Final Evaluation

Because I had chosen 'Weddings' as the celebration to base my project on, I decided it was necessary to further the research I carried out. I decided to carry out a focus group with a small group of people from my local area. I chose to include people of varying ages in my focus group; I did this to help me gain a variety of views and ideas from different people. The results of the focus group helped me plan my project, helping me decide which dishes to create. The focus group gave me a clear impression of which factors are of importance at a wedding and what qualities people look for when attending this celebration.

My task title 'Is it better to offer a buffet at a wedding reception or a formal sit down meal' interested me greatly, and I looked forward to carrying out my project. Getting married is the most important day of a person's life; therefore it is essential that everything runs smoothly on the big day. The research I carried out indicated to me that the food served at a wedding is an important factor to making the day run smoothly. By carrying out this project I wanted to discover whether it is better to offer a formal sit down meal, or a more cost effective buffet. Weddings can be very expensive events, and it is important that the occasion is budgeted properly; the couple could potentially save a lot of money by offering an informal buffet instead of a sit down meal.

After looking through various wedding menu's I found on the internet, both for sit down meals and a buffet, I chose various dishes I would like to create within my project. I created dishes that would specifically suit a formal sit down meal, dishes that would specifically suit an informal buffet, and versatile dishes that would suit either. Before I began creating these dishes I needed to collect recipes from different sources and write them up onto planning sheets. I collected recipes from the internet, from recipe books, and I also used family recipes. When writing the recipes up onto planning sheets I was asked to write up what ingredients I would need to use, their quantities, the method and what skills I would need to use. By using these planning sheets I was able to understand the recipe's more thoroughly, recognising the various steps I needed to undertake whilst creating these dishes.

I am very proud of the dishes I created. The soups I made tasted delicious, and would be ideal to use within a wedding menu. These soups could be incorporated into either a formal sit down meal or an informal buffet. Within a formal sit down meal, the soup could be served in bowls to guests alongside a side plate of bread and butter; alternatively it could be served within a buffet, where guests could ladle themselves a bowl out of a large pot of soup. By choosing to serve two different soups, guests would be allowed a choice of which soup they would like, accommodating to their likes and dislikes. The chicken dinner I made would specifically suit a formal sit down meal. This formal dish could be altered to accommodate guest's likes and dislikes. The chicken in this dish could be replaced with either beef or lamb, or for vegetarian guests, quorn. The vegetables served in this dish could be altered, taking away vegetables guests did not like and replacing them with alternatives. The fairy cakes I made would ideally be served within a buffet. These cakes are small and easily made. Fairy cakes are not too filling, but are very appetising, these qualities make this dish ideal for a buffet. The quirky icing heart decoration I made on the top of each fairy cake links the dish to the celebration perfectly. The cheesecake I made would suit either a buffet or a formal sit down meal within a wedding menu. The red and white colours of the cheesecake share connotations with the theme of love; this is an ideal quality for a wedding dish. The cheesecake could be laid on a buffet table, where guests could take a slice as they pleased, alternatively slices of the cheesecake could be served as a dessert within a formal sit down meal.

I believe that the dishes I chose to create were well chosen and suited my task title well; they would all suit a wedding menu very well. I think that I carried out my project well and I thoroughly enjoyed myself whilst completing it. If I were to repeat this project I would consider carrying out more practicals, allowing myself to fully explore different approaches to wedding dishes. I would also like to carry out more extensive background research on my celebration, allowing me to fully understand the occasion I am exploring.

Katie Meally