When planning your wedding breakfast you may need to cater for different dietary requirements. Below are my tips and food ideas for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and wheat-free wedding breakfast menus.
It’s very rare (but it does happen) for me to cater a whole event for one special diet, although once or twice a year we do create a completely vegetarian wedding. More often than not couples present us with a range of menu needs to meet — anything from gluten free, to religious requirements, allergies, raging chocolate addictions and everything in-between.
Ask your wedding caterer to design any special diets around your main menu and find something that looks similar. This level of attention to detail really shows that you care.
Whilst I am a definite carnivore, my sympathies go out to those poor guests destined to spend most of the wedding season eating quiche and roulade thanks to uncreative catering.
Here are some menu options that could help you:
100% Vegetarian Buffet
This is an example from our first wedding of this year.
- Tea marbled quail’s eggs with smoked paprika and herb mayonnaise
- Shots warm white bean cappuccino with lemon oil
- Brick pastry parcels of artichoke hearts, parsley and lemon
- Broad bean falafel with pecorino and a fresh mint dipping sauce
- Bamboo pots deep fried feta with prism skewers
- Chickpea, spinach and coriander tagine with apricots and dates
- Warm cous cous with quinoa, orange and pistachios
- Cauliflower and cumin fritters with lime yoghurt
- Roasted sweet red peppers filled with kosheri rice
- Roasted winter vegetables with sage and roasted garlic
- Sweet potato gratin
- Jerusalem artichoke and Swiss chard galette
Vegan Menu
Remember that a vegan menu often means no dairy as well as no meat or fish.
- Saturn bowl of fresh asparagus, artichoke hearts, blistered cherry tomatoes and avocado, with chervil and mustard dressing
- Homemade focaccia with olive oil and balsamic vinegar
- Roasted vegetable stack with marinated aubergine, char grilled zucchini, piquillo peppers on grilled radicchio with pine nuts and salsa verde
- Muscat marinated fruits with a fresh mango and vanilla bean sorbet
Gluten-Free Menu
- Salmon trio — tartar, gravadlax and parfait with micro shoots and herbs
- Gluten free herb bread and unsalted butter
- Rack of salt marsh lamb with creamed golden polenta and a symphony of summer vegetables
- White chocolate and passion fruit bavarois with summer fruit compote
Wheat-Free Menu
- Aubergine palette — involtini, walnut and parsley stuffed baby aubergine and iman bayaldi with wild rocket
- Chargrilled wheat free flat breads
- Roasted fillet of scotch beef on a lemon and thyme new potato cake, fine French beans and homemade Béarnaise sauce
- Lemon and banana parfait with Verona chocolate and banana wafers
- Ham hock and foie gras terrine with round lettuce hearts and curried apple compote
- Toasted brioche
- Pan roasted fillet of sea bream on a roasted garlic and spinach pomme puree with pepperade and a lemon beurre blanc.
- Trio of citrus — lemon brulee, fresh lime cheesecake and blood orange sorbet
Nut Free
Unfortunately it’s virtually impossible for a caterer to guarantee 100% nut free. All kitchens will contain or will have contained nuts. When I am working on a nut-free menu we sanitise everything and remove nuts from the kitchens, but this merely reduces the risk of trace rather than eliminating it.
Find out how to cater for dietary requirements with your wedding cake.
Guest post by Julie Gray of Bovingdons
Image from Bovingdons
