It will be no surprise that, at Baba Ganoush Catering, food is our whole world! At the heart of our family business is a genuine love of great food and a passion to deliver only the most fantastic of feasts.
It is so important to us that our food is made from only the best ingredients that the North of England has to offer. Dishes created with such ingredients have a quality and intensity of flavour that cannot be beaten. Not only can you taste the difference, but you can see the difference too: remember, we eat with our eyes too!
It is because of this ethos that we always use fresh, seasonal produce in all of our menus. At Baba Ganoush Catering, we have the privilege of working with numerous fantastic suppliers from in and around Yorkshire and have proudly supported these local businesses throughout our journey.
To give you an insight into our larder, we want to share some of our brilliant suppliers and their products that make our dishes so special. Join us in celebrating these local businesses and see what the best of Yorkshire has to offer!
Located in Selby, North Yorkshire, Brown Cow Brewery was formed in 1997 by due Susan and Kieth Simpson. They create genuine hand-crafted cask beers using traditional methods. Well respected among ale drinkers, they have won multiple awards at festivals throughout the U.K!
We are a huge fan of all their beers, but without a doubt our favourite is the Thriller in Vanilla Porter. We love it so much that we use it our classic Beef and Ale Pie – undoubtedly one of our most popular options from our pie and mash menu.
To see more about Brown Cow Brewery, visit www.browncowbrewery.co.uk
Supplying us with the freshest and finest products, Dooleys of Easingwold is a supplier we have been working alongside for a while! Originally a small, produce shop established in 1937, Dooleys has grown immensely and transformed into the food hall we know today. Although renowned for their fresh produce, they also provide a huge variety of speciality foods too.
Dooleys produce can be found in so many of our Baba dishes. Perhaps you will recognise our Grazing Feasts (proven to be a real crowd pleaser). Our cured meats and some speciality cheeses are supplied by the fantastic Dooleys of Easingwold!
To see more about Dooleys, visit http://www.dooleyseasingwold.co.uk
Based in York, Goodness Growing are one of our most relied on suppliers, providing us with organic, seasonal fruit and vegetables to use in our dishes! Their ethos is to grow produce using environmentally and animal friendly farming methods. Not only is organically farmed produce
better for our health, but the taste and visual aesthetic is second to none. Any couples who have booked with us will be able to vouch that our ‘seasonal veg’ is leaps and bounds above any other, and we have Goodness Growing to thank for this.
You will see Goodness Growing produce in practically every single menu. Whether it be traditional plated dinners, sharing feasts or creative canapes, we can assure you that only the best fruit and vegetables have been used in the making of your menu.
To see more about Goodness Growing, visit: www.goodnessgrowing.co.uk
Also based in York, Haxby bakehouse is our go-to artisan bakery. They use Yorkshire flour to make their breads as well as practicing traditional methods of slow fermentation with no artificial improvers, preservatives or emulsifiers.
Although we try to make our own bread when we can, the variety of different breads that Haxby Bakehouse are too good to miss out on! From wholemeal loafs, to sourdough bread to wild garlic and cheese bread and even croissants: Haxby bakehouse provide some of the best breads we’ve tasted!
To see more about Haxby Bakehouse, visit www.haxbybakehouse.co.uk
Holgate Windmill is York’s last surviving windmill and the oldest 5-sailed windmill in the country. The mill was built back in 1770 and ground corn up until 1939 when the mill became neglected. In 2001, the Holgate Windmill Preservation Society was formed and thanks to their team of volunteers, the mill was restored! Today, it produces traditional stone-ground flour.
At Baba, we use flour from Holgate Windmill to make our own bread (when we have the luxury of spare time). One of our speciality breads is our focaccia bread which I am sure our couples will agree goes incredibly well with our flavoured butters or oils and a cheese platter!
