12 Top Tips for your Christmas Party

You may not want to think about it just yet. You are probably in denial that it is only three months away. But one thing is certain – Christmas is lurking just around the corner.

The festive season brings with it a myriad of parties which is great when a pile of invitations appear on your doorstep, but a nightmare when you are the one that has to organise them. Therefore, in association with Penniblack catering, we have come up with 12 top tips to help take the stress out of organising your Christmas party.

1. Start to plan your event in September or October to avoid disappointment. Book your chosen caterer and venue in advance as Christmas is a very busy time for everyone and before you know it your event is right round the corner.

2. If you are making a lovely winter hot pot for your party, ensure to cook it the previous day, as that way all the flavours marinate together, the meat tenderises, and the overall taste is much more powerful.

3. Think about the Christmas colour scheme – reds, greens, golds, silvers, oranges. Complimentary flowers like holly, sprayed ivy, berries. Book your flowers well in advance as the florists often run out of stock on the day. If you are making the food yourself, get some extra sprigs of holly, and Christmassy flowers to garnish your canapé platters.

4. Lighting is very important. I like to use little tea lights around the tables, complimented with red, orange and yellow rose petals. You could also use Church candles of different heights, tied together with Christmassy ribbon and sprigs of holly, as a very effective centre piece or even on a mantle piece. Scented candles are wonderful for achieving a warm welcoming feeling on arrival.

5. For a seated dinner, again it looks lovely if you tie red and green ribbon, along with a sprig of holly, around your napkins.

6. It is nice to offer a welcome drink for your event. A winter punch on arrival is very popular. I suggest Pimms, with warm apple juice, cinnamon and cloves, or alternatively a cool fresh Kir Royale. I like to garnish my virgin cocktails with brightly coloured edible flowers.

7. Always get your alcohol on a sale or return basis, that way you can over order, and be confident you won’t run out of anything. Remember you cannot return open or damaged bottles.

8. Allow for around 3 – 4 glasses per head, when planning your glass hire. Your guests will undoubtedly put their glasses down, forget about them, then grab another full drink

9. If you want to offer your guests a substantial meal but don’t have the capacity to seat them all, or it isn’t in the budget with all the necessary equipment hire costs, then bowl food is a very popular choice. Small rice bowls filled with mini meals, like ‘roast turkey, tiny roast potatoes, sage and onion dumplings and Madeira jus, or little brie cakes with salad and cranberry sauce to name a few. Allow 3 per head, and accompany with 5-6 canapés for the best effect. If you feel the dessert bowls are too filling you could opt for some sweet Christmas canapés like Hot Christmas pudding, with brandy sauce, served on a spoon, or shot glasses filled with hot chocolate fondant and Chantilly cream.

10. I love to wow my guests with a finishing touch of a sprinkle of edible gold on top of my dessert canapés.

11. My perfect venue for Christmas would be an old listed building with open fireplaces, situated somewhere very central to all my guests.

12. Trying to come up with a unique Christmas present for a loved one? A selection of 100 canapés delivered to your home?

Guest blogger: Charlotte Pennicard http://www.penniblack.co.uk

No matter how unusual or special your reason for a party or event, The SaVVy Club® offer a bespoke service that caters to your every need. We can arrange flowers, transport, catering, stationery and music. Simply get in touch to discuss your important occasion and we’ll get to work designing your bespoke event right down to the last detail.

Read Full Post »

The Merry Wives of Windsor

The original Globe may no longer be with us but Sam Wanamaker’s dream to bring The Globe back as a fitting tribute to the great Bard has thrilled audiences and brought the Shakespearean experience to life.

 

Each year we are treated to stunning performances of his work. This year amongst the well known titles is The Merry Wives of Windsor, a truly wonderful comedy first published in 1602.

