourite canopy to make? It's like

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 side note, sorry. What you've got. Oh, that's so, you have caught me off the horse so many, to know,

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 that meat eaters, my favourite one, and it doesn't sound very exciting, but it's, um, it's a sort of

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 lovely, you know, everyone loves a sausage roll, don't they, but this is not, not my sausage rolls,

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 but these are, um, Asian sort of pork balls made with sausage meat, but they've got ginger and

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 garlic, and they're so, so delicious and sesame oil, and you eat them on a stick, and they are

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 beautiful, and everyone just goes mad for them. But then the other thing that the everyone loves

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 and this particular hendo is, um, whipped feta with hot honey. Oh yeah, scoop, scoop that up,

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 and, um, yeah, you, you create a beautiful honey dish, and the feta is whipped, so it's really light,

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 and then it's very important, and people go mad for that. Yeah, my tummy is rumbling all day.

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 They've done, we've done a whipped feta dip as well, for a few dinner parties, and it does go down

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 very, very well. It's delicious. You can eat in your whipped feta dish at one of the things you

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 might have. It's no business at the club evenings. Yeah, delicious honey, but yeah, your sausage rolls

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 were also amazing. They are, they're sausage rolls are really good, really good. I'm going to try and

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 steer us back away from a pack now, because otherwise we will talk about people a really long time.

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 What would you say is a common mistake that people come across when they're booking a private chef?

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 I mean, this is not to do any company examplequiles, and if you book through an agency,

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 they will just find a chef, but you don't have that personal touch. You know, there are quite a lot

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 of websites that have got chefs on them, and some of them are great, but I think it's actually really

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 nice to have a phone call, because it's an important event. You've got somebody in your house,

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 or your holiday house, and you want somebody that you can actually have a bit of a relationship with,

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 that you could call up and say, "Charla, we've got an extra guest, or is it possible to, you know,

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 I think that's the thing, I want to sort of, I like to treat every event like it's almost like my

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 own family, you know, that I'm catering for my best friend's tendo, or it's, you know, my niece's

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 engagement party, or you know, I think that's really important to have that personal touch. So,

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 if you're having a chef in, otherwise you might as well go to a restaurant. It's nice to have

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 somebody that you have, I mean, I don't know if you find that with wedding caterers as well,

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 that it's nice to have that personal touch." And then I think also just, as I said, they don't tell us

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 about dietary requirements, then we can't do that, so that's, you know, we need, we need to know

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 any dietary requirements. So, I think that's, those are probably the things, and to be, you know,

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 realistic about budget, because food is expensive, and, you know, as is time, but if we know

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 the budget upfront, we can sort of try and work together on it, but, you know, it is, it is a treat,

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 but it's, as I said, it's, it's probably in their more expensive than going to a nice restaurant.

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 Yeah, and do you, do you need any information about the actual kit? Obviously, if it's one of the,

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 like, holiday hymns you're affiliated to, you know, the kitchen, if you're going to someone's home,

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 or a different place you've not been, is it useful? I mean, obviously, booking a hen, do you may not know

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 as a sort of, no, so I always look at the, how do you prepare for sort of, yeah, this is someone's house,

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 so I will ask them, well, what they've got, and we tend to use their plates and things as well,

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 which is quite nice. The holiday house is that I cater in a very well equipped. There was one

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 shocker, though, for me, it was fine. There's some lovely place for a hen to, are these beautiful

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 cabins in Great Stone or sort of on the Ken Coast, and they are gorgeous, and then there's a big

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 central cabin, but each, it's sort of glamping. The catering for 16 people and one of those tiny

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 kitchens with two burners and a small orphan was quite the challenge. Also, it was a hundred meters

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 between where they were eating and where the actual hen do, you know, where the kitchen was,

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 so I was sort of trendling and forth with this food, so I think I'd say next time salads, cold food.