To see more about Holgate Windmill, visit www.holgatewindmill.org
A vineyard with a story’, Market Place Farm has been in the Wilson family for over 70 years. Originally used for livestock, Little Wold Vineyard earned its name in 2012 when the family decided to start growing grape vines to make wine! Since their first grape harvest in 2016, the vineyard has grown tremendously. Henry, Tom and Alice are a fantastic family and their vineyard produces some exceptional still and sparkling wines!
The fan favourite among Team Baba is Little Wold’s “Heather’s Sparkle”. Not only is it our go-to celebratory drink (office Birthdays are the best!) but it also features in our popular dessert: Strawberry and Champagne Cheesecake.
To see more about Little Wold Vineyard, visit www.littlewoldvineyard.co.uk
One of our seasonal suppliers, Sand Hutton Asparagus grow the finest asparagus ready to sell in April through to July. They are based at Low Moore Farm in York, so very local to us! You can also have their asparagus delivered to your door, if you ever fancied some for your home cooking. Seasonal vegetables such as Sand Hutton Asparages are unbeatable, both in taste and colour, and can really add vibrant aesthetics to a dish.
As well as accompanying main dishes, Sand Hutton Asparagus is the main ingredient in one of our popular canapes: Parma Ham Wrapped Asparagus! Another of our crowd-pleasing canapes that brings you the best of Yorkshire.
To see more about Sand Hutton Asparagus, visit www.facebook.com/SandHuttonAsparagus
Award winning business Shepherds Purse Artisan Cheeses was founded in 1980 and set out to create quality dairy alternatives for cow’s milk allergy sufferers. Now, as well as sheep milk cheese, Shepherds Purse so also include cow’s milk, and even buffalo milk, cheeses! We love working alongside this proud, independent family business – and they really do make the best cheese!
At Baba, we absolutely love Shepherds Purse’s blue cheeses: the Yorkshire Blue and Harrogate Blue. Both prove immensely popular among our couples and are regular features on our cheese boards and grazing feasts! However, our stand-out favourite cheese from Shepherds Purse has got to be the Yorkshire Fettle which we incorporate into our Broad Bean, Mint and Yorkshire Fettle Canape Cones.
To see more about Shepherds Purse Artisan Cheeses, visit www.shepherdspurse.co.uk
Truffles of the Forest
Another of our wonderful suppliers is Truffles of the Forest, who are based in York just 10 minutes away from our HQ! Fresh Truffles are one of the greatest and most sought-after gourmet ingredients. Truffles of the Forest source their produce from Italy, where they have established close relationships with experienced Italian truffle hunters over the years, allowing them to offer a premium product with unmistakable appearance and taste.
Our Chefs really appreciate the luxury that are truffles. Their unique aroma is remarkable and they add remarkable flavour to countless dishes. Perhaps one of our favourite truffle dishes is our Beef Carpaccio with Truffle Mayo. A new addition to our menu, it is utterly divine and one we definitely recommend trying!
To see more about Truffles of the Forest, visit www.trufflesoftheforest.co.uk
The Wensleydale Creamery located in, you guessed it, Wensleydale in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Cheese making in the area dates back to 1150 when French Monks first settled in the Dale. Now, nearly 900 years later, the Wensleydale Creamery continues to handcraft Yorkshire Wensleydale cheeses using local milk and traditional recipes. A well as the creamery, there is also a fantastic visitor centre where you can learn more about the history of Wensleydale and their infamous cheese!
Our Wensleydale Bon-Bon Canapes are a real fan favourite at Baba. So popular in fact, that we have now also adapted them into a main dish: Wensleydale Croquettes on a bed of Creamed Leeks! Wensleydale cheese is absolutely irresistible, as so many Friends of Baba know, which is why we love working with this local business to incorporate their fantastic cheese into our menus.
To see more about Wensleydale Creamery, visit www.wensleydale.co.uk
William Peat Butchers in Barnard Castle is part of the Castle Bank family of butcher shops, supplying locally sourced, quality meat produce. The Peat family are known to be Teesdale’s oldest butchers, selling meat back in the 19th Century! They are a well established business with plenty of knowledge!
