What made you decide to be a chef?

The first chef job I fell into was while I was travelling. I loved the atmosphere in a kitchen and the overall the environment. As this progressed into a career it became about working alongside like-minded people, with similar passions and bouncing ideas around. I was attracted to the execution, perfection, attention to detail and intricate precision that you need as a chef and my journey with food is forever evolving and changing, from the style of food I create, to the flavours.

I took inspiration from my extensive travelling as a child where I was able to experience a variety of cuisines and was immersed in different cultures.  Mothers Sunday roast, baking with grandparents, visiting markets along the coast were all things I loved to do.

I just love the way food brings people together and how it can initiate conversation.

 

From our new 2025 menu, which dishes are your favourite?

I like to try and bring everything to the table when it comes to writing the menu for Hyde. I understand that the menu has to cater for a wide variety of people and so I try to tick a lot of boxes that meet the different needs of our clients and have something for everyone.

My favourite aspect of the menu is the canapés. I use canapés to showcase different techniques, ingredients and flavours. I love designing them and creating new combinations and twists. They are also a great way to encourage people to taste and experience new foods.

My top choices for canapés from the 2025 menu are the bourbon glazed tempeh, potato pave with truffle and caviar, treacle cured salmon with pickled pear, lotus root and créme fraiche, whipped goats cheese on crisp bread with redcurrant marmalade and the lobster salad with squid ink tapioca.

For starter, I would have the whipped feta with charred asparagus and I really like the sharing concept and so my main course choice would be either the feasting mustard and garlic crusted sirloin of beef or the slow cooked shoulder of lamb, with spiced parmentier potatoes and za’atar roasted carrots with chickpeas and pomegranate.  For dessert I would choose the caramelised white chocolate cheesecake.

 

What are your top tips for couples when making their menu choices?

Go with the things that you want. Go for more adventurous canapés and lots of sides with different variations to elevate the feasting experience.

 

What do you love the most about being the head chef at Hyde House?

My favourite thing about being head chef at Hyde is the happiness that my food brings to people on their special day and the flexibility and creative freedom to do the food I want.

Tell us a bit about yourselves – how did you meet and what is your proposal story?

Will and I met at work and were a couple for around 8 years before we got engaged in 2021. We had booked a night away at Foxhill Manor in the Cotswolds to celebrate my 30^th birthday in November 2020, however due to lockdown we had to reschedule 3 times. We eventually stayed at Foxhill Manor in October 2021 and whilst I was getting ready for dinner Will got down on one knee and proposed. Even though we had spoken about marriage before, the proposal was a complete surprise and even more special that we could celebrate in the Cotswolds.

 

What made you choose Hyde House as your wedding venue?

Will and I live in Manchester but we always say the Cotswolds is our happy place, so we knew straight away it was where we wanted to get married. I wanted quite a traditional English wedding, but with the option of personalising the venue with our design choices. As our guests were travelling from across the country, having accommodation on site and nearby was also important to us.

We visited Hyde House on an open day and fell in love immediately. The main house was stunning with two modern barns to decorate how we wish. Being a foodie, I wanted our wedding meal to be special, and the food I tasted at the open event did not disappoint. We loved the venue so much we rang back the next day to reserve our date.

 

What drew you towards having a winter wedding day?

When I was at university, I used to work for a wedding catering company in my spare time. I still remember the magical feeling the winter weddings gave me, from the cosy drinks receptions to the candlelight dinners after the sun had set. I knew from then I wanted a winter wedding to re-create that magical feeling and bring my winter wonderland vision to life. Plus there is always the added bonus of not worrying about the weather on your wedding day!

 

 

Your day was so beautiful with so many gorgeous and well thought out touches. Who were your talented suppliers and what made you choose them?

Every single one of our suppliers were just outstanding. I had found most of them through Instagram and the Hyde House supplier list, and knew their style was just what we wanted.

My glam squad consisted of Lauren Gosling for hair and Amy Rose MacDonald for makeup who made my whole bridal party look so beautiful on the day. Hannah Culley made our delicious wedding cake and Lou Paper designed all our stationery, both invitations and on the day.

 

 

Styletopia, along with Stow Flower Shop, brought our vision to life and decorated Hyde House beautifully with winter foliage, adding warmth with black tapered dinner candles and gold accents throughout the venue. Styletopia encouraged us to think about sustainability in our wedding, so instead of traditional favours, we opted for cocktail hour and instead of a guest book, all our guests signed a bauble to hang on our Christmas tree which we can use to decorate our home for years to come.