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 But yes, the more we know upfront, the better. And you've said a bit before about sort of tips for

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 people who might be deciding to cater some of these events themselves, like not having too many

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 pots and pans and things out on the, any other tips you have for people who might be catering sort of

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 a small event, whether it's wedding related or not, how many sort of dishes you recommend that

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 always go down well or super easy to prepare an advance. Yeah, well, I'm a massive fan

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 of actually sounds a bit strange, but doing something like a grain salad. So in the olden days,

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 our mothers and grandmothers would have whipped up a rice salad.

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 Now a bit more modern would be a grain salad, so something using something like bulgar wheat or

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 quinoa, I think it full of vegetables, so that's one dish, and then having one simple hot dish,

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 so something like a tajeeing works really well because it's very forgiving and a little sit there,

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 or something, so you've just got two things, but they've both got lots of things in them

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 that you've made them. Does that make sense? Well, I've been having lots of different

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 and maybe a simple salad. So having vegetables going and some sort of

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 carp and so yeah, having just like a mustard salad, that's cold. Yeah, yeah, so if you're flamboying

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 steaks, but however many people, it's really hard. So actually, but you know, something like a tajeeing,

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 you know, doing something sort of Moroccan because then you can bring in hummus, which is just

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 easy to, you know, spoon out and put on some lovely coriander and sprays some pomegranate seeds over,

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 and it looks glamorous, doesn't it? Yeah. Pomegranate seeds always just chuck pomegranate seeds on

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 everything, but if you can kind of go down a Moroccan-y type seed, that's quite nice because then you

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 can have tips which again, you've made it in advance and you can just put in spoons and they're really

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 filling as well and interesting. If you want to go a bit more traditional, then I've catered to do

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 for myself where I had 40 people and I just over a series of weekends made a lot of really,

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 really nice lasagna. Trust me, people love lasagna and a salad. It's really nice and a glass of wine

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 if you do some go-to. But you can freeze them. Yeah, I go, Jamie, can you think of one meal that we

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 can eat this week? Because I've planned everything else. Can you just think of one meal that I

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 think is lasagna? I don't even know where but they're asking. No, but, but, but lasagna is actually,

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 is actually quite faffy to make. Yeah. If you're making it like on Tuesday, you know, on a work night,

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 but for a special event because actually, you know, you've got, but they freeze really well. So

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 if you're catering for something yourself, the freezer is your friend. Yes. So that or ship at the

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 point, you know, or a casserole. Look, a big one, that kind of thing. One pot and I'm a big fan of

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 something called ovens table. So I teach a lot of cookery classes and I'm always teach that how

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 to make something ahead because, frankly, that's what people want. Certainly women, they don't want to be,

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 as we mentioned, from being a steak in front of 20 guests. You really don't. Some men like doing that

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 and some women are doing that. But it's, I mean, it's a bit like a barbecue, isn't it? You know,

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 and because oh, it's marvelous. He's done the barbecue. Actually, you run around and made 14 different

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 salads. So you're starting from the kitchen. Actually, if you can make it in a farm ovens table,

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 and then you can enjoy the event just as much as everyone else. You've got some beautiful,

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 like, serve wet that's that's ovenware and serve wet, haven't you? I think you've been to some of

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 your events before that you literally have written oven and it's beautiful to. Yeah, and they freeze as

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 well. Yes, definitely need to invest in some of those. Beyond the issue with the cabins, what would

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 you say is one of your most memorable events that you cater for? The door bad reason. Yeah.

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 There was one hendoof that I'd located for and they were so hungover bronze knives before.

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 They had to keep getting up from the table to go and have a little lie down and a couple of them

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 didn't quite make it to the dinner. So we had to put to the dinner. Sorry, you weren't doing breakfast.

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 No, I was doing dinner. I thought you made you were coming to do brunch and they could be. Yeah,

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 no, there was so hungover from the night before. So all I would say is maybe pace yourself

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 and they were lovely people. They were very sweet. I mean, I was a little bit older than them

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 and because I am 50 and a bit. And one of them then cornered me and said,

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 would you say, have you considered serving? Sorry. You must have still been drunk.

