There are still tickets available for this June's TEDxHousesofParliament. For those of you who are fans of TED, this one is not to be missed. For those of you who are not yet familiar with TED talks yet are blessed with an incurably inquisitive mind, then we highly recommend you give this a go.
The theme is Democracy and the event itself will be held in Banqueting House - the very building outside which King Charles I was beheaded, ushering in a new era/age of greater democracy in this country. Don't know about you, but we find that really rather exciting...
Oh, and if you do make it, we'll be feeding you! Click here to purchase tickets for this fabulous event. S&Px
So last Thursday 3rd May we received some ridiculously exciting news... WE MADE THE SHORTLIST FOR THE 2012 FOOTPRINT AWARDS COMMUNITY VOTE!!!! Jubilations!
THANK YOU. So, so very much to all of you who voted - you are truly wonderful! Winners will be announced on Thursday 24th May... Wish us luck! S&Px
Hello friends, apparently we are up for this years Footprint Awards 'Community Vote' in recognition of our eco work... The Community Vote is designed for the foodservice community (suppliers, peers, customers and partners alike) to vote for a business they feel particularly worthy of an Award. We have just found out that we have a week left to get as many people to vote for us as possible & we're up against some serious Big Guns! We've been working so hard of late making lots of improvements on our small sustainable company and it would mean so much to us to have this recognised.
If you feel us worthy enough for a two second click of your mouse key, PLEASE VOTE!! You would make a tired pair of sisters very happy. S&Px
We're still on the lookout for more chefs and occasional waiting staff. If you dread the Groundhog Day alarm going off each morning, then you might like to get in touch. You could be feeding a crew for an EMI shoot, shucking oysters at a festival from our bus or making/serving canapés for 300 media luvvies... No two days are ever the same! Please email CV and short note to mail@squidandpear.com. S&Px
We've been dying to share this little snipped of goss with you for ages... It's official: Squid & Pear have been chosen to be the catering partner at the very first TEDx to be held at the Houses of Parliament this June 22nd!
'Curated and hosted by experienced TED speaker Jonathan Drori, the event will bring together a range of exciting speakers to share "ideas worth spreading" on the theme of Democracy. We aim to surprise, challenge and inspire the audience.'''
See the TEDxHoP website for more details and to purchase tickets. S&Px
Our Sustainable Restaurant Association Star Rating report is complete! We've come a long way since we set up our small family business last March. The SRA take no prisoners when taking you through their rigorous rating process and we've had to really shake up our operations since working with them. It really has been worth all the hard work though as we now have a company and service to be proud of. See http://www.thesra.org/restaurant/squid-and-pear/ for more info. Here's to our second sustainable year! S&Px
My goodness, we've just realised we missed our first birthday!! Crumbs, that all went by rather swiftly, didn't it. On the 4th March our little company turned one - jubilations! And my, what a year it's been - so much learned, so many new friends made, so many injuries sustained... (please don't mention pressure sores to Squid.) But we have had SO much fun along the way - this really is the best job in the world and we've been utterly blown away by the love, support and response we've received, we cannot thank you all enough. Looking forward to feeding you all the more in year two! Follow your dreams, foodies - it can pay off... Much love, S&Px
For those of you who may be interested, Lisa (aka, Squid) will be on the discussion panel for the 'Green Events and Innovations 2012' on Friday 16th March talking about some of the work we have been doing to make our little business and the events we work on more sustainable and responsible. S&Px
We're a very proud bunch here today at S&P HQ. We have just taken a phone call from George, our lovely account manager the Sustainable Restaurant Association who informed us that our little business has just been awarded THREE STARS on their sustainability rating. Not only that, we are the FIRST mobile caterer to receive such an accolade! Few words from Mark Linehan, MD of the SRA:“We are thrilled that Squid & Pear have taken up the challenge to be the first mobile caterer to undertake the SRA Sustainability Rating and achieve our highest accolade – a Three Star rating. It proves our long held belief that any organisation serving food be they mobile caterers, takeaways, hotels, pubs or fine dining restaurants can achieve the highest sustainable standards. Squid & Pear have laid down the gauntlet for other mobile caterers.” Perhaps it's time to pop open that cheeky bottle of fizz we've been saving... Happy Friday, foodies! S&Px
As many of you may know, this years TEDxObserver event is now completely sold out. However, there is another way in... We are currently seeking volunteers to come and join us for this one day event. In exchange, you will receive a cracking lunch on us and a chance to enjoy one of the talks. The date is Saturday 10th March. Click on the link for a little taster on this terrific event and for more details on how you can get involved, please email mail@squidandpear. S&Px
Last Thursday we had the great pleasure of meeting the incredible people of FareShare who very kindly gave us a tour of their HQ and warehouse in Bermondsey. FareShare is a national UK charity which supports communities to relieve food poverty and they work tirelessly to tackle two of the most urgent issues that face the UK: food poverty and food waste. Following on from this enlightening and inspiring visit we were very happy to offer our support in donating any surplus food we may have following an event. There has also been talk of a collaboration on future fundraising events following on from the success of their Valentine's pop-up dinner. See http://www.fareshare.org.uk/ for more info and keep an eye out on here and on our Facebook page for further announcements and updates. S&Px
