Venue for hire: Hampton Court Palace Garden

As busy event managers we are always looking for a new venue for hire to add to our portfolio for our clients. We were invited to attend the Hidden Garden Festival showcase at Hampton Court Palace put on by the Historic Royal Palace events team.

The evening was to launch the new 20th Century Garden event space, a great outside venue for hire in London and an option perfect for summer parties and events. The secret garden, which can hold up to 600 people, is separated from the main grounds by a newly added quaint bridge. Beautiful ornamental trees and hedges have been planted to create a peaceful and tranquil ambience. The space is now available for hire for either daytime or evening events.

‘VIP’ festival lanyards were handed out on arrival and, although the weather was slightly overcast, the HRP events team had prepared for the ever changing British weather by providing Poncho’s. Luckily enough the weather was on our side and we did not have to use them – but as they say ‘always best to be prepared’!

Blue Strawberry created a festival inspired menu which started with a very impressive selection of canapés including sea bass ceviche, seafood burgers, spicy chicken fortune cookies and coconut rice cakes.

We were then treated to a section of mini meals including white and brown crab meat salad, pan roast duck breast (my personal favourite) and gorgonzola and walnut gnocchi.

A BBQ station came next with Egyptian spiced beef skewers, miso marinated vegetables, a very popular lime & coriander grilled swordfish and sweet corn cakes with chilli and halloumi, which I couldn’t get enough of.

Blue Strawberry’s show-stopping dessert station ‘Life’s a Beach’ included edible biscuit sand, shortcake lifesavers, sea salt & caramel doughnuts (delish) and honeycomb pannacotta sandcastles- Oh! And Vodka Jelly shells….I enjoyed those very much. The effort and imagination that went into this dessert station was inspiring an idea I am hoping to duplicate at a Mango Pie event.

A lovely selection of summery drinks were offered including the popular Aperol Spritz. Fun festival cocktails ‘Dock of the Bay’ and ‘Strawberry Fields’ were also circulated featuring edible flowers and a very refreshing ‘Lavender Lemonade’.

Sternberg Clarke’s acoustic duo, cleverly named ‘Acoustic’, performed roaming sets of chilled summer tunes throughout the evening. Two charming circus jugglers had the guests in fits of giggles, giving a very energetic performance.

Face Painting was also available allowing you to get into the festive spirit with floral or butterfly designs. The Blue Strawberry catering staff joined in and also had their faces painted, a great idea for this style of event.

Raj Tent Club provided an impressive selection of their decorative Indian tents and beautiful furnishings including the Pergola, Pavillion and Double Maharaja structures.

Vintage French chairs, Moroccan rustic stools and day beds were displayed around the picturesque outdoor space.

A fabulous collection of their accessories gave the finishing touches to the exotic tents including Jaipar and Istanbul lanterns, velvet and silk cushions and Moroccan metal trays.

The beauty of the Raj Tents was highlighted with the help of White Light LTD who provided the lighting and production for the evening.

Award winning celebrity florist Simon Lycett designed stunning floral displays and floral bunting including blooms such as gerberas, sweet pea and blown peonies.

As if this wasn’t enough, fun floral welly boots with a mixture of silk and fresh flowers spilling over the top were dotted around this new venue for hire. Clusters of sunflowers, hydrangea and corn flowers were used to create wild arrangements. Hanging flowers and honeycomb pompoms were also hanging from the surrounding trees.

We had a wonderful evening and you could tell that everyone in attendance was enjoying this special summer festival showcase of this stunning new venue for hire in London.

It was most definitely one of the best showcases I have attended in a long time and we can’t wait to hold a Mango Pie event in this fabulous and versatile new space. Well done to all.