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 I think so. I mean, it's ridiculous. Nice. I think I'm all right, but thanks for

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 Oh my God. Are you definitely doing me really? You're beautiful. No, I just thought it was I

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 don't. I was laughing so much. It was just I couldn't the thing is is when you cater for events,

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 you know, I am very discreet and I hear extraordinary conversations that go on. Yeah.

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 And I never tell anybody. I'm sure it's the same when you're in the win. But there are some very

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 funny stories, which I'll tell you off. Yeah. But yes, they're having some cabins and all sorts of

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 things. But most of the hen weekends that I am they're nice. I cater. I absolutely love because

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 they're just so happy and everyone is so nice. And they're so jolly full. My favourite one was

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 where everyone had to dress in move. And there was a couple of chaps there and one came in a full

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 move suit. It was just because that was the bride's favourite colour. And they're just all look fabulous.

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 And it was just just joyful, joyful. So catering and tenders are they just made me so happy.

326
00:30:57,225 --> 00:31:03,305
 Oh amazing. So can you share a little bit more about the needy greedy sort of an overview of your

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 business, where do you cover? How long have you been in business? Just I started just writing recipes.

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 That's my background is I trained as a cook in my gap year and then I've had a big corporate career.

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 So I came to a quite late in life and I hated but I also write a lot. So that's why I have quite a

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 big Instagram page and haven't got around to setting up a website. But I write a lot and I write

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 for magazines. Also I teach because I think that's just joyful to empower people like you who love

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 food but like I can't think of anything else to cook. So they come to me for workshops or I do

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 one to one's. And it's really nice having a diversified business. And I also do demos as well.

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 So actually my favourite event that I did is get memorable if I did a big demo at the wine gardens

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 of England. Showtimes where they had oh they had all these tents with different wines in it was

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 in chill and castle. We had a tent and I did a big cooking demo using the wine. I love doing that.

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 So it's a variety. So people can get hold of me. It's really my Instagram page and follow me for

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 lots of ideas and message me and chat. I'm a very social person as you know. And in terms of

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 background I've been doing it for about three years. I thought you were a lot more established. I don't

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 know why. Well, no, no, I'm not. But my mum ran a catering company. So as a child I sat in the

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 kitchen stuffing volavans because this was the 80s. So volavans were very popular. I volavans are not

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 on my menu. I would just like to put it down now. But as a child I did so I ran this my mum ran a

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 catering company. So it's sort of in my blood as it were. And then I had a big corporate career

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 break to have children etc etc. And then rather getting back into the corporate career I then started

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 this. So lovely. And something else I've been to one of your cookery demo as well. You hosted it

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 here actually. Didn't you? Yes. And I loved that you do is using all the elements of a food as well.

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 Like nothing goes to waste. And I just think that being able to utilise that as well as something

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 that's so wonderful. Your old piece of Parmesan. Yeah, my old piece of Parmesan. What was your old piece of Parmesan?

349
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 Yeah, it was. Oh, topped it with the Parmesan rind and put it in your bolognese sauce.

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 Yes. Because as it melts down it gives it an extra layer of unami flavour. And then you just

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 tweak it out at the end or a soup or a risotto. Just pop the rind in. And then just keep it out.

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 Amazing. Yeah. And then you match that out. You're the amazing. Yeah. You're the amazing. How good the flavour is.

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 Yeah, and I'm really into gut health. That's how it all started. You know, eating lots of vegetables,

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 you know, really looking after ourselves, but it doesn't mean eating boring food. No.

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 It's often more more delicious.

1
00:34:06,547 --> 00:34:11,987
 Something we like to end all our episodes with, is we like to ask our guests.

2
00:34:11,987 --> 00:34:16,707
 We're just a general top tip for them when they're planning their wedding.

3
00:34:16,707 --> 00:34:20,147
 Oh, that's so lovely. It's so nice to think about.

4
00:34:20,147 --> 00:34:25,027
 Well, I'm going to go food related, obviously.

5
00:34:25,027 --> 00:34:32,627
 Now, this is a very practical thing, but don't have big gaps where you serve alcohol but no food.

