Current Party Trends

I'll be honest cooking isn't one of my strongest talents!  So to further my culinary skills and to learn about Culinary Concepts Classes I recently attended a cooking class. 

On arrival we received our list of recipes in a bound book, beautifully presented.  I looked at the all the recipes we would be making as a group and honestly the first thing I thought was, phew how are we going to do this?

Heather who has been cooking for many years immediately put the group at ease and it was just fun, fun, fun after that.  One of my favourite recipes was Lemon Thyme Duck Pate which I would love to share with you today.

LEMON THYME DUCK PATE

Soak 250gms duck livers which have been roughly chopped for 2 hours in 100mls of milk then drain.  Heat frypan on medium and melt 25gms butter then fry livers until cooked through, then add 2 teaspoons crushed garlic, finely chopped half onion and 1 tablespoon of lemon thyme leaves and saute until onion is transparent.

Puree mixture either using a kitchen whiz or with stick blender with 60mls red wine and 1 tablespoon WG Champagne Mustard until smooth.  Add 150gms soften butter (take out of refrigerator 2 hours earlier).

Add grind of pepper and 1 small egg yolk and puree again until total mixture smooth.  Pour into ramekins, cover with glad wrap and refrigerate until set (approx 1.5 hours).

To Serve: with crusty bread and Heather's Cherry Chill Jam.

Heather's Hints:  Will keep in fridge for up to 3 days or can be frozen, well covered, for up to 3 months (I tasted a pot of Pate that had been stored and it tasted no different to Pate we had just made!).

Once this was made, my first thought was OMG how easy!  Since this class I have made the Pate twice and each time I get better at it and my guests gobble it up without a second thought.

Having experienced Heather's Culinary Concepts Classes I will be considering a class for my next birthday, why not try it yourself I can honestly give it a massive THUMBS UP!  Click here to view all the details on classes and how to book.....

Pssst Heather's condiments are simply amazing and as part of the experience you get to sample all the magical condiments.

The trendy, extremely colourful, simply delicious fun in party styling is the LOLLY BAR!  You may hear it called Candy Buffet or Lolly Buffet, but whatever you call your bar, your guests will go sickly sweet over the concept!

Colourful, inviting and totally yummy the Lolly Bar is a wonderful concept for all ages and celebrations.  Not only will it impress your guests, the Lolly Bar is a focal point as well as the talking point.

What is a Lolly Bar?

A Lolly Bar is a table set up with fancy glass canisters, vases, fish bowls of numerous sizes and shapes.  Oversized martini or cocktail glasses to apothecary jars, bowls or baskets filled with an assortment of lollies styled to your celebration theme and a wonderful place to make your special cake stand out in a crowd!

The display can then be decorated with flowers, ribbons, lolly tags, candy scoops and tongs, bags or small boxes for your guests to fill with lollies.  The Lolly Bar is a magical centre piece to your celebration.  Design your Lolly Bar as an expression of yourself.  No matter the occasion, a Lolly Bar is stylish and perfect for weddings, birthdays (young and old), baby showers, fundraising events and corporate events just to name a few.

How do I get one for my next celebration?

Celebrate SA highly recommends a professional Lolly Bar stylists, why?  We suggest a professional can tailor your Lolly Bar to your requirements including budget, style, theme and needs.  A professional can be your support, offering you ideas on display, supply all your glassware plus scoops and planning can be time consuming, so if time is your enemy, do not hesitate to contact one of our professional stylists such as - Sweetbuzz. Ring for a quote today!

How can I create my own?

Running out of time and on a limited budget, you like to be creative and want to give it a go.  Celebrate SA has put together a few tips to help you with your planning as follows:-

• Theme
• Colour
• Style
• Glassware
• Lollies
• Final touches

What is your theme? 

Your theme is based on your event.  Is your celebration a fancy dress-up party, a wedding, formal occasion, children's party, baby shower etc. Within the event you may have a theme, such as Halloween Party, Medieval, Fairies, Space, Super Heroes...... 