Things are getting somewhat busy here at Squid & Pear - so much so that Pear is starting to lose a little too much weight... So, we're currently on the lookout for top-notch chefs and waiting staff who wish to work on a temporary basis on our events, parties and shoots from March onwards. If you fancy coming to spend a little time with us and our little company, please email your CV along with a short covering email to mail@squidandpear.com. S&Px
For those of you not able to make it to Cannes this year, how about heading on over to the Henley International Film Festival this April. We'll be popping up our portable seafood restaurant and popping open an oyster or two in their fab 'Nosh Cube'. Come & join us for three days of international art house cinema, film-based activities, muchos fun, & the very best of British seafood! S&Px
This coming Tuesday 21st Feb Squid & Pear are proudly supporting our friend & one to watch in the world of ethical events, Emma Proud as she hosts her first 'Swishing & Swinging' evening at the charming Rocket Complex housed in London Metropolitan University. For those of you who have not yet encountered this latest eco-trend: "Swishing is ethical, eco-fabulous, social and fun and it's quickly becoming a global phenomenon! It's really easy - you can exchange a dress for a hat or maybe a skirt for jeans and revamp your wardrobe without the sins of the high street!". We'll be introducing our newest member to the Squid & Pear family, Jo Zeenny who will be spoiling guests with her moorish cakes before they hit the floor for free swing dance classes - not to be missed! See http://www.rocketcomplex.co.uk/ for more details. S&Px
Mondays aren't usually our favourtie day here at S&P HQ, however, Monday 30th January 2012 turned out rather nice... Not only were we confirmed as one of this years TEDxObserver partners, we were also chuffed to bits to have been invited by none other than the Cake Queen herself, Lily Vanilli to enter this years YBFs (Young British Foodie) awards! This years judges include some of our favourites from the business including the formidable Bompass and Parr, Nuno Mendes from El Bulli, one of The Independants 'Ten people who changed the world', Petra Barran of Eat.St fame and our street food hero, Yianni Papoutsis who's the genius behind The Meatwagon & London's latest hotspot, MEATliquor. Happy Mondays! S&Px
We were incredibly honoured last week to have been asked to bid to be the catering partner for this years March 10th TEDxObserver event which is to be held at Sadler's Wells. However, today we are bursting with excitement to have been confirmed as the catering partner. The 1200 tickets have sadly already sold out - but with speakers such as Black Hawk Down author, Mark Bowden, anthropologist Robin Dunbar and Plan B, we are not wholly surprised. Click on the image for more info on the event and this years speakers. S&Px
Following on from the success of our collaboration with the fabulous Aloft London Excel launch party, we are thrilled today to announce a more long-term relationship with one of London's coolest hotels. Aloft are part of the same group who are responsible for the über-cool W Hotel in Leicester Square, described as "unashamedly hip..." by The Telegraph. Squid & Pear will be providing a smörgåsbord of mouth-watering bowl food dishes to the revellers of Alloft's party people. Quite simply THE place to head to for your London event. S&Px
Pop-up time! This time we're taking the Squid & Pear experience to the charming city of Chichester in West Sussex. The lovely people of the Richmond Arms, formally known as the Waterside, have very kindly offered us full reign of their kitchen for the evening of Saturday the 28th Jan. We'll be doing two four course set menus - one will of course be seafood and the second will be a feast of the very finest Sussex game. A snip at just £30 or, to truly indulge, why not choose the wine pairing menu for £45. Full menus will be published to our Facebook page and here. Simply email us or call to book. Do hurry though, places are already filling up fast! S&Px
We were absolutely thrilled to be invited to cater for over 350 guests for the fab new Aloft london Excel launch party hosted on 15th November. The Aloft is owned by the Starwood Hotel group who are behind some of the worlds most stunning hotels including the über-cool W hotel in Leicester Square. Not only was the party held to launch Dockland's newest hotel, it was also to showcase up-coming talent from the fields of music, mixology, urban art, urban sport and of course, urban food! Some images of the food can be found on our Facebook page and further images of the event will be coming soon... S&Px
As we sit here to write this our Coutdown to Christmas Clock tells us we're only 44 days, 10 hours and 41 minutes to Christmas and the S&P diary is rapidly filling up! Call or email us now to see how we can help you to celebrate your Christmas lunch, dinner or party in true Squid & Pear style... Ding-dong! S&Px
Save the date: Squid & Pear will be feeding hungry epicureans for breakfast & lunch on Saturday 5th Nov at the fab new Brockley market. We'll be working with the wonderful artisan producers from the market to bring you delights such as scrambled duck eggs - laid just the day before - served on toasted sourdough freshly baked from Astons bakery & topped with smoked salmon... Lunch TBC, depending on what our fishmonger has for us that morning... A foodies paradise! S&Px
Our friends at The Sustainable Restaurant Association have recently launched their Too Good To Waste campaign which "aims to raise both consumer and industry awareness about the appalling scale of restaurant food waste, alongside offering viable alternatives for diners and restaurants." We're delighted to support this brilliant campaign and to join some of some our favorite foodies: Hugh FW, Thomasina Miers of Wahaca and Anna Hansen of The Modern Panrty (and if you scroll down the supporters page you may come across a familiar face...). S&Px
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: THE HIFF HAS BEEN POSTPONED AND WILL NOW BE TAKING PLACE IN APRIL 2012.