6
00:34:32,627 --> 00:34:37,507
 Now, it might seem obvious, but quite often, sometimes it's a very long time

7
00:34:37,507 --> 00:34:41,587
 where the champagne is being poured, but there's no food coming around.

8
00:34:41,587 --> 00:34:46,707
 Now, had the lovely wedding, you might not have eaten a lot of champagne on an empty stomach,

9
00:34:46,707 --> 00:34:52,707
 isn't a great idea. So, still think like European, always serve alcohol with food.

10
00:34:52,707 --> 00:34:56,467
 Because I know that's quite often when the pictures happen and what's that kind of stuff.

11
00:34:56,467 --> 00:35:02,867
 So, just make sure that there's a fairly plentiful supply of food to go with the champagne.

12
00:35:02,867 --> 00:35:07,987
 It doesn't need to be March, but I mean, obviously I'm thinking Smok Sam and all of those kind of bits.

13
00:35:07,987 --> 00:35:14,867
 But when you're planning with your wedding caterer, allow some time to get food to have with the drinks.

14
00:35:14,867 --> 00:35:19,507
 Definitely. I think that's a great tip. I always like to take the couples as well.

15
00:35:19,507 --> 00:35:23,507
 One of each of the canopies to make sure that they've tasted everything.

16
00:35:23,507 --> 00:35:28,467
 So, often when they're wondering round that they get, they're just chatting in here,

17
00:35:28,467 --> 00:35:31,027
 and they're never wearing and catching up with people.

18
00:35:31,027 --> 00:35:35,027
 They miss out on so much, and getting them to actually eat as well.

19
00:35:35,027 --> 00:35:38,307
 Because there's so much adrenaline, they're never normally hungry.

20
00:35:38,307 --> 00:35:41,587
 So, actually, they feel that they eat properly.

21
00:35:41,587 --> 00:35:44,467
 I had one canopé at my wedding. What?

22
00:35:44,467 --> 00:35:48,467
 One canopé. I mean, until the dinner, but, you know,

23
00:35:48,467 --> 00:35:53,107
 and I love food and I'm the sort of person at the wedding where I make sure I open up the circle

24
00:35:53,107 --> 00:35:55,907
 to make sure that, yeah, I stand in the case.

25
00:35:55,907 --> 00:35:59,587
 But I do. I'm doing the thing that's really flowing from there.

26
00:35:59,587 --> 00:36:02,067
 Absolutely. Absolutely.

27
00:36:02,067 --> 00:36:05,027
 And it's quite funny, though, because there's always, you know,

28
00:36:05,027 --> 00:36:08,547
 when I've done canopé parties, so I tend to do rather weddings,

29
00:36:08,547 --> 00:36:11,907
 but sort of big drinks parties, there's always the people that are hovering by the door

30
00:36:11,907 --> 00:36:15,507
 that you come out of the canopies that grab them all the way out.

31
00:36:15,507 --> 00:36:17,987
 I might as well just get a big hug. You have this as come to me.

32
00:36:17,987 --> 00:36:18,627
 Yeah.

33
00:36:18,627 --> 00:36:22,227
 Yes. So, I try and make sure that I go, you know,

34
00:36:22,227 --> 00:36:25,347
 right to the sort of other side of the room and I always tell my staff, you know,

35
00:36:25,347 --> 00:36:31,187
 make sure that you do that and get into the sausage rolls.

36
00:36:31,187 --> 00:36:35,507
 Yeah, but honestly, that sort of time period, and I have been to weddings myself

37
00:36:35,507 --> 00:36:39,267
 with that time period, and it's lovely. The champagne is gorgeous and lovely.

38
00:36:39,267 --> 00:36:43,107
 But, you know, you've got a good hour without any drinks and food,

39
00:36:43,107 --> 00:36:47,667
 and I've seen people pass out, you know, just on empty stomach.

40
00:36:47,667 --> 00:36:51,027
 So, I think that's just a really important tip.