 

Our photographer Pat Partridge was one of our best decisions we made. His laidback style suited our vibe for the day, and his interaction with us and the guests meant he really captured the joy of the day.

We had Joe Pike play the piano from the ceremony through to the wedding breakfast. I walked down the aisle to Alicia Keys “If I ain’t got you” which Joe played so beautifully, it filled me emotion as soon as I heard the intro. For the party afterwards, we hired Velvet Soul, a disco, soul and funk bank, who were amazing – I didn’t stop dancing all night!

 

How did you find the planning process and did one of you take charge of was it a team effort?

It was definitely a team effort, Will is a much better planner than I am and he really helped organise us and the suppliers to bring my vision for the wedding to life.

 

What were each of your favourite moments from the day?

The ceremony was a surprise to us both at how meaningful and special it was, as we both had thought our favourite moment of the day would be dancing, having fun and celebrating with all our friends. From the music played by Joe Pike, to the readings from our close friends and family, the ceremony was a beautiful moment to celebrate our love. We did still have a blast dancing with everyone in the evening though!

 

 

Tell us something we wouldn’t know about your wedding day from the pictures?

They say a picture paints a thousand words but it can’t portray how delicious all the food was on the day. We opted for confit salmon to start, belly pork for main, apple crumble tart for dessert and, for a fun option, we went for fried chicken and chips for the evening food. Every single guest we spoke to said how amazing the food was – it really was outstanding.

After the wedding breakfast, Pat took Will and I outside, along with a few friends, for a champagne spray photo. The whole series of photos from that moment are epic, but what they don’t show is us all waiting for a second bottle of fizz to arrive, covered in champagne, wind was blowing a gale, but not caring and just having fun, dancing and singing to Cher – Believe.

 

 

What would be your words of wisdom for future Hyde House couples? 

Jenna: Leave as much time as you can to get ready in the morning so you arent rushing. You will go into the ceremony calmer, and it will help you be present throughout the day. I had a small bridal party of 3 bridesmaids, and we had such a chilled morning, it really helped me relax and enjoy every moment.

 

Will: Just enjoy everything about it! All our suppliers and everyone at Hyde House made everything so simple and ran smoothly from planning to the day itself.

 

Here at Hyde House, we know that food is one of the most important parts of your big day. We want you to feel confident that you’re in safe hands with our wonderful in-house catering team, so we are proud to offer all of our couples the opportunity to attend a Dinner Date Night.

Our Dinner Date Nights offer the chance for you to sample a selection of our wedding breakfast options, as well as the opportunity to try our wines, fizz and a cocktail (or two!) To make the evening extra special, we have a selection our wonderful recommended partners, such as stylists and florists, who decorate the The Barn and live musicians to create the perfect atmosphere. The Hyde House team are also on hand to answer any queries you may have, or just to have a catch up on all things weddings!

To give you a taster of what you can expect from your upcoming Dinner Date Night, we wanted to share with you some gorgeous imagery taken at two of our most recent events by Pear & Bear Photography and Tom Durn Photography, and you can find the full list of suppliers involved at the bottom. Happy scrolling!

 

Hyde House Partners:

Rustic tables- Valley Furniture Hire

Glassware and Cutlery- R&R Weddings and Events

Stylists and props- Wedding Creations

Napkins- The Vintage House that Could

Stationery- Lauren Daisy

Photographers- Pear and Bear Photography

Tom Durn Photography

Music- James Sax

Marcello Music

It is no surprise to us that the Autumn months are such a popular time of year to get married at Hyde House. With the seasonal blooms, textured foliage, the softening, golden light, the turning leaves on The House and all of the cosiness that comes with the cooler days, there is so much to make the most of. And last year, our couples really did make the most of all of those things and more and having been sent a handful of really incredible galleries we just had to share some of their images with you.

So, whether you’re having an Autumn/ Winter Wedding day with us or are thinking of booking a Wedding around this time of year, we hope that you can find lots of lovely inspiration below and with a few weekend dates still remaining for this coming Autumn, do get in touch with us on

team@hyde-house.uk

to find out the offers we have available!

