Each year, the Weetabix Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards shine a spotlight on the county’s most talented producers, chefs and culinary innovators.
For the fourth consecutive year, Portfolio Events was proud to play its part – from sponsoring the student canapé competition to designing and serving an unforgettable menu for the awards night itself.
Portfolio Events sponsored the canapé competition for catering students across Northamptonshire, including participants from both the University of Northampton and Northampton College. The contest encouraged students to showcase their creativity and innovation by producing their own canapé, with a focus on both taste and presentation. Entries were then judged by an expert panel from the Portfolio Events team.
This year’s winner was Tash Jardine from Northampton College, whose canapé design completely blew the judges away. Her Earls Barton Meat and Leek Pie, inspired by a historic local recipe and made with Northamptonshire ingredients, perfectly reflected the company ethos of celebrating regional produce.
Tash received an incredible opportunity to develop and prepare her canapé for mass production, working closely with Portfolio’s Head Chef to perfect the design. A select group of students also joined the professional chefs in the kitchen to help produce the winning canapé for 500 guests at the prestigious awards night.
Tash was presented with her award on stage on the night and received a special gift from Portfolio Events, as well as earning the honour of having her canapé featured on the catering menu for the upcoming wedding season.
Tash said: “It is a leek and meat pie with a casing of shortcrust pastry. It has crispy leek on top and piped apple sauce. This was inspired by an old recipe for a large pie from the Earls Barton area. It’s something I would make and eat with my family, and I was inspired to make it into a canapé because of its great taste and history.”
Catering for the awards night
For the fourth consecutive year, Portfolio Events was also responsible for catering the awards evening, showcasing what it does best and giving Northamptonshire a true taste of its seasonal menu.
With around 500 guests in attendance, including some of the region’s leading food and drink experts, the company wanted to ensure every element served was exceptional, and worked with local suppliers to craft a menu designed to highlight Northamptonshire’s finest produce, with a main course that offered a quintessentially British flavour.
In the weeks leading up to the event, Rachel Mallows and a selection of sponsors joined Portfolio Events in its tasting room to preview the menu, with their feedback helping the team to perfect every dish before it was presented at the Royal & Derngate on the big night.
The menu was one of the most exciting yet.
The starters were Portfolio Events’ lamb meatballs, seasoned with Betty’s Caribbean Fusion Jerk Seasoning – a finalist in the Artisan Local Produce category – accompanied by braised puy lentils and charred pineapple salsa.
The vegetarian starter was a red pepper terrine with English mustard clotted cream, Earl Grey-infused golden raisins, pickled shallots and nasturtium leaves.
For the main course, guests were served a braised British beef with a beef-braised dumpling, cavolo nero mash, toasted pumpkin seed carrot, and New Lodge Vineyard Red Baron jus. New Lodge Vineyard was also a finalist in the Artisan Local Drink category.
The vegetarian alternative was a marinated roasted aubergine served with Stonyfield Wine English Quality Sparkling White 2019 risotto – Stonyfield Wine was also an Artisan Local Drink finalist.
For dessert, Portfolio Events partnered with Bella Barista Embankment Coffee, yet another Artisan Local Drink finalist, to create the perfect tiramisu, followed by Limoncello Petit Fours handcrafted by Choccies by Sara – an Artisan Local Produce finalist.
Celebrating local talent and produce
Using local suppliers has always been at the heart of Portfolio’s sustainability mission and for this special occasion, it was more important than ever to curate a menu that truly celebrated Northamptonshire’s outstanding food and drink businesses.
From showcasing local flavours on the plate to supporting the next generation of chefs in the kitchen, the company’s partnership with the Weetabix Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards is something it is deeply proud of.
At Portfolio Events, the team are passionate about championing local talent, nurturing creativity and celebrating community, and being part of such an inspiring event is a reminder of why Northamptonshire truly is a county to be proud of.
Here’s to another year of flavour, innovation and culinary excellence.
Find out more about Portfolio Events Catering on 01604 215606, email team@portfolioevents.com or visit their website.
