I’ll be honest, our choice to enter the Country Life Canapé of the Year Award was quite last minute. We had been so busy in the run up to the deadline that it was difficult to find the time to think about anything apart from our events. However, I do consider that canapés are a bit of a speciality for Jackson Gilmour so it seemed right to make time, and I’m very glad we did.
When I was presented with the award by Giles Kime from Country Life the first question he asked was “What makes a canapé a good canapé?” That’s quite a question, and one the team here spend a lot of time thinking about for clients. Making a final choice for the award was a difficult call but in the end we opted for our parcel of heritage carrot and crab. Measured against some of the other entries, it looked simple and paired back but I was delighted that the judges recognised its fresh taste, elegant balance of flavours and originality.
I love canapés because these small bite-sized morsels offer the chance to be creative. But there is nothing worse than a canapé that disappoints. So what makes a canapé experience invitingly indulgent rather than utterly uninspired? For me the answer is a perfect combination of taste, texture, and colour. If these three properties are utilized the humble canapé will transform into an exquisite bite.
The taste needs to pack a punch, the textures should offer a mix of smooth and crunchy and I like to keep the colours vibrant. Our heritage carrots come in jewel-like colours of purple, orange and yellow and look beautiful on a white or black plate. It’s fun to have a few unique flavours in the canapé to give people something to talk about. Right now the sweet and salty flavour does well; miso is a great ingredient for this and Asian flavours like chilli and lime both offer bold, punchy flavours.
However, these ingredients must be well balanced. It’s so important to get the right mix of simplicity, practicality and creativity to ensure one element doesn’t over dominate. How many times have you eaten a canapé that is so volcanically hot that you have to swiftly search for a serviette or so big that you can’t fit it in our mouth? A canapé should be small so it’s easy to pick up. No guest wants to be left with an embarrassing handful of crumbs on a shirt front reminiscent of a Jackson Pollock.
Food trends are impacting on canapés and it was no coincidence that our winning canapé was meat and gluten-free. Party-goers are increasingly looking for a diverse range of canapés which satisfy both dietary needs and lifestyle choices. Our low-carbon, superfood and plant-based menus all reflect these changes and we are constantly re-inventing our canapés to surprise and delight our clients.
If you would like to know more about our canapés please call us on 020 8665 1855 or email us info@jacksongilmour.com.