 

Top Left- Ana Parker Photography, Haze Lea Floral Design; Top Right- Alba Turnbull Photography, Haze Lea Floral Design; Bottom Left- Pear and Bear Photography, Haze Lea Floral Design; Bottom Right- Lucie Watson Photography, Haze Lea Floral Design

Top- Pear and Bear Photography, Foxy Buds; Bottom Left- Alba Turnbull Photography, Haze Lea Floral Design; Bottom Right- Ana Parker Photography, Haze Lea Floral Design

Top- Pear and Bear Photography, Foxy Buds; Bottom- Ana Parker Photography, Etiquette Events, Haze Lea Floral Design

Top Left- Patrick Partridge Photography, Forest and the Flowers; Top Right- Lucie Watson Photography, Haze Lea Floral Design; Bottom- Pear and Bear Photography, Haze Lea Floral Design

Top Left- Ana Parker Photography, Wedding Creations; Top Right- Lucie Watson Photography, Haze Lea Floral Design; Bottom Left- Patrick Partridge Photography; Bottom Right- Ana Parker Photography, Wedding Creations

Lucie Watson Photography, Haze Lea Floral Design

Patrick Partridge Photography, Forest and the Flowers

Alba Turnbull Photography, Haze Lea Floral Design, Every Event Hire

Top Left- Lucie Watson Photography, Lou Paper; Top Right- Abla Turnbull Photography; Bottom Left- Patrick Partridge Photography; Bottom Right- Ana Parker Photography, Etiquette Events, Wedding Creations

Top- Pear and Bear Photography, Foxy Buds; Bottom- Pear and Bear Photography, Haze Lea Floral Design

Ana Parker Photography, Haze Lea Floral Design, Etiquette Events, Wedding Creations

Left- Lucie Watson Photography, Hannah Culley Cakes; Top Right- Ana Parker Photography, Haze Lea Floral Design, Bottom Right- Patrick Partridge Photography, Forest and the Flowers

And can we talk about that Autumn light?

Top Left- Pear and Bear Photography, Top Right- Lucie Watson Photography; Bottom Left- Patrick Partridge; Bottom Right- Ana Parker Photography

Tell us a bit about yourselves- how did you meet and what is your proposal story?

Kristy – Craig and I met through a mutual friend in our second year at Plymouth University. We left Uni together, moved to London and have since bought our first home together here. We’ve been together 10 years this year! Craig proposed in February 2022 during storm Eunice. We were in Cornwall, where he is from, and he was pestering me to go for a cliff walk despite the horrendous weather so I thought he may be planning something. We lasted about 1 minute outside before he got down on one knee and we quickly ran back to the car for shelter and warmth. It was an easy yes.

 

What made you choose Hyde House as your Wedding venue?

Craig – The Cotswolds is an area of the UK that we have spent lots of time together and it’s also in between Cornwall and Dorset, where our families are from. We set a weekend aside to travel from London, packing in viewings in the hope of finding the one. As it turns out, Hyde House was the second viewing we had and blew the other out of the water. We cancelled the rest of our bookings and paid our deposit that weekend.

Kristy – We just got that feeling at Hyde. The contrast between the traditional house and the blank-canvas modern barn spaces alongside the the stylish bar, and bedrooms – we felt like it had a bit of everything. No detail had been missed and we just knew it was the venue for us.

 

What drew you towards having an Autumn Wedding day?

Craig – An autumn wedding had always been our plan. We were realistic about how unpredictable the weather in the UK can be and we knew we would be upset if we chose a summer date and it rained. So, with that in mind we decided that an October wedding felt a bit less pressurised weather-wise, and we could plan for the whole day to be inside. We were very lucky that on our wedding day the weather was mild, and our guests were therefore able to overflow into the outside space, which was lovely.

 

Your day was so beautiful with so many gorgeous and well thought out touches. Who were your talented suppliers and what made you choose them?

Kristy – We felt incredibly lucky to have some of the best suppliers pulling our dream together. Most of them we either found via Hyde’s recommended supplier list or through Instagram. We chose Katherine (Haze Lea Florals) for our flowers, as they were the most important ‘extra’ for me. Katherine fully got our vision, and we are still receiving compliments about her stunning arrangements to this day! Styletopia styled our wedding, and we loved the sustainability aspect of ‘renting’ their props, and using their faux florals for the big pieces so nothing went to waste. We chose Matthew Bee (Cotswold Guitarist) for our ceremony and reception, and Apollo Soul for the evening and we couldn’t recommend them both enough, they were just incredible. Our cake was made by Hannah Culley’s Cakes and was a huge hit with all our guests – we are still munching on it from the freezer months down the line. And finally, our getting ready team comprised of Lauren Gosling Hair and Amy Rose Make Up both of whom bought the fun but chilled vibes whilst making all of the girls feel amazing.

 

How did you find the planning process and did one of you take charge or was it a team effort?