 

If you are familiar with Shakespeare, you could well be forgiven for thinking that he was not only a great writer but also a precursor to the great Jules Verne when it comes to sci-fi style time travel. No, you didn’t blink and miss the scene where the cast travel to the centre of the earth, I was thinking more along the lines of the way Shakespeare anachronistically places the wonderfully colourful character of Sir John Falstaff in a contemporary setting of the Elizabethan era (circa 1600) when he previously appeared in plays about the medieval King Henry IV set around 1400! He has aged remarkably well.

 

It is a wonderful piece of penmanship and the only Shakespeare play that deals exclusively with the cotemporary Elizabethan era and in particular the prejudices of middle class England.  

 

An evening at The Globe is like stepping back in time. The surroundings and the artistry of the actors and production team create a real sense of history – something that should be experienced by all visitors to London.

 

The SaVVy Club^® are organising a truly memorable evening on the 5^th October 2008 – the final performance of The Merry Wives of Windsor. To find out more information call 01280 818782 or apply for your  Guest Pass. To see what other exclusive and stylish events we have to offer check out our forthcoming social events calendar.

 

Sally Ormond

The SaVVy Club^®

Read Full Post »

Retreat and Refocus at The Mangrove

Vi Thomas was the lucky winner of our 6^th Anniversary competition. Her prize was a weekend retreat at The Mangrove. These are specifically for people who are looking for a change but don’t necessarily know what kind of change they want. The retreats are structured in such a way that they give you the opportunity to take a 360 degree view of your life. 

 

I must say that I was slightly apprehensive when booking to attend The Mangrove Retreat as I had all sorts of misconceptions in mind as to what it was all about having never attended something like this before. The founder of the Mangrove, Damon Newman was able to answer my many questions and by the end of it all, I was really looking forward to the event. One thing I do recall is telling my colleagues about the weekend retreat. It had been a manic week working on a national project within the Health Service and we were all looking forward to a lazy, well earned rest over the weekend….

 

Read Vi’s full review of the weekend at   http://www.savvyclub.co.uk/page/Review-of-The-Mangrove-by-Vi-Thomas

 

 

Read Full Post »

Pre-season get-together at The Dorchester

The SaVVy Club^® enjoyed a fantastic pre-season get-together at arguably London’s most exquisite and exclusive setting, The Dorchester Penthouse.  From the terrace, we marvelled at the views across the rooftops of Mayfair, whilst enjoying fine wine and canapés served by a host of excellent, highly skilled Dorchester staff – it is such a joy to be served properly by people with respect and immense skill.

Close up entertainment was provided by magician Graham Desmond and caricatures were drawn by Simon Elinas. A superb group photograph by expert photographer, Mark Turnbull, provided a souvenir for everyone.

Four entrants of The SaVVy Club® Ultimate Events Competition attended and Rebecca Yewdall was presented with a bottle of champagne in special recognition of her entry.  Kim announced that the competition would continue in 2008 and that a number of universities planned to incorporate the competition into their curricula.   

We also recognised The SaVVy Club®‘s chosen good cause The Mineseeker Foundation and its initiative The Sole of Africa.  Sadly, founder Mike Kendrick, the advertising magnate turned ballooning expert and close friend and confidant of Sir Richard Branson (it’s Mike you see on your screen when Sir Richard’s balloon gets lost again) was unable to attend due to a complete telecommunications failure at Mineseeker HQ in Bridgnorth, Shropshire. The SaVVy Club® friend, John L. Evans spoke on Mike’s behalf about his love of ballooning, his fantastic life story (so far) and (movingly) about the work and aims of the foundation.   

You can enter The Sole of Africa’s fantastic ‘Lowest Bid’ competition to win a Safari of a lifetime at: http://find.yoursole.org/

 

Read Full Post »

King Tutankhamun and I

I had been looking forward to the King Tutankhamun exhibition immensely. Ancient Egypt has held a fascination for me since my school days, therefore I was thrilled to have the opportunity to actually see for myself some of the treasures from King Tutankhamun’s tomb.

