Your guests will forget the colour of the napkins. They will not forget whether the food was good. At most venues, catering is managed by an outside company who have never seen the space. At The BarnYard, it is all in-house, and that changes things considerably.

The kitchen at The BarnYard prepares everything on site. The chefs are inspired by locally sourced and homegrown ingredients, and the orchard that surrounds you on your wedding day shows up in the food on your plates. The apple pie, for instance, is genuinely made with apples from the grounds. This article walks through the full menu and the decisions you will need to make, so you can go into your tasting with some idea of where you are heading.

Where it comes fromLocal sourcing and the orchard kitchen

The BarnYard sits within 150 acres of Kentish countryside, with apple and pear orchards, natural woodland and rolling hills on the doorstep. The kitchen takes that setting seriously. Ingredients are sourced locally where possible and ordered from local suppliers, and the seasonal character of the surrounding land shows up in the menus throughout the year.

For couples, this matters for a practical reason: the food has a connection to the venue that a generic hotel or conference centre cannot replicate. The lamb on the menu is local. The honey appears in actual dishes. The apple pie dessert uses fruit that was growing within sight of where your guests are sitting. That is worth knowing when you are trying to choose between a number of venues.

How to startTen starters to choose from

The starter list is broad enough to suit most tastes. Here is the full selection:

  • Baked Asparagus wrapped in Prosciutto Ham, glazed with Lemon, served with Tarragon Butter Sauce
  • Chicken and Mango Timbale bound with Crème Fraiche, flavoured with Fresh Mint and Toasted Coconut
  • Grilled Beetroot Halloumi with Tikka Spices, Mini Poppadums and Cucumber Raita (v)
  • Broccoli and Cauliflower Cheese Soup with Rocket Oil (v)
  • King Prawn and Chorizo Salad, Baby Gem Lettuce, Sriracha Mayo
  • Chicken Liver Pate with Chilli Jam and Crostinis
  • Tomato Soup topped with Parmesan and Thyme Croutons and Gremolata (v)
  • Traditional Prawn Cocktail
  • Crispy Cauliflower Popcorn and Avocado Dip
  • Watermelon and Greek Feta Cheese with Honey and Balsamic (v)

The default is one starter for all guests. If you want to offer a second choice, you can add a second option across the whole menu at £7.50 per head extra, and guests pre-select their choices before the day so the team knows exactly what is going out.

The soup options (broccoli and cauliflower cheese, tomato) work well in cooler months. The lighter options like the watermelon and feta or the cauliflower popcorn tend to be popular for summer weddings. The King Prawn and Chorizo is a strong choice for anyone who wants a starter that reads as a course in its own right.

The main eventEight main courses, including one on the legendary side

The main course menu covers everything from traditional to creative, with proper vegetarian options throughout:

  • Braised Beef Steak Forestiere with Mushrooms, Shallots and Merlot Wine
  • Trio of BarnYard Sausages, Spring Onion Mash and Sticky Onion Gravy, served in a giant Yorkshire Pudding (v available)
  • Aged Lamb Rump soaked in local Honey, Rosemary and Orange Juice
  • Breast of Chicken filled with Asparagus, wrapped in Parma Ham, served on a Champagne sauce
  • Slow Roasted Pork Loin with aromatic Garlic and Herb Rub, Crackling, Redcurrant and Port Jus
  • Field Mushroom and Blue Cheese Tart with Red Onion Marmalade (v)
  • Smoked Haddock and Pea Risotto with Pancetta Shard (v available)
  • Cauliflower Steak, Cajun Rubbed, Chimichurri

The Trio of BarnYard Sausages in a giant Yorkshire Pudding is what it sounds like: a statement dish that gets the room talking. It is comfort food taken seriously, and guests who order it tend not to regret it. The Braised Beef and the Lamb Rump are the choices most couples gravitate towards when they want something unambiguously elegant. The Chicken in Champagne Sauce occupies the middle ground: refined, crowd-friendly, and reliable.

If you have a significant number of vegetarian or vegan guests, the Field Mushroom and Blue Cheese Tart and the Cauliflower Steak are proper main courses, not afterthoughts. Worth noting for the planning conversation.

The alternativeA daytime BBQ instead of three courses

For summer weddings, the daytime BBQ is the other path. Instead of a formal sit-down three-course service, guests move through a spread of food served out in the CourtYard. The selection includes a 6oz Steak Burger with BarnYard's own sausages and caramelised onions, BBQ Shredded Pork with Apple Sauce, Garlic and Black Pepper King Prawns, Chicken Skewers with Chorizo, Yoghurt, Mango and Mint, and Rainbow Vegetables with Halloumi. Sides run to Corn on the Cob, Rainbow Slaw, Roasted New Potatoes with Thyme and Garlic, Garden Mixed Salad and Brazilian Bean Salad, with baps, wraps and flatbreads.

The BBQ format is more relaxed and better suited to an informal wedding day. It is not a cheaper option or a lesser one: it is a different kind of service, and some couples find it fits their day considerably better than a formal sit-down. It is worth discussing at the viewing if you are drawn to it.

The best bitSeven desserts, including the apple pie

The dessert menu is where the local character of The BarnYard comes through most clearly. The full list:

  • The BarnYard's own Apple Pie served with Fresh Cream or Custard
  • Cheesecake in three variations: Raspberry and White Chocolate, Salted Caramel, or Limoncello
  • Sicilian Lemon Tart with Whipped Mascarpone
  • Sticky Toffee Pudding, Toffee Sauce, Vanilla Ice Cream
  • Wild Berry Eton Mess with Meringue, Whipped Cream, Marshmallows and Wild Berries
  • A Duo of Brownies: Chocolate and Blondie, with Chocolate Nibs and Warm Salted Caramel Sauce and Honeycomb Ice Cream
  • Poached Pear in Grenadine with Ricotta, Honey and Toasted Almonds

The apple pie is the one to know about. The BarnYard's own apples go into it, and it arrives in a way that feels entirely appropriate to the setting. The Sticky Toffee Pudding and the Eton Mess are the crowd-pullers for large groups. The Sicilian Lemon Tart and the Poached Pear offer something lighter and a little more refined for couples who want the dessert course to feel elegant rather than indulgent.

After the mealCoffee and the marshmallows people keep mentioning

After dessert, specialty ground coffee and a full selection of teas are served to all guests. They arrive with artisan marshmallows in various flavours, which is a small detail that guests mention with more enthusiasm than you might expect. It is the kind of touch that says someone thought about it.

The included toast drink is a glass of Prosecco per person. Champagne is available as an upgrade if you prefer, and is worth discussing when you confirm your numbers.

Making the decisionOne menu or two choices

The standard package includes one menu: one starter, one main, one dessert for all guests. This is the simpler and more usual approach, and it is what most couples choose. If you want to give guests a choice on the day, you can offer two options per course at a supplement of £7.50 per head. Under this arrangement, guests pre-select their choices in advance, and the team knows on the day exactly what each table is having.

The bespoke route is also open if nothing on the standard menu fits your vision. If your dream menu is not listed, the kitchen will work with you to create something specific to your day. That conversation happens at the final wedding meeting, twelve weeks before the wedding, when all guest numbers and dietary requirements are confirmed.

Dietary requirementsA practical note

All dietary requirements need to be confirmed at the final wedding meeting. The kitchen can accommodate a range of dietary needs including vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free requirements, and most of the menu options have alternatives available. Children aged 0-4 are catered for at no charge. Children aged 5-11 are charged at 50% of the adult package price and can eat from the same menu or from a simpler children's alternative, to be discussed with the team.