Kristy – The wedding planning process has a bit of negative press, and we were worried that we would find it overwhelming and stressful, but we couldn’t have had a more opposite experience. I’m a ‘planner’ and had the vision in my mind/on my Pinterest board of what I wanted the day to look like so definitely took the reins initially. But once I had narrowed the searches down to a couple of options, Craig (the more decisive one!) stepped in and made final choices. When we got closer to the big day, the details came back to me and I really enjoyed making styling choices, sourcing stationery and gifts for our families etc.

 

What were each of your favourite moments from your day? 

Kristy – It was genuinely all amazing. I loved getting ready with my best girls and my Mum, listening to music, and feeling fully pampered. Then the moment I saw Craig at the end of the aisle was just so special. Honestly, every moment was full of joy and love, and I’ve never smiled so much in my life.

Craig – I think the moment we walked into the wedding breakfast, ‘signed, sealed, delivered’ blaring, everyone waving their napkins in the air was just awesome. But every moment was amazing, we just had the best day ever.

 

Tell us something we wouldn’t know about your Wedding Day from the pictures?

Craig – Me and the groomsmen very nearly didn’t make it in time! We rented a house for the weekend before the wedding and were checking out the morning of, and we accidentally dropped the key somewhere on the stone driveway so had to spend way too long searching for it. Luckily, we found it and were on our way, but it was a bit hairy!

Kristy – During the reception drinks, someone knocked into my friend who was stood close by and holding an espresso martini… It went all down the front of my dress. Luckily, I was so high on cloud nine, I was genuinely not that bothered. My bridesmaids and I escaped up to the bridal getting ready room and with a steamer and some plain cloth, managed to get the worst of it out!

 

What would be your words of wisdom for future Hyde House couples?

Kristy – Trust the process. It’s easy to overthink your choices in the period from booking suppliers to your day arriving as it’s usually a fairly long wait but remember that you made your decisions for a reason. Somebody said to me that the only person who knows ‘what your wedding should look like’ is you – so if something goes wrong (and it probably will), no-one else will know, and on the day, you will be so elated, you also won’t care.

Craig – Make the most of the fact that everyone you and your partner love is under one roof. It’s such a rare opportunity. As well as others, make sure you carve time out to spend with each other because the day really does fly by.

 

Photography- Lucie Watson Photography

We all love that time during a Wedding Day when the music is playing, your dancing shoes are well and truly on, drinks have been in full flow and the evening food comes out… heaven! And here at Hyde House our Chefs have once again been hard at work creating some really fabulous and utterly delicious signature set-ups for our Couples and all of their guests to enjoy during those later hours.

Introducing our…

 

Evening Dessert Station ~ The Pudding Parlour

 

 

… complete with Mini meringue pie tarts, Salted caramel and pretzel cupcakes, Oreo brookies, Mini seasonal pavlova’s (gf), Seasonal jellies (df), Giant pink raspberry marshmallows (gf), Cookies with mini banana, biscoff milkshakes.

 

Evening Hot Food Stations ~ Hot Roast

 

 

… with Gloucester old spot pulled pork, Sage and onion stuffing, Crackling, Bramley apply sauce, Crunchy raw slaw, Freshly baked bread rolls.

 

Loaded Fries

 

… where guests have the options to choose from (top left- clockwise) Classic Poutine, Crispy lamb and spiced mint mayo, Melted cheese, jalapēno salsa, sour cream, spring onions and guacamole, Burnt ends, hickery mayo and frazzles.

 

Hyde Fried Chicken

 

Buttermilk chicken and fries OR Halloumi fries, fresh mint, pomegranate.

 

… and the toppings are either Hoisin mayo, spring onion and coriander, Miso spiced mayo, teriyaki, sesame and crispy onion, Blue cheese and crunchy maple bacon, Chipotle mayo.

For information on pricing, minimum order numbers etc then please do not hesitate to get in touch with us via team@hyde-house.uk.

All images by Laura Harvey Photography 

At the beginning of 2020 we closed our doors and gave the House a whole new look; little did we know that it would be quite a while before many of our Couples would get to see these wonderful changes in person. Since our doors have opened we have loved showing everyone around the newly refurbished spaces and have really enjoyed seeing so many positive reactions!

One of the biggest transformations that took place here at Hyde House was on the ground floor in a spacious room that was once the Planning Teams office and is now – the Library. Not only is the library a wonderfully designed, cosy room for people to relax in, it is also used on Wedding Day mornings for one half of the Wedding Party to get ready in. It really is the perfect private space to spend those special pre-Wedding hours with your closest friends and family.

The other drastic transformation was in the Bedrooms where every single room was re-furnished and re-decorated. The Bridal Suite is now complete with a four-poster bed, elegant new furnishings and a freestanding copper bathtub, in the bedroom no less, and all of the other 19 bedrooms have been made even more luxurious than before so you’ll always have a good nights sleep at Hyde House!