The rather dull and overcast day couldn’t dampen my enthusiasm as I met my fellow intrepid travellers at Waterloo Pier. The journey via the Thames Clipper lasted about 40 minutes and it was wonderful to see an illuminated London through the windows. Eventually The O2 became visible through the darkness, but before we entered the exhibition we stopped for a drink at Inc. Brasserie. I couldn’t help but wonder at the suitability of the venue for such an historic exhibition. The bright, stark interior of The O2 seemed far too modern to house 3000-year-old antiquities.

As I entered the exhibition, I donned my headphones and allowed Omar Sharif to explain the context of the exhibits. This audio tour was invaluable as it provided the historical background of not only the Royal family but also of daily life in Ancient Egypt. This included a rather compelling yet grisly description of the mummification process. The exhibits were displayed in rather plain rooms and, despite the piped Egyptian music and atmospheric lighting, I felt that something was missing. The exhibition was in two halves: the first was very much concerned with Tutankhamun’s unpopular father Akhenaten, his beautiful wife, Nefertiti, and the scandal surrounding their adoption of a new religion. The second half was dedicated to Tutankhamun and Howard Carter, including rare newsreel footage and photographs of the excavation. However the journey between the two was via stark corridors and brightly lit stairwells. I think the sheer modernity of the venue was too much of a contrast for the antiquities, however the treasures on display were breathtaking. The sheer beauty of the mini-sarcophagus designed to hold the young king’s viscera once they had been removed from his body, with its intricate workmanship and near-perfect condition, was awe-inspiring.

After the exhibition I met up with our group at Tapa Tapa, which proved to be another adventure but of the gastronomic kind. I was overwhelmed by the sheer quality and quantity of dishes that were brought before us and the staff were extremely helpful and friendly. For me, the highlights of the meal were a special oak-aged ham from Bilbao, superb large king prawns in a special ‘San Miguel’ batter and a rather delicious chocolate dessert, which were all washed down with fine wines and lively conversation.

As always, all good things had to come to an end, so at 10pm it was time to board the ferry once more and return to Waterloo Pier. I thoroughly enjoyed the evening with The SaVVy Club and was glad that I had been able to see the boy king’s treasures.        

By Sally Ormond
The SaVVy Club

 

Read Full Post »

Fancy a drink at The Dorchester?

Dear friends of The SaVVy Club^®

Want to know more about The SaVVy Club^®? Curious about what the club can offer you? Why not come and see for yourself.

The SaVVy Club^® invites you to join us for pre-season lunchtime drinks at the Penthouse of the Dorchester, Park Lane, from 12pm to 2pm, this Thursday, 22nd November. The event is in support of our chosen causes the Mineseeker Foundation and The Sole of Africa.

The Mineseeker Foundation is dedicated to raising funds from Governments, commercial concerns and funding agencies to deploy its unique airborne mine field surveying and mapping systems and enable the eradication of land mines and, through The Sole of Africa initiative, return liberated land to food production.The patrons of the Mineseeker Foundation and The Sole of Africa include Nelson Mandela, his wife Graca Machel, Queen Noor of Jordan, Brad Pitt, Sir Richard Branson and John Paul Dejoria.

http://www.thesoleofafrica.org.za/

http://www.mineseeker.com/

Come along and enjoy this excellent opportunity to meet The SaVVy Club^®, find out about what we can offer, support our chosen causes, and meet some new and interesting people at this invaluable networking opportunity in the fabulous surroundings of The Dorchester, just before Christmas.Please let us know by return (RSVP) if you can join us as places are limited?

We look forward to meeting you.

Read Full Post »

“Gold… everywhere the glint of gold…”

Dear friends of The SaVVy Club^®,

We’ve done it again!! Be amongst the first in London to experience Egypt’s golden age and see the treasures of the world’s most famous pharaoh, Tutankhamun.