41
00:36:51,027 --> 00:36:53,907
 I do love it, though, when you're, like, pricing up a wedding catering,

42
00:36:53,907 --> 00:36:57,347
 and they, like, allocate sort of, like, five, six kind of pays for person.

43
00:36:57,347 --> 00:37:00,467
 And I'm like, well, I'm definitely the one who has, like, eight cash.

44
00:37:00,467 --> 00:37:04,627
 But they will say it averages out, you know, some might only have one or two.

45
00:37:04,627 --> 00:37:05,587
 It does.

46
00:37:05,587 --> 00:37:06,787
 Because it'll...

47
00:37:06,787 --> 00:37:09,027
 Yeah, I mean, it's sort of...

48
00:37:09,027 --> 00:37:12,387
 That I think is three to four per hour per person, at least.

49
00:37:12,387 --> 00:37:13,427
 Yeah.

50
00:37:13,427 --> 00:37:15,427
 Yeah. I'm sure you've got all the masks.

51
00:37:15,427 --> 00:37:16,467
 Yeah.

52
00:37:16,467 --> 00:37:20,467
 But, um, and make sure that they're reasonably substantial.

53
00:37:20,467 --> 00:37:21,107
 Yeah.

54
00:37:21,107 --> 00:37:23,987
 I enjoy quite a lot of my couples have gone with.

55
00:37:23,987 --> 00:37:26,627
 They don't want to sit down for a full three-course meal as well.

56
00:37:26,627 --> 00:37:30,147
 So, they tend to have heavy kind of pays,

57
00:37:30,147 --> 00:37:31,107
 maximise that time.

58
00:37:31,107 --> 00:37:35,347
 Because, as well, it's a lovely time for them to catch up and socialise.

59
00:37:35,347 --> 00:37:38,067
 So, it tend to have heavy kind of pays, followed by a main in a pudding.

60
00:37:38,067 --> 00:37:38,627
 That's...

61
00:37:38,627 --> 00:37:39,827
 And then it's on to the evening.

62
00:37:39,827 --> 00:37:40,867
 And I think that's such a...

63
00:37:40,867 --> 00:37:42,867
 We're trying to pay some of my favourite.

64
00:37:42,867 --> 00:37:43,267
 Yeah.

65
00:37:43,267 --> 00:37:43,827
 Definitely.

66
00:37:43,827 --> 00:37:47,187
 And I do that for lots of the dinner parties that I cater for.

67
00:37:47,187 --> 00:37:50,707
 We don't... I don't do starters that often.

68
00:37:50,707 --> 00:37:52,547
 I always go, "Let's go big on the counterpays."

69
00:37:52,547 --> 00:37:54,387
 Because it's nice to have that sort of...

70
00:37:54,387 --> 00:37:57,507
 You know, particularly the endies where you're in your lovely dress

71
00:37:57,507 --> 00:37:59,347
 and you're all moving about.

72
00:37:59,347 --> 00:37:59,827
 Yeah.

73
00:37:59,827 --> 00:38:00,547
 And time.

74
00:38:00,547 --> 00:38:03,347
 And to everybody, it's really, really lovely.

75
00:38:00,547 --> 00:38:00,547
 Yeah.

76
00:38:03,347 --> 00:38:04,547
 And cafes are really interesting

77
00:38:04,547 --> 00:38:08,067
 because you've got all these lovely different flavours coming around.

78
00:38:08,067 --> 00:38:08,707
 And as you say...

79
00:38:08,707 --> 00:38:10,147
 They don't have to go out for time.

80
00:38:10,147 --> 00:38:11,027
 They don't have to go out for time.

81
00:38:11,027 --> 00:38:12,707
 Sorry, yeah, they don't have to go.

82
00:38:12,707 --> 00:38:13,027
 No.

83
00:38:13,027 --> 00:38:15,507
 You can have like an Indian one, a Asian one.

84
00:38:15,507 --> 00:38:15,987
 Yeah, yeah.

85
00:38:15,987 --> 00:38:19,907
 Have all different sort of flavours and influences in the kit,

86
00:38:19,907 --> 00:38:21,427
 not in the catering.