What is your colour?

Once you have determined your theme, consider the colours you wish to work with.  For example if your having a Halloween Party, black and orange generally work well with this theme.  For a children's party, if the theme is super heroes, then red, blue and white.  Wedding, your bridesmaids are wearing pink.  The colour of your Lolly Bar should reflect the theme of your celebration.

Style?

Style, your style is your personal touch, the thing that makes your bar stand out with the WOW Factor!  Make a list of things that you love, working with your theme and colour.  Even better still if you love the internet and social media you can now access tools such as Pinterest.  Pulling together a board of ideas, flair, style and concepts from other peoples boards or from your own research of the web makes planning even more fun, creative and exciting!  Make sure you check out the Celebrate SA Pinterest account.  We offer an array of tips and ideas that focus not only on Lolly Bars but party styling in general.

Handy Tip #1.  If you are having your celebration at a venue, make sure your chosen venue is happy for you to have a Lolly Bar Display (some venues may charge an additional fee).  Please keep this in mind when making the final decision on the venue if you're on a budget.

What sort of display glassware can I use?

Many of our businesses hire out glassware for a very reasonable cost, you will be pleasently surprised and you will also have access to a wonderful range of apothecary vases and jars, glass canisters and oversized martini or cocktail glasses which will make your Lolly Bar look professional. Click here to view our directory.

Alternatively, try hunting around in your own cupboards and asking family and friends.  There are also places in and around Adelaide that offer a selection of glassware but this can be costly, especially if you are not planning on using the glassware again! 

Handy Tip #2.  Where should you place your table at the event?  This is extremely important!  If you are using your Lolly Bar as a major focal piece of your celebration then make sure it is in a place that engages all your guests on arrival.

What type of lollies?

Now that you have chosen your theme, colour and style, you can colour your lollies accordingly.  Following we have put together a list of lollies you might like to consider:-

• Smarties
• Sour Straps
• Strawberries & Creams
• Milk Bottles
• Jelly Babies or Jelly Beans
• Marshmallows
• Chocolate Milk Buds
• Red Frogs
• Mints
• Rock Candy
• Lollipops
• Chico Babies
• Sherbet
• Pineapples
• Candy Coated Nuts
• Musks
• Gum Bears
• Flavoured Candy Sticks
• Jaffas
• FruChocs

This is just an example of the variety of lollies you can have, we suggest buying in bulk to reduce costs.  Check your eligibility for a Cash & Carry card to help save.

Handy Tip #3.  Size does matter!  No really it does, the size of your Lolly Bar is important based on the number of guests attending your celebration.  The last thing you want is people pushing and shoving around your bar.  Celebrate SA suggest if your Lolly Bar is a centrepiece for your cake with slices, muffins and a small selection of lollies we suggest a larger table as the focus is more about dessert. If your Lolly Bar focus is a night of sweet treating a smaller table with easy access from all sides makes more sense.  Access for all your guests to enjoy so when making the final decision on where to place your bar, consider how you would like to be selecting your lollies at a celebration!

How to add the final touches?

If you have a specific theme such as shabby chic for a wedding you could have a bird cage with candles or a bowl of something sweet inside, making sure access is easy.  A Halloween scary touch you could have a black cloth with spider webs, orange jelly cups with something creepy inside.  The final touches is about your personality, your loves and your passions.  Get crafty if you've got a flair for craft your imagination can go wild, and in conjunction with your pinboard the final touches is what makes the final WOW.

Considering all the aspects, theme, colour, style, glassware, lollies, final touches and overall plan make sure you've maintain consistency.

Working to a plan, start with an idea and follow your own passion.  Your DIY "Lolly Bar" is not only a sweet attraction, but a toast to your achievement.  We would love to see a photo, if you have DIY or had a professional organise your Lolly Bar please forward a photo for our gallery to share. 

Email vanessa@celebratesa.com.au with a few details about your occasion and the supplier used.