In 1972, on a worldwide tour to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of the discovery of his tomb, the treasures of Tutankhamun came, for the first time, to London and the British Museum, causing unrivalled excitement. During a 6-month stay, over 1.7 million people visited the exhibition, a record number of visitors to the Museum or any exhibition in London to this day. Tutankhamun’s spell was cast over the entire population of Britain.

Now, 35 years later, he’s back. Artefacts exhumed from the tomb of the Egyptian boy king are to be exhibited at The O2 and The SaVVy Club® Members and Guests will be able to see them in their unrivalled splendour.

For the lucky few, Tuesday 20th November will begin at 4pm:

A small group will board a boat at Waterloo pier and cruise, like Howard Carter up the Nile, to Queen Elizabeth II. There we will disembark to ward off the heat of the day and indulge in drinks at the cool, slick, good-looking, Inc. Brasserie before entering the magnificent audio-guided exhibition.

The memories are still vivid for the people who in 1972 queued around the British Museum to pay their 50p entrance charge, some of them waiting over 8 hours to get inside. Once inside the museum, the specially designed exhibition was crowded and stuffy at times, a constant movement of people making it possible to take only brief glimpses of some objects. The claustrophobia added to the atmospheric display. For once, heads of the king, and postcards of his jewellery, outnumbered Union Jack t-shirts and models of London double-deckers on the stalls outside.

This time, The O2 will stage the exhibition of a lifetime, with space and time to see and enjoy, to marvel and wonder at the craftsmanship, the opulence and the mystery of the time of the Pharaohs.And it doesn’t end there; the evening will be rounded off with a super meal at Tapa Tapa. For those still hesitant about making the commitment to join The SaVVy Club^®, here is an opportunity to enjoy a SaVVy experience at a special guest price.

Full members price is £180 (inc VAT).For this event only, guests are welcome at £195 (inc VAT).

If you are interested, please email kim@savvyclub.co.uk before Friday 16 November.

 

Read Full Post »

Wine Tasting and Private Viewing

Some weeks ago I invited a friend to join me at an arts preview and wine tasting event in South Kensington, London, organised by The SaVVy Club. When it comes to wine and champagne, I pride myself as having a good nose and an exceptional palate for fine wines. 

So, I was somewhat surprised and intrigued to be greeted with a curious selection of “boutique” wines from small vintners in France and Spain. Fred Ku-Mesu imports an excellent selection from small unknown wine growers around Europe.    Our Savvy Wine Club hosts Fred & Stuart Beitler started us off with an excellent quaffing champagne called Jean Pierre Marniquet Champagne, NV.

At a bottle price of £16.99, it was simply delicious: the perfect alternative to Pol Roger at half the price. The Spanish Rioja (Gavion Tinto, 2004) was rich, smooth and memorable.  The Domaine d’en Segur Rose was exquisite, perfect on the palate with a delicious complexity that left one’s taste buds yearning for more. There was a generous selection of excellent wines and, although some didn’t suit my palate, it was a joy to try them all. 

The final touch was a taste of Tokaji Aszueszencia 1972, quite the most delicious and perfect sweet wine that I have ever had the privilege to enjoy.  It was palatably sweet (but not sickly), enticing and satisfying.  Therefore, at £140 a bottle, it would be the ideal finale to a perfect evening.  If that’s too rich for your pocket, then try the 1995 for just £39.99.   Stuart talked us through all the wines, generously imparting his knowledge and answering any questions we cared to ask.

Just as the wine was beginning to take effect, some delicious eats were passed around that were most appreciated. I can thoroughly recommend an excellent evening to enjoy some unusual wines and the exclusive art preview that one would not otherwise have the opportunity to enjoy.  

A great evening. 

M Davis   

The SaVVy Club’s members enjoy a unique calendar of bespoke social events organised just for them. They can enjoy the company of fascinating people and relax in the knowledge that everything is taken care of.

Read Full Post »