87
00:38:21,427 --> 00:38:21,987
 You don't have.

88
00:38:21,987 --> 00:38:24,627
 It's not like one meal, which is sort of...

89
00:38:24,627 --> 00:38:27,347
 And really good if you've got people with different dietary requirements

90
00:38:27,347 --> 00:38:29,747
 because you can do lots of nice gluten free ones

91
00:38:29,747 --> 00:38:32,387
 or you can do vegetarian ones.

92
00:38:32,387 --> 00:38:36,227
 And any good caterer will have a huge list of canopays.

93
00:38:36,227 --> 00:38:37,347
 I'm sure that they do.

94
00:38:37,347 --> 00:38:39,427
 So, and that's the fun bit.

95
00:38:39,427 --> 00:38:41,667
 Do you know what I was just thinking?

96
00:38:41,667 --> 00:38:44,387
 You should literally make canopays and freeze them and sell them.

97
00:38:44,387 --> 00:38:46,067
 You know, like cook, do food.

98
00:38:46,067 --> 00:38:47,427
 I have like canopays.

99
00:38:47,427 --> 00:38:50,147
 Yeah, I just have one for you.

100
00:38:50,147 --> 00:38:52,307
 Yeah, just come home and just be like,

101
00:38:52,307 --> 00:38:53,507
 "I've canopays tonight."

102
00:38:53,507 --> 00:38:54,547
 Yeah.

103
00:38:54,547 --> 00:38:57,827
 I do. I have one client that I teach on a regular basis

104
00:38:57,827 --> 00:39:01,107
 and she also always picks up a bag of frozen sausage rolls

105
00:39:01,107 --> 00:39:04,947
 in that freezer, like canopays-sized sausage rolls

106
00:39:04,947 --> 00:39:06,387
 because they freeze beautifully.

107
00:39:06,387 --> 00:39:08,547
 And she always says, "Oh, and I'm coming from a lesson,

108
00:39:08,547 --> 00:39:10,707
 but can I get like a sausage roll as well?"

109
00:39:10,707 --> 00:39:11,747
 I love that.

110
00:39:11,747 --> 00:39:13,427
 I didn't know that was an option.

111
00:39:13,427 --> 00:39:15,907
 And I was like, "I'm going to start driving through Crabbrook."

112
00:39:15,907 --> 00:39:16,787
 And look at these.

113
00:39:16,787 --> 00:39:18,227
 Yeah, can I stick up a pack of these?

114
00:39:18,227 --> 00:39:21,027
 Yes, definitely.

115
00:39:21,027 --> 00:39:23,667
 So lovely having you on.

116
00:39:23,667 --> 00:39:24,467
 Thank you so much.

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00:39:24,467 --> 00:39:25,827
 Really insightful, thank you.

118
00:39:25,827 --> 00:39:28,627
 And just to remind everyone that you can find Charlotte

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 on Instagram at the needy greedy.

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00:39:32,867 --> 00:39:33,827
 And we'll put that in the description.

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00:39:33,827 --> 00:39:35,267
 And the needy dot greedy.

122
00:39:35,267 --> 00:39:36,867
 Then yes, it's a funny name.

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00:39:36,867 --> 00:39:38,067
 It's named after my dog.

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00:39:38,067 --> 00:39:40,867
 Rachel is both needy and greedy.

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00:39:40,867 --> 00:39:44,707
 But yes, just follow along for lots of cooking tips and recipes

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 and also, you know, if you're in Kent,

127
00:39:48,067 --> 00:39:50,707
 which is where I'm based, do you be in touch?

128
00:39:50,707 --> 00:39:52,227
 Amazing.

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00:39:52,227 --> 00:39:52,867
 Thank you.

130
00:39:52,867 --> 00:39:53,987
 Thank you so much.

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00:39:53,987 --> 00:39:58,707
 Make sure you are subscribing to the podcast

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 on whatever platform you use.

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 Downloading and following us on Instagram.

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00:40:04,707 --> 00:40:05,507
 Bye.

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 [Music]