Our ethos of using the best, local produce from the North of England is always upheld when using their meat. Like any product, you really can taste the difference when using quality ingredients! At Baba, we absolutely adore William Peat Butchers which is why they are one of our regular suppliers. Their products feature in a wide variety of dishes. Our Chef’s cannot agree on one stand-out meat, they’re all that good!
To see more about William Peat Butchers, visit www.castlebankbutchers.co.uk
York Emporium is arguably our most local supplier… with their offices being in the same park as our Baba HQ! They roast coffee daily in small bathes at their artisan roastery, with a variety of flavours to suit all tastes. The York Emporium also dabble in speciality leaf tea too!
As a Yorkshire company, at Baba we should be impartial to a Yorkshire brew. But when coffee tastes this good, we can’t help but be converted! Interestingly, we have our own ‘Baba Blend’ of coffee from the York Emporium. Our smooth roasted coffee with subtle hints of chocolate is irresistible! If you don’t believe us, pop into our HQ to try it yourself! For any couples having coffee served at their wedding, it is this very Baba Blend that them and their guests will enjoy. The team at York Emporium are also so kind as to give us their hessian sacks once the coffee beans have been used – fun fact: it is these exact sacks that we use to decorate rustic themed feast tables!
To see more about York Emporium, visit www.yorkemporium.co.uk
A supplier that has been tried and tested by all members of the Baba Team (and not just in cooking…) York Gin is another fantastic, award winning local supplier of ours! York Gin, made here in the City of York, handmake all of their Yorkshire Gins in small batches. Furthermore, their York distillery uses sustainable methods to make the gin: the distillery and the shop run on 100% green energy and all products and packaging are completely plastic free!
Although not as prevalent in our dishes as some other suppliers’ ingredients, we do incorporate York Gin into a few, key dishes at Baba Ganoush. Our Gin and Beetroot Cured Trout with Celeriac Remoulade is an impressive dish that our Chefs have perfected – not only does it look fantastic but it tastes amazing too! The gin flavouring, although subtle, brings this vibrant dish together.
To see more about York Gin, visit www.yorkgin.com
Located just north of York, Yorkshire Lavender is another of our suppliers run by a family team! They were established 26 years ago and have 60 acres of south-facing farming land! Yorkshire Lavender has hundreds of different lavender and herb varieties. You can admire the lavender farm as well as making purchases in the specialist plant nursery. We definitely recommend visiting in the summer – the array of blues, deep purples and lilacs is beyond incredible. With the addition of the distinct lavender scents, it is a wonderful experience.
At Baba, we love incorporating Yorkshire Lavender into our dishes and our aesthetic too! Especially when planning weddings, lavender can be a beautiful addition to a table set up or a dessert garnish. It is beautiful, elegant and timeless (and works brilliantly if you have a bluey-purple colour scheme….) In cooking, it lavender promises to be a really exciting ingredient adding not only taste but vibrant colour too! Our Lavender Sponge Cake is a great example of this!
To see more about Yorkshire Lavender, visit www.yorkshirelavender.co.uk
‘Fresh, sustainable, affordable’. The ethos of The Yorkshire Lobster Company is to break the stigma of lobster being a ‘costly and extravagant’ dish and instead introduce an initiative that makes lobster more affordable as well as improving the lives of the fishermen and quality of food for the consumer. Their answer is simple: by going straight from the sea to the customer, reducing the number of unnecessary links in the chain, the produce is fresher, more affordable and the whole process is more sustainable!
We absolutely adore the team at The Lobster Yorkshire Company, and we love incorporating their lobsters into our menu. A stand out dish is the Lobster and Crayfish Cocktail, a classic starter that is elevated by the fantastic ingredients included.
To see more about The Yorkshire Lobster Company, visit www.yorkshirelobster.co.uk
I hope you enjoyed reading this blog. Our food and suppliers mean everything to us! To work with Thicket Priory one of Yorkshire’s finest exclusive use wedding venues to deliver luxury catering with Yorkshire provenance is simply a dream come true!
All the best,
Becky from Baba Ganoush!
