Food and Drink Archives - Smashing the Glass

I Dream of Gluten-Free

Most 8-year-old girls dream about their perfect wedding dress, but there was only one wedding detail I had always been fixated on since I was a kid—the cake. Growing up gluten-free and dairy-free in a time where those allergens weren’t on anyone’s radar wasn’t easy. I had always assumed that when I got married I’d miss out on the tradition of having my groom feed me in front of a room filled with our friends and family. While it may not be the most important or even glamorous wedding tradition, it was something that I thought about often with a longing sadness. Just something else I’d have to miss out on.

I got engaged in October 2018, and while planning my November 2019 wedding all of the important details seemed to be easily falling into place. The venue was booked, the dress had been found, DJ secured, flowers chosen; one by one things were getting checked off the list—except for the wedding cake.

Image: Duncan Nicholls for Alison Price

Those of you in the know will have no doubt heard of Liesl Lamare from Lamare London, today’s guest blogger. She has created a brilliant bespoke wedding planning service tailored specifically to reflect luxury brides and grooms, and their vision for their wedding day.

She prides herself on going above and beyond to help her brides and grooms, and today she’s going to do just that for you with her advice and mouth-watering menu ideas for those of you that are choosing a ‘kosher-style’ or “non-offensive’ menu for your wedding, rather than a strictly kosher affair. Take it away Liesl!

Food for thought

It is fair to say that catering often plays a big part at a wedding, and can take up the bulk of your wedding budget too! Catering can contribute to your guests’ experience and enjoyment of your wedding — you can take it from us that well fed guests are happy guests! Critically, when planning a Jewish wedding, you may be considering whether or not you should hire a Kosher caterer.

The importance of having Kosher catering may depend on your family beliefs or the strict dietary requirements of your guests. Equally, you may need to consider whether Kosher catering at your chosen reception venue is even an option.

There are several venues that offer Kosher catering or have a relationship with a preferred Kosher caterer who is familiar with your reception venue’s kitchen. Often, in cases when opting for Kosher catering at your chosen venue, the contract is between the couple and the caterer as opposed to the couple and the venue.

A ‘non-offensive’ menu by Alison Price — see menu 1 below for details on each dish). Imagery by Duncan Nicholls

One of the key Kosher rules is not to mix meat and dairy. Should you choose a Kosher-only venue, there will be a meat kitchen separate to a dairy kitchen. But if your venue doesn’t have a separate catering facility, the caterer will need to go into the kitchen to sterilise it to conform with the regulations of kashrut (Jewish dietary law). Catering staff will also only use food products that have been supervised by a rabbi. Kosher caterers will also need to bring in and use all their own equipment as they are unable to use the equipment at a non-Kosher venue. This includes not being able to use the venue’s dishwashers (!), unless they are for Kosher use only, meaning all the equipment must be washed back at the caterer’s own kitchen or by hand in bowls.

Kosher v Kosher-Style or “non-offensive’ catering

With all these regulations to follow, it may now make sense why hiring in a Kosher caterer can often sky-rocket the price per head to an eye-watering level when planning your Jewish wedding. But we are delighted to let you know that there is a more budget-friendly alternative for the Jewish Bride and Groom – Kosher-Style catering. This is also sometimes called “non-offensive catering”.