So please do scroll away to see the exciting changes. Xx

 

Images by Cotswold Pictures, Laura Harvey Photography and Green Antlers Photography

Today is our third and final journal post about our brand new 2022 Menu and we’re sharing all things plated dishes!

Our fabulous Chefs have created a Menu where there is something, if not many things, for everyone. We have flavourful meat dishes, mouth-watering fish dishes, seasonal veggie and vegan dishes and a delicious mix of desserts.

As you may have seen from our earlier Journal posts, alongside our plated options we also have our Feasting Menu and just in case you can’t quite decide whether they would like more formal plated dishes or interactive feasting options for your own Wedding Day, you can mix and match between the courses giving you the best of both worlds for you and your guests to enjoy.

We hope you enjoy looking through the final images from our Menu Shoot with Laura Harvey Photography and if you haven’t had the chance to try our new dishes at one of our Tasting Evenings just yet we hope you love them when you do!

Starters

Top to Bottom: Burrata, heritage tomatoes, basil, balsamic vinegar (v, gf), Pressed ham terrine, pickled vegetables, apricot chutney, sourdough toast (df); Rainbow beetroots, orange and honey whipped goat’s cheese, candied sunflowers seeds (v); Pan fried scallops, celeriac purée, rémoulade, pickled apple (gf) (£2.50pp)

 

Top to Bottom: Trealy farm coppa ham, black figs, sherry vinegar, shaved parmesan (gf); Duck liver parfait, sauternes jelly, mini brioche; Sea bass ceviche, cucumber, mint and mango salsa (gf, df)

 

Main Courses

Top to Bottom: Rump of Cotswolds lamb, pea purée, herb gnocchi, charred broccoli, peas, broad beans, salsa verde (+£3pp); Sweet potato wellington, wild mushroom, roasted Jerusalem artichoke, spinach, Salmoriglio (v, vg, gf, df); Crispy Kale doughnut, parmesan, pressed potato, shallot puree, crispy kale, spring onion oil (v); Cotswolds white chicken, pressed potato, shallot puree, tenderstem broccoli, spring onion oil, madeira jus (df, gf)

 

Top to Bottom: Roasted Beef fillet, creamed potato, candied carrot, wild mushrooms, truffle (+ £7pp) (gf); Pan fried cod, bubble and squeak, cauliflower puree, spinach, caper and raisin burnt butter (gf); Seasonal tortellini, crispy trumpet mushrooms (v)

 

Desserts

Top to Bottom: Chocolate and buttermilk brownie, chocolate sauce, vanilla dream ice cream (v), Treacle tart, salted caramel ice cream; Strawberry and tonka bean cheesecake, passionfruit and mango (v)

As you may have already seen from our Instagram and recent Journal post, we have a new Menu that launched earlier this month at Hyde House and we’re just a *tiny* bit excited about it! Some of our lovely Couples have already managed to see and taste our new offering at recent Tasting Evenings, but for those of you who haven’t just yet, we’ve shared imagery of our new Feasting Menu (click the link to see earlier post), next week we’re talking all things plated dishes, and today, it’s all about Canapés!

Canapés are such an important part of any Wedding Day Menu. They’re the very first Wedding food that your guests will see, smell and taste and as such, our Chef’s have put so much love and hard work in to making sure that our Canapés not only taste delicious but that they look really beautiful as well. There has also been a lot of care put in to creating an offering that has lots of variety so that every personal preference or specific dietary requirement can be catered for.

We hope you enjoy looking through our brand new Canapés below and we have also made a note of what each dish is under the image collages so you can start making a shortlist for your Big Day 😊.

 

Top to Bottom: Chicken Liver Parfait on toasted brioche, Salt Baked Celeriac, truffle and pickled celeriac (v), Tuna Taco with yoghurt, wasabi and ginger, Artichoke tempura with saffron aioli (v, df)

 

Lamb bon bon with pea and mint, Wild mushroom truffle arancini with parmesan (v), Ox Cheek Crumpet with chestnuts and cranberry

 

Honey Soy Glazed Salmon and toasted sesame (gf, df), Aubergine tartare on puffed pasta crisp (v), Beef Carpaccio with truffle emulsion and shaved pecorino

 

Crab Salad with pickled radish, apple and dill (df), Crispy ham hock with burnt miso caramel, coriander and spring onion, Bloody Mary Bocconcini (v)

 

Images by Laura Harvey Photography