For those of you who couldn't make it to Cannes this year, how about heading over to the Henley International Film Festival this November! Squid & Pear are extremely proud & excited to be joining the guys at this years HIFF to be THE seafood restaurant in their fab 'Nosh Cube'! Come & join us for three days of international art house cinema, muchos fun, film-based activities & the very best of British seafood! S&Px
We are absolutely thrilled here at Squid & Pear HQ to announce a collaboration this October with "hungry restaurateur", Zak Jones of The Chancery. On Sunday the 16th and then again on Sunday the 23rd, we will be joining forces with Zak to host Squid & Pear's very first pop-up restaurant evening! Following on from the success of our sustainable British seafood sessions at the Real Food Market on the Southbank, we will be bringing the very best our coasts have to offer, cooked the Squid & Pear way, to EC4. Keep and eye out on here and on our Twitter or The Chancery's Twitter page for more details, which are to follow later this week... S&Px
No plans for Saturday October 1st? Love food? Squid & Pear will be once again serving up our wonderful sustainable seafood dishes and providing oyster shucking demos at Barnes Food Fair, London’s "village on the river". Barnes village is set to play host to the first ever food fair in the area this autumn to be held in a specially erected marquee by Barnes pond. 9:30am – 5.30pm. If you haven't been to Barnes before, we highly recommend a visit, it's simply stunning. S&Px
Come & join us for the weekend of the 23rd to the 25th September at the Real Food Harvest Festival where we'll be situated amongst the fab Eat Street collective right on the riverfront at the Southbank! Friday through to Sunday 11am to 9pm. S&Px
Squid & Pear are extremely proud and excited to be the FIRST mobile caterer and street food vendor to team up with the guys at the Sustainable Restaurant Association! Now you can have confidence that when eating with us, not only are you guaranteed supremely good food that tastes divine, but you can also eat with a clear conscience! You should also check out the Do Some Good app where the SRA have teamed up with Orange to help you do your bit for sustainability. Giles Coren is an advocate and now you can be too - Power to the People! S&Px
And now for something completely different... Squid & Pear are OUTRAGEOUSLY excited to be hosting our very special 'Crab & Hammer' day this Saturday from our super seafood bus, Dennis. If you're a lover of crab (and you don't mind getting a little messy), you're guaranteed to have a hoot with us and this wonderfully interactive dish! We'll be there in our usual place on the Southbank from 12pm to 8pm. Goggles provided... You'd be insane to miss it! S&Px
Squid & Pear will be packing up Dennis next month & heading on over to join none other than the cheesemeister himself, Mr Alex James on his farm in the glorious Cotswolds for Alex James Presents Harvest! If you haven't already bought tickets, we would get on this one fast it's gonna be a cracker, we reckon! S&Px
Back by popular demand, Squid & Pear Seafood Street Food every weekend this August at the Real Food Market on the Southbank, in the usual place, just behind the Royal Festival Hall. Friday & Sat 11am to 8pm & Sunday 12pm to 6pm. Hope to see you there! S&Px
Vintage, baby! We're extremely excited & proud to be taking part in next weekend's Vintage Festival on the Southbank. Along with our much talked about fresh grilled seafood we'll also be serving up a choice selection of exquisite wines from Merry Widows and Nicolas Feuillatte champagne to acompany our Maldon Rock Oysters & native Lobsters. And best of all, you don't need a ticket for the Street Food section so you can come & enjoy an oyster or six whilst listening to the erstwhile sounds from the Vintage bandstand! Look out for our fab new big yellow converted school bus with the blue go-faster stripes.. We hope to see you there for some serious decadent times.. S&Px
It's seafood with Squid & Pear! All this weekend at the fabulous Real Food Market on the Southbank, just behind the Royal Festival Hall. Friday & Sat 11am to 8pm & Sunday 12pm to 6pm. Keeping everything crossed for a soupçon sun!
We've signed the Sustainable Fish Cities pledge and are very proud to support the brilliant work these guys do.
We're on our way to help make London the first ever Sustainable Fish City. And you don't need to be a food producer to help. Click here to find out how you can get involved.
S&Px
